It is the lengthwise timber or steel structure along the bottom of the boat/ship. It supports the framework and keeps the vessel balanced in the water
keel
keel refers to as two parts of a ship
A keel
Keel
No it is not.
The very bottom of a ship is where you find the keel. The keel runs the full length of the ship along its centerline and is the backbone of the hull. From the keel all the frames run out and up. the hull is attached to the frames. Picture the keel as the backbone and the frames as the ribs. The hull is the watertight skin that allows the ship to float. Within the hull are compartments (rooms) and at the top of the hull is the main deck. The superstructure is built upon the main deck.
The keel of a submarine (or any ship for that matter) is the backbone of the ship, and its primary structural element. Keels are always laid first during shipbuilding, and structural supports are added over time to it. Laying a keel is typically done with a ceremony. A keel is similar to a human spine, though it's on the bottom of the ship. Like a spine, it is the key support structure of the vessel; if a keel is broken, the ship usually will lose structural integrity altogether and sink. This is often what happens when ships run aground. Breaking a ship's keel is also the primary method of how modern torpedoes work. Rather than just impact them, they swim under the ship and explode, creating an air pocket beneath the keel. The bow and stern of the ship cannot support the full weight of the ship in the middle, and the keel breaks, snapping the ship in half.
a Keel
A keel
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Keel
The spelling "keel" is the bottom of a boat or ship.