Keel

For other uses, see Keel (disambiguation)}}}.

A keel is a large beam around which the hull of a ship is built. The keel runs in the middle of the ship, from the bow to the stern, and serves as the foundation of the structure, providing the major source of structural strength of the hull. The keel is generally the first part of a ship's hull to be constructed, and laying the keel, or placing the keel in the cradle in which the ship will be built, is often a momentous event in a ship's construction--so much so that the event is often marked with a ceremony, and the term lay the keel has entered the language as a phrase meaning the beginning of any significant undertaking.

The word keel is also sometimes used to refer to a rigid, relatively flat piece of material anchored to the lowest part of the hull and used to give the ship greater directional control and stability. Large keels are common in sailboats, where they act as foils, using the forward motion of the boat to generate lift to counter the lateral force from the sails. Keels are different from centerboards in that keels are often fixed (though some are retractable) and are often made of heavy materials to provide ballast to stabilize the boat.

Carina is the Latin word for keel and is the origin of the term careen (to clean a keel and the hull in general). Careening Cove is a suburb of Sydney, Australia where careening was carried out in the early days of the colony.

Keel

See also