Bow (watercraft)
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The bow (
Prow may be used as a synonym for bow or it may mean the forward-most part of the bow above the waterline.
Function
A ship's bow should be designed to enable the hull to pass efficiently through the water. Bow shapes vary according to the speed of the boat, the seas or waterways being navigated, and the vessel's function. Where sea conditions are likely to promote
Ideally, the bow should reduce the
The forward part of the bow is called the "stem" or "forestem". Traditionally, the stem was a timber (or metal) post into which side planks (or plates) were joined. Some boats such as the
Types
Many types of bows exist. These include:
-
Straight-stem bow
-
plumb bow
-
raked bow
-
flared bow
-
clipper bow or "Aberdeen bow"
-
Ram bow
-
High-chin spoon bow
-
Low-chin spoon bow
Etymology
From Middle Dutch boech or Old Norse bógr (shoulder). Thus it has the same origin as the English "bough" (from the Old English bóg, or bóh, (shoulder, the bough of a tree) but the nautical term is unrelated, being unknown in this sense in English before 1600.[5]
Prow
The "prow" (French : proue) is the forward-most part of a ship's bow above the waterline. The terms prow and "bow" are often used interchangeably to describe the most forward part of a ship and its surrounding parts.
See also
- Boat building
- Bow (rowing)
- Deck
- Figurehead
- Glossary of nautical terms
- Naval architecture
- Port
- Shipbuilding
- Starboard
- Stem (ship)
- Superstructure
References
- ^ Jha, Bhuvan (November 12, 2019). "Different Parts Of A Ship Explained". Marine Insight. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- HMSO1943 & Conway (2006)
- ^ Note: Aside from making the deck slippery, salt water may corrode metal decks. In very temperatures, water can also freeze on the deck, rails, turrets, and other exposed surfaces, increasing the topside weight and rendering the vessel unstable.
- another ship.
- OED
Further reading
- Sleight, Steve; The New Complete Sailing Manual, Dorling Kindersley Co., (2005) ISBN 0-7566-0944-5
- Steward, Robert; Boatbuilding Manual, 3rd ed. International Marine Publishing Company. Camden, Maine (1987), p2-3. ISBN 0-87742-236-2