Editing Monohull (section)

==Fundamental concept==
Among the earliest hulls were simple logs, but these were generally unstable and tended to roll over easily.   Hollowing out the logs into a dugout canoe doesn't help much unless the hollow section penetrates below the log's center of buoyancy, then a load carried low in the cavity actually stabilizes the craft.  Adding weight or [[Sailing ballast|ballast]] to the bottom of the hull or as low as possible within the hull adds stability.

Naval architects place the center of gravity substantially below the center of [[buoyancy]]; in most cases this can only be achieved by adding weight or ballast.  The use of stones and other weights as ballast can be traced back to the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], [[Phoenicians]] and [[Vikings]].  Modern ships carry tons of ballast in order to maintain their stability; even heavily laden cargo ships use ballast to optimize the distribution of weight.