the front of a ship is the bow. It is the point of the ship which is most often in forward motion. It's called the bow. The bow bow.   the front part of the boat is th bow …  front=BOW   back=STERN   left side=PORT SIDE   right side=STARBOARD SIDE   The front at the waterline is called the prow. The forward part of the deck is the fo'c'sle, from forecastle, and the most forward part of a sailing ship is the bowsprit. The front part of the ship is called the stem. It is connected to  both the keelson and keel.