The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow [1] and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to the gunwale of the boat.

As nouns the difference between stem and bow is that stem is the stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors while bow is a weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.

船首 （又写作 艏 、 舰艏。 英文对应 Bow），是 船身 的最前部。 相应的船身最尾端则称为 船尾 （或艉、舰尾）。 游船 奋进精神号（Spirit of Endeavour）的船首

The forward part of the bow is called the "stem" or "forestem". Traditionally, the stem was a timber (or metal) post into which side planks (or plates) were joined.

2021年7月12日 · The front-most part of the boat or ship’s bow is termed as the Stem of the ship. The keel itself is extended up to gunwale to form the curved edge called the ship’s stem.

The stem of a boat is the foremost part of the hull, located at the bow (front) of the vessel. It is an integral part of the boat’s structure and serves several important functions. The stem is typically made from strong, durable materials such as wood, metal, or fiberglass.

6 天之前 · The spoon bow offers relative ease in planking like a raked stem, and gets some buoyancy well forward to gradually lift the bow when meeting a wave (image below). The heavily stylistic clipper bow is probably the most complex stem shape, and certainly it’s the most elegant when well executed.

直立 [型]艏（straight stem，vertical bow）是1996年公布的航海科技名词。

2012年3月8日 · 按照意思上说，bow 和stem意思基本一样。 但是还是有微小差别，船首，就是stem，指的是快到船头，但是还有一定距离的位置，bow是说船的尽头处了。 这句话应该是说这一小段距离。 仅供参考。

What's the difference between bow and stem? (v. t.) To cause to deviate from straightness; to bend; to inflect; to make crooked or curved. (v. t.) To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline. (v. t.)