The parts of a boat, drawn to scale and named.
Pick any part of a runabout or a sailboat to see what it is called and where it sits. Compare 12 hull shapes at one scale, learn what a spec sheet measures or print a worksheet, all free.
Runabout: the hull and its sides11 parts
Runabout: deck, cockpit and helm9 parts
Runabout: fittings, lights and motor7 parts
Sailboat: mast, sails and rigging9 parts
Sailboat: deck and cockpit7 parts
Sailboat: keel, rudder and tiller3 parts
Picked part · 11 of 27
Gunwale
The gunwale, pronounced “gunnel”, is the upper edge of the boat’s side.
Also called gunnel. Often mixed up with the rub rail.
More on the gunwaleParts of a runabout
What you can do here
Boat Anatomy is a free visual reference to boats. It shows what each part is called and where it sits, how hull shapes differ, and what the numbers on a spec sheet measure. Every answer comes with an original drawing at scale, so you see the part on a whole boat.
It is written for adults meeting boat words for the first time: someone studying for a state boating course, a new owner or renter reading a spec sheet, a passenger wondering which side is port. Instructors, sailing-club and scout leaders, and teachers can print every drawing for a class.
Everything is free to read and print, with no account. The site names no brands and gives no buying, handling or safety advice; the disclaimer says what the drawings can and cannot tell you.
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Labeled drawings
A runabout and a sailboat drawn to scale, 46 parts numbered and named. Pick a part to read what it is, or hide the names and test yourself.
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Hull shapes
12 hulls, each drawn from the side, from above and in cross-section at one scale with the waterline in the same place, so the shapes compare directly.
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Measurements
What the numbers on a spec sheet measure, drawn on one runabout. Add load and the waterline rises; set a deadrise angle on a dial.
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Words and directions
148 boat and nautical words in one sentence each, with the part drawn wherever there is one, and port and starboard shown from above.
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Printable worksheets
6 drawings as labeled sheets and blank practice sheets for Letter or A4 paper, free for classes and study.
Questions this site answers
Parts of the boat
Measurements
Hull types, seen from ahead at one scale
By how the hull moves at speed
How these drawings are made
Every boat, section and hull line is drawn by code from a small table of numbers, so the three views of a hull agree and the same boat appears everywhere. Nothing is traced, and there are no photographs. Every fact is checked against a published source: regulations, the U.S. Naval Academy's hull notes, boating-course guides and dictionaries.