thumb|300px|Diagram showing location of the gunwale [20], click to enlargeThe
gunwale ( "gunnel" to rhyme with "tunnel") is a
nautical term describing the top edge of the side of a
boat.
Wale is the same word as the skin injury, a
weal, which, too, forms a ridge. Originally the gunwale was the "
Gun ridge" on a
sailing warship. This represented the strengthening wale or structural band added to the design of the ship, at and above the level of a
gun deck. It was designed to accommodate the stresses imposed by the use of
artillery.
In wooden boats, the gunwale remained, mounted inboard of the
sheer strake, regardless of the use of gunnery. In modern boats, it is the top edge of the side where there is usually some form of stiffening.
On a
canoe, the gunwale is typically the widened edge at the top of the side of the boat, where the edge is reinforced with
wood,
plastic or
aluminum.
On a
rowing boat (especially in
sports), the gunwale is sometimes referred to as the
saxboard.
Category:Ship constructionCategory:Sailboat anatomyCategory:Sailing ship elementsCategory:Nautical termsda:Essingde:Dollbordet:Reelingis:Rekkverkpl:Relingru:Релингsw:Relingtr:Küpeşte
![thumb|300px|Diagram showing location of the gunwale [20], click to enlarge](http://reference.findtarget.com/search/File:Tugboat diagram-num.svg/){kind=link}