What is the bow of a boat?
The bow is the forward-most part or end of a vessel. It is a physical part of the boat, opposite the stern, and it remains the bow even while the vessel is moving backward.
Related terms
How it works
Bow gives every person aboard the same fixed reference. Reports such as “a vessel fine on the starboard bow” combine a vessel part with a relative direction to describe where something is seen.
The bow matters when reading navigation lights, classifying a head-on encounter, posting a lookout, and handling sails. In a tack, it is the bow—not the stern—that turns through the wind.
Bow as a position and a direction
Bow names the structure at the forward end. Phrases such as “on the bow” or “off the port bow” extend the word into an approximate relative direction. For precision, add an angle or bearing rather than treating the phrase as an exact line.
On the water
- The bow normally cuts into the water first when a vessel makes way ahead.
- Both sidelights may be visible when another vessel is approaching nearly bow-on.
- A lookout reports a hazard off the port bow, then gives its bearing and range.
Common mistake
The bow is not simply whichever end is currently moving first. A vessel operating astern propulsion still has the same bow and stern.
Remember it
The bow points forward; the stern follows behind.