Nautical Charter

Nautical Dictionary - Nautical Glossary - Maritime Terminology

Nautical Glossary - Maritime Terminology

Keckling: Winding small rope around a cable or hawser to prevent damage by chafing. The rope with which a cable is keckled.

Kedge: (1) A small auxiliary anchor. (2) To kedge is to move a vessel (e.g., a grounded boat) by setting out an anchor and pulling the boat toward it by taking up on the anchor rode

Keel: [image] (1) The backbone of a vessel, running fore and aft along the center line of the bottom of the hull; the timber at the very bottom of the hull to which frames are attached. (2) A flat surface built into the bottom of the boat to prevent or reduce the leeway caused by the wind pushing against the side of the boat. A keel also usually has some ballast to help keep the boat upright and prevent it from heeling too much. There are several types of keels, such as fin keels and full keels.

Keel Blocks: Blocks on which the keel of a vessel rests when being built, or when she is in dry dock.

Keel Stepped: A mast that is stepped (placed) on the keel at the bottom of the boat rather than on the deck. Keel stepped masts are considered sturdier than deck stepped masts.

Keelhauling: A severe naval punishment for serious offenses in which the victim was hauled from one yardarm to the other under the keel of the ship. The victim rarely survived; he would either be cut to ribbons by the shellfish on the ship's bottom or drown.

Keelson: A beam attached to the top of the floors to add strength to the keel on a wooden boat.

Kenning: Sixteenth-century term for a sea distance at which high land could be observed from a ship. Varied between 14 and 22 miles according to average atmospheric conditions in a given area.

Kentledge: Permanent pip iron ballast specially shaped and placed along each side of keelson. Name is sometimes given to any iron ballast.

Ketch: A sailboat with two masts. Generally, the shorter mizzen mast is aft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post, while a similar vessel, the yawl, has the mizzen mast aft of the rudder post. The mizzen mast of a ketch is larger than that of a yawl.

Killick: Nautical name for an anchor. Originally, was a stone used as an anchor.

King Post: A vertical post usually employed as a support Also called a Sampson post

King Spoke: The top spoke (usually marked) on the steering wheel when the rudder is centered.

Kippage: Former name for the equipment of a vessel, and included the personnel.

Kite: A light sail, such as a spinnaker, used to make the most of light following winds.

Knee: An angle or channel from deck beam to shell frame taking the place of a bracket.

Knees: Supporting braces made into a right angle, used for strength when two parts are joined.

Knockdown: A boat that has rolled so that she is lying on her side or even rolled completely over (can be caused by a sudden gust or squall). A boat with appropriate ballast should right herself after being knocked down.

Knot: (1) A speed of one nautical mile (6,076 feet or or 1,852 meters) per hour. It is incorrect to say knots per hour. (2) A method of attaching a rope or line to itself, another line or a fitting.

Kraken: Enormous sea monster supposed to have been seen off coasts of America and Norway. Sometimes mistaken for an island.