AhaBulbStuff Everyone Should Know
AhaBulb: Stuff Everyone Should Know · ahabulb.com/boat-nun-buoy-red-cone

A red, cone-shaped buoy with a pointed top is called what?

A nun buoy.

Start playing free

  1. A can buoy
  2. A nun buoy ✔
  3. A pillar buoy

Why: 33 CFR 62 says nun buoys have a tapered, conical shape. Red nuns mark the starboard (right) side of a channel when heading in from sea.

Huh, didn't know that: A red pillar buoy, with a wide base and narrower top, can also mark the starboard side.

The dad joke
Why did the red buoy win every argument? It always made a good point.
Like this card?
Play the game

References

Answer: A nun buoy. 33 CFR 62 says nun buoys have a tapered, conical shape. Red nuns mark the starboard (right) side of a channel when heading in from sea.

  1. 33 CFR 62.23 Beacons and buoys (eCFR) www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-62.23
    Nun buoys have a tapered, conical shape.
    Checked 2026-10-08.
  2. 33 CFR 62.25 Lateral marks (eCFR) www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/section-62.25
    Beacons have red triangular daymarks, while buoys are red nun or pillar buoys.
    Checked 2026-10-08.

Think this answer is wrong? Tap "Challenge this answer" on the card in the game and tell us why.

Test yourself in the game

Boating & WaterIn U.S. waters, 'red right returning' means keep red markers where when coming in from sea?Boating & WaterGreen, flat-topped, cylinder-shaped buoys are called what?Boating & WaterIn the U.S. system, red channel markers carry what kind of numbers?

That's stuff everyone should know.