Hull Terminology

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Beam: The width of the boat at its widest point, typically at the transom for planning hulls.
Bow: Front of the boat.
Chine: The line of intersection of the bottom with the side of a vee or flat bottomed vessel.
Deadrise: Degrees of V-shape hull angle measured at the transom of planing powerboats.
Deck: A deck in a ship corresponds to a floor in a building. It is the plating, planking, or covering above the inner bottom forming a floor.
Freeboard: The vertical distance from the waterline to the top of the deck at side.
Hatch: An opening in a deck through which cargo may be handled, machinery or boilers installed or removed, and access obtained to the decks and holds below. For R/C's this is how we access, servos, fuel and motor.
Keel: The backbone at the very bottom of the hull to which frames are attached. [left]Ride pad: Ride pads are used to ensure that you get a clean edge to spill water off the ride areas to reduce drag and increase speed. They are an easy way to get a clean sharp edge.
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Sheer: The longitudinal curve of a vessel's rails, decks, etc. the usual reference being to the ship's side.
Strake: Flat riding surfaces that run the length of the hull. Typically there are two outer strakes and an inner pair. Mainly found in Deep-vee type hulls they may also be found on some cats. The strake provides a small planing surface, the outer pair for low speed planing and the inner pair for higher speed. [center][/center]

Stern: The after end of a vessel; the farthest distant part from the bow.
Transom: The board forming the stern of a square-ended row boat or small yacht.
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