Which keel type is a plate perpendicular to the centerline of the hull and runs internal to the hull at the centerline?

Which keel type is a plate perpendicular to the centerline of the hull and runs internal to the hull at the centerline?

• A. Flat plate keel
• B. Bar keel
• C. Stem
• D. Sternpost

Answer: (A)

Think of the hull’s backbone as an internal keel that can be a plate or a bar. A flat plate keel is a thick flat plate placed along the centerline and oriented across the length—perpendicular to the hull’s centerline—running inside the hull at midship. This central plate ties the frames together, provides stiffness, and distributes loads from the bottom structure along the ship. It’s the central, internal support along the midline. A bar keel, by contrast, is a long structural member that runs along the length of the hull rather than across it. The stem is the forward bow junction, not a central plate, and the sternpost is the aft vertical support, also not the central plate.

Think of the hull’s backbone as an internal keel that can be a plate or a bar. A flat plate keel is a thick flat plate placed along the centerline and oriented across the length—perpendicular to the hull’s centerline—running inside the hull at midship. This central plate ties the frames together, provides stiffness, and distributes loads from the bottom structure along the ship. It’s the central, internal support along the midline.

A bar keel, by contrast, is a long structural member that runs along the length of the hull rather than across it. The stem is the forward bow junction, not a central plate, and the sternpost is the aft vertical support, also not the central plate.