Has my Boat Flipped!

[Hudson Force]

We all know words evolve over time and the use of terms change. I was recently misunderstood when speaking of my vessel's sole and ceiling. I looked at the "sticky" on this forum for nautical terms, but the words "sole" & "ceiling" are not listed. Maybe I'm just living in the past, but when I was first introduced to boating we were told that, inside a boat's cabin, we walked on the ceiling and the sole was overhead. The ceiling was the cover over the bilge, the "bilge ceiling" and the sole was the "deck flooring" overhead. Now, it seems that the more conventional terminology of houses has taken over from the older nautical terms and we are back to walking on the sole with the ceiling overhead. I'm no stickler for terminology and there's probably always been a wide variety of terms in different locales. What's the story on your boat? ....I'm flipped!

[zeehag]

we walk on the sole and ceiling is what in houses are called walls. overhead is literally overhead.

[Tingum]

Good for Zeehag. Ceiling is the interior covered surface of the hull that is not an installed bulkhead. What you call ceiling in a house is overhead. Proper terminology counts! Sorta like calling line rope! Improper terminology shows lack of knowledge!

[Vasco]

The ceiling is the deckhead.

[Tingum]

Absolutely correct, overhead is the decorative covering over the deck head. Ceiling is the covering over the inside of the hull.