Sailing Education

Hull

The body of the boat — the part that sits in the water.

The hull is the body of the boat — the part that sits in the water. Sailboat hulls range from flat-bottomed scows to deep-V offshore racers. The hull shape determines how the boat handles waves, how fast it sails, and how stable it is. Most modern sailboats have one hull (a monohull); catamarans and trimarans have two or three.