A
chine in boating refers to a sharp change in angle in the
cross section of a
hull. A hull without chines has a
gradually curving cross section. The term
hard chine indicates an angle with little rounding, where a
soft chine would be more rounded, but still involve the meeting of distinct planes.
Chine log construction is a method of building hard chine boat hulls. Hard chines are common in
plywood hulls, while soft chines are often found on
fiberglass hulls.