ASA 104 STUDY GUIDE EXAM 2026/2027 QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Primary Filter - ✔✔Removes dirt and separates water
✔✔Lift Pump - ✔✔Draws the diesel from the tank
✔✔Secondary Filter - ✔✔2nd filter mounted on engine
✔✔Injector Pump - ✔✔Forces fuel into cylinders at high pressure via the injectors
✔✔Returned Fuel - ✔✔Fuel not used in a cycle
✔✔Masthead Rig - ✔✔Makes it possible for the forestay to be attached at the masthead
✔✔Fractional Rig - ✔✔Forestay will be attached some distance below the masthead.
✔✔Pinching - ✔✔pointing too high, causes the sails to luff and the boat to slow down
✔✔Foot Off - ✔✔sail at a wider angle and sail faster
✔✔Closest Tack - ✔✔The tack that leads closer to your destination than another. If 40°
off port bow on port tack and 60° off starboard bow for starboard tack, then port tack is
closest tack
✔✔Preventer - ✔✔a line or tackle rigged to the boom to prevent an accidental gybe
while running
✔✔Motorsailing - ✔✔faster than motoring, motoring w/main up
✔✔Mediterranean Moor - ✔✔Hybrid of anchoring, rafting and docking
✔✔Forked Moor - ✔✔2 anchors set from the bow w/a narrow angle (45° to 60°)
✔✔Fore & Aft Anchors - ✔✔useful when swinging room is limited
✔✔Bahamian Moor - ✔✔drop 2 anchors off the bow placing them at 180° to each other
*always use with current
✔✔Yellow Q Flag - ✔✔to let country know you are entering
✔✔Courtesy Flag - ✔✔flag of country you are visiting once cleared customs
, ✔✔Mayday - ✔✔Internationally recognized distress signal used only in life-threatening
situations
✔✔Pan Pan - ✔✔injuries or boat damage, not life-threatening
✔✔Securite - ✔✔message concerning the safety of navigation or important
meteorological warnings, spoken three times, use French pronunciation
✔✔Chart Scale - ✔✔The ratio of a given distance on the chart to the actual distance
which it represents on the earth.
***1:10,000***. ***all in inches
✔✔Soundings - ✔✔water depth
✔✔Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) - ✔✔What is the average of only the lower of the
two daily low tides. Used as a reference plane for most NOS charts?
used to measure zero depth
✔✔Mean High Water (MHW) - ✔✔What is the average of all high waters. Used as the
reference plane for vertical clearances or heights above the water surface?
used to measure the height of objects
✔✔IALA A - ✔✔Green Right Return
Europe, Australia, New Zealand, parts of Africa and Asia
✔✔IALA B - ✔✔Red Right Return
North and South America, Caribbean, Japan, Korea, Philippines
✔✔Difference between IALA A and IALA B - ✔✔the assignment of navigational colors
✔✔Fix - ✔✔boat's position relative to other objects that have known positions
✔✔LOP - ✔✔Line of Position. A plotted line on which a vessel is located
✔✔Waypoint - ✔✔a place where you will change course
✔✔COG - ✔✔Course Over Ground
✔✔SOG - ✔✔Speed Over Ground
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Primary Filter - ✔✔Removes dirt and separates water
✔✔Lift Pump - ✔✔Draws the diesel from the tank
✔✔Secondary Filter - ✔✔2nd filter mounted on engine
✔✔Injector Pump - ✔✔Forces fuel into cylinders at high pressure via the injectors
✔✔Returned Fuel - ✔✔Fuel not used in a cycle
✔✔Masthead Rig - ✔✔Makes it possible for the forestay to be attached at the masthead
✔✔Fractional Rig - ✔✔Forestay will be attached some distance below the masthead.
✔✔Pinching - ✔✔pointing too high, causes the sails to luff and the boat to slow down
✔✔Foot Off - ✔✔sail at a wider angle and sail faster
✔✔Closest Tack - ✔✔The tack that leads closer to your destination than another. If 40°
off port bow on port tack and 60° off starboard bow for starboard tack, then port tack is
closest tack
✔✔Preventer - ✔✔a line or tackle rigged to the boom to prevent an accidental gybe
while running
✔✔Motorsailing - ✔✔faster than motoring, motoring w/main up
✔✔Mediterranean Moor - ✔✔Hybrid of anchoring, rafting and docking
✔✔Forked Moor - ✔✔2 anchors set from the bow w/a narrow angle (45° to 60°)
✔✔Fore & Aft Anchors - ✔✔useful when swinging room is limited
✔✔Bahamian Moor - ✔✔drop 2 anchors off the bow placing them at 180° to each other
*always use with current
✔✔Yellow Q Flag - ✔✔to let country know you are entering
✔✔Courtesy Flag - ✔✔flag of country you are visiting once cleared customs
, ✔✔Mayday - ✔✔Internationally recognized distress signal used only in life-threatening
situations
✔✔Pan Pan - ✔✔injuries or boat damage, not life-threatening
✔✔Securite - ✔✔message concerning the safety of navigation or important
meteorological warnings, spoken three times, use French pronunciation
✔✔Chart Scale - ✔✔The ratio of a given distance on the chart to the actual distance
which it represents on the earth.
***1:10,000***. ***all in inches
✔✔Soundings - ✔✔water depth
✔✔Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) - ✔✔What is the average of only the lower of the
two daily low tides. Used as a reference plane for most NOS charts?
used to measure zero depth
✔✔Mean High Water (MHW) - ✔✔What is the average of all high waters. Used as the
reference plane for vertical clearances or heights above the water surface?
used to measure the height of objects
✔✔IALA A - ✔✔Green Right Return
Europe, Australia, New Zealand, parts of Africa and Asia
✔✔IALA B - ✔✔Red Right Return
North and South America, Caribbean, Japan, Korea, Philippines
✔✔Difference between IALA A and IALA B - ✔✔the assignment of navigational colors
✔✔Fix - ✔✔boat's position relative to other objects that have known positions
✔✔LOP - ✔✔Line of Position. A plotted line on which a vessel is located
✔✔Waypoint - ✔✔a place where you will change course
✔✔COG - ✔✔Course Over Ground
✔✔SOG - ✔✔Speed Over Ground
