Centerboard

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Centerboard \Cen"ter*board`\, Centreboard \Cen"tre*board\,
     (s[e^]n"t[~e]r*b[=o]rd`), n. (Naut.)
     A retractable or sliding keel used on sailboats, formed of a
     broad board or slab of wood or metal which may be raised into
     a water-tight case amidships, when in shallow water, or may
     be lowered to increase the area of lateral resistance and


     prevent drifting to leeward when the vessel is beating to
     windward. It is used in vessels of all sizes along the coast
     of the United States
  
     Syn: centreboard, drop keel, sliding keel.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  centerboard
       n : a retractable fin keel used on sailboats to prevent drifting
           to leeward [syn: {centreboard}, {drop keel}, {sliding
           keel}]