{{Short description|Vertical continuation of the keel at the front of a boat}} [[Image:Soleil-Royal img 0280.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A model of the French ship ''Soleil Royal'' held at the Musée National de la Marine de Paris. The most forward and lowest curved part of the ship is the stem (not normally the extended part beyond the hull).]]

[[Image:Bow of Bro Elizabeth in dry dock.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The bow of the oil and chemical tanker ''Bro Elizabeth'' in dry dock in Brest, France. This ship does not have a stem.]]

The '''stem''' is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow<ref name="Chapman's">{{cite book | last =Maloney | first =Elbert | title =Chapman Piloting & Seamanship | year =2006 |publisher =Hearst Books | isbn =978-1-58816-232-8 |page =20 }}</ref> and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively.

== Description== The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to the gunwale of the boat. It is part of the physical structure of a wooden boat or ship that gives it strength at the critical section of the structure, bringing together the port and starboard side planks of the hull.<ref>{{cite book |last=Steward |first=Robert |title=Boatbuilding Manual, 3rd ed. |year=1987 |publisher=International Marine Publishing Company |location=Camden, Maine |isbn=0-87742-236-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/boatbuildingmanu01stew }} </ref>

{{anchor|Raked stem|Plumb stem}}

==Plumb and raked stem==

There are two styles of stems: ''plumb'' and ''raked''. When the stem comes up from the water, if it is perpendicular to the waterline it is "plumb". If it is inclined at an angle to the waterline it is "raked".<ref name="Chapman's"/> (For example, "The hull is single decked and characterized by a plumb stem, full bows, straight keel, moderate deadrise, and an easy turn of bilge."<ref>{{Cite report |author=Xiping Wang |author2=James P. Wacker |author3=Robert J. Ross |author4=Brian K. Bradshaw |date=2008 |title= Condition Assessment of Main Structural Members of Steam Schooner WAPAMA |url=http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fpl_gtr177.pdf |publisher=Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. |page=3 |access-date=December 7, 2011}}</ref>)

==Stemhead==

Because the stem is very sturdy, the top end of it may have something attached, either ornamental or functional in nature. On smaller vessels, this might be a simple wood carving (ornamental) or cleat (functional). On large wooden ships, figureheads can be attached to the upper end of the stem.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

==See also== * Beakhead * Bow * Deadwood * Prow * V-hull (boat)

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading== *Steward, Robert. ''Boatbuilding Manual'', 3rd edn. Camden, Maine: International Marine Publishing Company, 1987. {{ISBN|0-87742-236-2}}

{{Sailing ship elements}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Shipbuilding Category:Nautical terminology