---
title: "Boat Storage Glossary: LOA, On the Hard, Haul-Out and More"
description: "Plain-English boat storage terms: LOA, beam, draft, on the hard, cradle, travel lift, shrink-wrap, commissioning, slip, moorage, dry stack and the French words too."
url: https://boatparking.ca/guides/boat-storage-glossary/
last_updated: 2026-10-23
---

# Boat storage glossary

Marinas and yards have their own vocabulary. Here it is in plain English, with the French terms you will see in Quebec.

## Terms

- **LOA**: Length overall, from the farthest point forward to the farthest point aft. Most yards charge per foot of LOA.
- **Beam**: The widest point of the hull. LOA × beam gives the area some marinas charge on.
- **Draft**: How deep the boat sits below the waterline. Matters for shallow slips and lift wells.
- **Air draft**: Height above the water to the top of the mast, arch or radar. Matters for bridges and building doors.
- **Haul-out**: Lifting the boat out of the water for storage, by travel lift, crane or hydraulic trailer.
- **Launch**: Putting the boat back in the water in spring. Also called a splash.
- **On the hard**: Stored on land, on stands, blocks or a cradle.
- **Cradle**: A frame shaped to the hull that holds a boat, most often a sailboat, upright on land.
- **Blocking**: Wood or steel blocks under the keel and hull. Some yards charge for it.
- **Jack stands**: Adjustable stands that hold a boat steady on land.
- **Travel lift**: A wheeled gantry with slings that lifts boats out of a haul-out well.
- **Hydraulic trailer**: A trailer with adjustable arms that can pick up a boat at a ramp and set it on stands.
- **Mast stepping**: Putting the mast up. Unstepping is taking it down.
- **Shrink-wrap**: Plastic film shrunk with heat over a frame to protect a boat outdoors in winter.
- **Winterizing**: Getting a boat ready for freezing: draining or adding antifreeze to water systems, treating fuel, fogging engines.
- **Lay-up**: The period a boat is out of commission for winter. Insurance policies use the term.
- **Commissioning**: Spring work to get the boat ready: de-winterizing, batteries, checks, launch.
- **Bottom paint**: Antifouling paint on the hull below the waterline.
- **Gelcoat**: The glossy outer layer of a fibreglass hull. Sun and freeze-thaw wear it.
- **Shore power**: Electricity from the dock. In Ontario often just called hydro.
- **30A / 50A**: Shore power ratings. Larger boats need 50 amp service.
- **Pump-out**: Emptying the holding tank at a dock station.
- **Bubbler**: A system that pushes air up from below to keep ice away from boats stored in the water.
- **Slip**: A space at a dock for one boat.
- **Seasonal slip**: A slip rented for the boating season, usually May to October in Ontario.
- **Transient**: Short stays for visiting boats, priced by the night.
- **Moorage**: A dock space or mooring, the usual word on the BC coast.
- **Dockage**: The fee for staying at a dock.
- **Dry stack**: Boats stored on racks and put in the water by forklift on request.
- **Dry moorage**: BC term for storing a boat ashore at a marina.
- **Cold storage**: Indoor storage in an unheated building.
- **Heated storage**: Indoor storage kept above freezing.
- **DIY yard**: A yard that lets owners work on their own boats. Rules vary.
- **Waitlist**: The queue for slips or moorage at busy marinas.
- **Clean, Drain, Dry**: What provinces ask before you move a boat between lakes, to stop invasive species.
- **Hivernage**: French: winterizing, or winter storage.
- **Remisage**: French: storage, putting the boat away.
- **Mise à l’eau**: French: launch.
- **Mise à terre**: French: haul-out.
- **Entreposage intérieur / extérieur**: French: indoor / outdoor storage.

## Related

- [How to measure your boat for storage](https://boatparking.ca/guides/how-to-measure-boat-length/)
- [Boat storage options](https://boatparking.ca/storage/)
- [Boat storage guides](https://boatparking.ca/guides/)

---

Find a spot: https://boatparking.ca/request-a-spot/ · Email: info@boatparking.ca