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Bow of the Cruise ship Spirit of Endeavour

The bows of lifeboat 17-31 (Severn class) in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England

The bow (pronounced to rhyme with how) is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow. The other end of the boat is called the stern.

The term bow comes from the old days of timber boat building. It is derived from the use of the trunk and a bow (bough) or large limb of a tree where the natural strength from the grown curved fibres of the wood provides the strength for this most vulnerable part of the ship or boat. The shipwright would cut the bow and trunk vertically through the felled tree to find the most natural curved form.

The bow is designed to reduce the resistance of the hull cutting through water and should be tall enough to prevent water from easily washing over the top of it. On slower ships like tankers, a fuller bow shape is used to maximise the volume of the ship for a given length.

The forward part of the bow, usually on the ship's centreline, is called the stem. Traditionally, the stem was an upright timber or metal bar into which side planks or plates were joined.

A "wet bow" results from seawater washing over the top of the hull. A raked stem can help to reduce the wetness of the bow. Aside from making the deck slippery, water can corrode the metal of the ship. If the temperature is low enough this water can also freeze on the deck, rails, turrets, and other exposed surfaces, increasing the topside weight.

In naval slang, 'bows' can also refer to the foremost guns of a ship.

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Bow

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