What does capsize mean in sailing?

Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is turned on its side or it is upside down in the water. The act of reversing a capsized vessel is called righting.

What does it mean to keel over?

Definition of keel over informal. : to fall down suddenly He just keeled over and died from a heart attack. I almost keeled over with/in laughter.

What does it mean when a ship keel?

keel, in shipbuilding, the main structural member and backbone of a ship or boat, running longitudinally along the centre of the bottom of the hull from stem to stern. It may be made of timber, metal, or other strong, stiff material. It is intended both to steady the boat and to make it handy to steer.

Why do ships capsize?

As mentioned, boats capsize because they become unstable, but there are three main reasons for that instability: too much or unbalanced crew or equipment weight; leaking water, which also creates too much weight; and bad weather, which causes instability as a boat is rocked and filled with water.

Can keel boats capsize?

Unlike a dinghy, a keelboat won’t capsize. In a strong wind, it may heel a long way over, but the ballast in its keel is designed to keep it from capsizing.

Where does keel over come from?

To keel over is to “capsize” (1829), hence generally “tumble, fall” (1833), from the nautical image of a ship turning keel-up, an extended sense first in sporting, in reference to shot game.

What is the synonym of keel over?

swoon, lose consciousness, keel over (informal), flake out (informal), become unconscious.

What is the difference between a keel and a hull?

As nouns the difference between hull and keel is that hull is the outer covering of a fruit or seed or hull can be the body or frame of a vessel such as a ship or plane while keel is a large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.

Can you flip a keel boat?

Generally speaking, sailboats that have a keel or are water ballasted, can not tip all the way over under normal sailing or cruising conditions. They can not flip upside down and, for the lion’s share of sailboats, they are actually self righting in the event of a “blowdown”.