A chart shows 3 ft of water over a sandbar. Which measurement of your boat tells you whether you can cross it without touching bottom?
- Beam
- Freeboard
- Length overall
- Draft
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D. Draft
Draft is the vertical distance from the waterline down to the lowest point of the boat (often the propeller or keel), so it is the least depth of water the boat needs. Freeboard is measured upward from the waterline and says nothing about clearing the bottom.
Reference: NASBLA boating education standard: boat terminology
What is a boat's freeboard?
- The distance from the waterline up to the lowest point where water could come aboard
- The distance from the waterline down to the lowest point of the hull or the propeller
- The amount of open deck space that is left over for passengers and their gear
- The distance between the top of the windshield and the surface of the water
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A. The distance from the waterline up to the lowest point where water could come aboard
Freeboard is the height of the side of the boat above the waterline, measured to the lowest point where water could enter. Overloading reduces freeboard and makes swamping more likely. The distance down from the waterline is draft.
Reference: NASBLA boating education standard: boat terminology
What is the gunwale of a boat?
- The lowest part of the hull's interior
- The flat surface across the stern
- The upper edge of the boat's side
- The fitting a dock line is tied to
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C. The upper edge of the boat's side
The gunwale (said 'gunnel') is the top edge of the side of the hull. The lowest interior space is the bilge, the flat stern surface is the transom, and a line is made fast to a cleat.
Reference: NASBLA boating education standard: boat terminology