Sponson

Sponsons are projections extending from the sides of land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to provide protection, stability, storage locations, mounting points for weapons or other devices, or equipment housing.

On watercraft, a sponson is a projection that extends outward (usually from the hull, but sometimes other parts of the vessel) to improve stability while floating, or to act as a securing point for other equipment.

Vessels with unstable body shapes or unevenly distributed weight are likely to feature sponsons to help prevent capsizing or other instabilities.

One of the most overlooked benefits of this type of sponson is that riders can lean into turns more, making watercraft easier to push to their limits.

[1] On land vessels, such as tanks or other military vehicles, and on naval warships, a sponson may refer to a mounting or enclosure projecting from the side or top of the structure/hull that is not used for buoyancy, but for armaments such as machine guns, or for purposes of visibility.

[1] It may also provide layers of bulletproof protection and storage space, as found over the tracks of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.