The Keel Is the Backbone of a Ship
A keel is the timber running along the bottom of a hull. Everything else is built from it outward.
A keel is the structural member running along the centre of a ship's bottom. It is laid first, which is why *laying the keel* marks a vessel's official start of construction and appears on its records as a birth date. A sailing keel also resists sideways drift and carries ballast low, which is what lets a boat sail across the wind instead of merely downwind. *On an even keel* means steady and balanced, from a ship trimmed level.
- A ship's spine. *The keel.*
- To lay the keel. *Keel laying.*
- On an even keel — steady. *An even keel.*
- Keel over — to capsize or collapse. *Keeled over.*
- Old Norse — *kjolr*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | keel | A keel. |
| Plural | keels | Keels. |
| Verb | keel | Keeled over. |
| Compound | keelboat | A keelboat. |
| Old Norse | kjolr | A keel. |
- The keel was laid in March.Building.
- Back on an even keel.Idiom.
- He keeled over in the heat.Collapse.
What a sailing keel does
- Resists sideways drift, so the boat moves forward not across
- Carries ballast low, which rights the boat when it heels
- Acts as a wing in the water, generating lift to windward
- Without it a sailing boat could only run before the wind
- A centreboard does the same job but lifts for shallow water
Old Norse *kjolr*, a keel, of Germanic origin.
Why is laying the keel significant?
It is the first structural member laid, so the date marks a ship's official start of construction.
Why can a boat sail across the wind?
The keel resists sideways drift and acts like a wing in water, allowing the sail's force to be turned into forward motion.