Even Keel

A fore-and-aft trim condition in which a vessel’s draught is the same forward and aft at the specified reference points.

A vessel trimmed by the bow or stern is not on an even keel. The expression concerns longitudinal trim and does not by itself mean that the vessel has no list, that the deck or keel is geometrically horizontal, or that loading and stability are satisfactory.

Ballast, fuel, water, cargo and people can change trim, but adjustments must respect tank, structural, stability and load-line limits. The metaphorical expression “on an even keel” means steady or well balanced and is separate from the precise naval-architecture condition.