Wave-piercing

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A wave-piercing boat hull has a very fine bow, with reduced buoyancy in the forward portions.

When a wave is encountered, the lack of buoyancy means the hull pierces through the water rather than riding over the top - resulting in a smoother ride than traditional designs, which minimizes stress on the vessel and crew. It also reduces a boat's wave making resistance.

Designs theory tends to call for very long thin hulls, so in practice most are multi-hulls such as catamarans.

The main current usage areas are passenger ferries and military craft.