coaming

File:VIEW OF WHEELHOUSE FROM STARBOARD SIDE OF HATCH COAMING - Bugeye "Louise Travers", Intersection of Routes 2 and 4, Solomons, Calvert County, MD HAER MD,5-SOLOM,1-16.tif]]

Coaming is any vertical surface on a ship designed to deflect or prevent entry of water. It usually consists of a raised section of deck plating around an opening, such as a cargo hatch. Coamings also provide a frame onto which to fit a hatch cover.

The protective metal sheeting or plating protecting against water entry into ventilation shafts in large ships is called a coaming as it fulfills the same water-deflection purpose.

The term was borrowed by the aviation industry to refer to a low rim around the opening for an unenclosed cockpit.

The origin of the term is unknown.{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/coaming|title=Coaming | Origin and meaning of coaming by Online Etymology Dictionary}}

Coaming also refers to the raised structure around the cockpit of a kayak.