Waterline

The line where the water surface meets the hull.

The waterline is where the boat floats today, with today's load. Freeboard is everything above it, draft everything below it, and adding weight moves the line up the hull in both directions at once: less margin above, more boat below.

A quick glance at the waterline before leaving the dock tells you more about loading than any argument on the deck.

One silhouette carries half the glossary: gunwale up top, keel at the bottom, freeboard above the waterline, draft below it.

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Put the words to work

Vocabulary is easier at the helm.

The free South Carolina boater safety course teaches all of this in twelve chapters with a sixty question practice exam, and when you are ready for the water itself, one form gets you rental quotes from local operators.

Take the Free Safety Course Check Pontoon Availability