The Nautical Encyclopedia

Patterson’s Illustrated Nautical Encyclopedia — Howard Patterson, 1891

⚓ The Superstition Locker ⚓

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Home ⚓ Letter F ⚓ Free-board

Free-board

Sea Terms

The distance from the plank shear, or covering board, to the water line.

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2026 Editor's Note: Freeboard is now law: the load-line conventions assign every ship a minimum freeboard, computed and certified — the Plimsoll reform this era fought for, made arithmetic. See freeboard. (Ed: BR 2026-07-19)

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The Nautical Encyclopedia (1891) is in the public domain; this digital edition © 2026 PhotoOpAI.