In a typical modern steel ship, the hull will have watertight decks, and major transverse members called bulkheads. The shape is chosen to strike a balance between cost, hydrostatic considerations (accommodation, load carrying, and stability), hydrodynamics (speed, power requirements, and motion and behavior in a seaway) and special considerations for the ship's role, such as the rounded bow of an icebreaker or the flat bottom of a landing craft. Shapes range from a nearly perfect box in the case of scow barges to a needle-sharp surface of revolution in the case of a racing multihull sailboat. There is a wide variety of hull types that are chosen for suitability for different usages, the hull shape being dependent upon the needs of the design. General features Ship above the water with the entire hull visible The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline. Atop the deck may be a deckhouse and other superstructures, such as a funnel, derrick, or mast. The hull may open at the top (such as a dinghy), or it may be fully or partially covered with a deck. Hull form lines, lengthwise and in cross-sectionĪ hull is the watertight body of a ship, boat, or flying boat. JSTOR ( February 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
