gunwale vs wale

gunwale and wale both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
gunwale	Yes	No	No	No
wale	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, wale is a hypernym of gunwale; that is, wale is a word with a broader meaning than gunwale:

gunwale: wale at the top of the side of boat; topmost planking of a wooden vessel
wale: thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship

Other hypernyms of gunwale include strake.

gunwale (noun)	wale (noun)
wale at the top of the side of boat; topmost planking of a wooden vessel	thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship
	a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions