When Is a Sailboat a Yacht ?

[sailorboy1]

I've always considered anything 40 foot and larger a yacht.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Sailboat is a term I don't recognise from over here.

Sailing Boat is neutral and descriptive (for any size).

Yacht can be any size, but usually late 20's + ...........but gotta be good looking. with at least a hint of classic style.

A plastic fantastic is not a yacht. no matter how big, how fantastic. or plastic


Kerry's boat is technically known as........an abortion. The definition of which is: "a vessel sold for an overly large sum of money to someone with zero idea about boats, with zero taste, has a fetish for plastic and a fondness for swallowing ******** from a salesman. usually sold in catamaran form".

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by zeehag

a YACHT can house a helo on board. under that size is a boat.

Zee,

How many passengers does the helo have to carry

Sea Shepherd helo carries 2, and to some people, thats a PIRATE SHIP.

[SkiprJohn]

I was always told, since '63 when I first asked, is that a yacht is any boat used for pleasure purposes. That was from an old Bosun on a Destroyer.
My dictionary says: A boat propelled by sail, engine, or motor, and used for pleasure-trips or private cruising, for racing , or the like.
So the old Navy Bosun was pretty much right.
We all have yachts but there are many types including sailboats, powerboats, dinghies, skiffs, etc..
John Kerry's boat is a yacht and also a sailboat.
I consider my boat a working boat because I'm always working on it.
kind regards

[Gruntled]

At the risk of being taken seriously, I'll bite at three of Gord's questions:
1. What’s the difference between a boat and a ship?
If a vessel can carry another vessel aboard (and not a dinghy, etc.) while underway, it's a "ship."

2. How far offshore is offshore?
How about 24 hours or so of travel out? The important criteria is not the definition but how far away you are from help or a port when some thing does wrong.

3. What’s the difference between an offshore vs a coastal boat?
An offshore ("bluewater") boat is designed to take the stresses and strains of a long passage: thicker hull, beefier rigging, etc. It should also have the necessary storage for the particular voyage and crew aboard.

Richard
s/v Grebe
Santa Barbara

[S&S]

How about these-
Yacht: any pleasure boat too big/complicated to maintain yourself.
Or: any pleasure boat that requires a professional Captain and Crew.

for either of these, I own a "boat".

somehow I think Mr Kerry probably has a "yacht".

[Bash]

Originally Posted by opsailor

Senator John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, was sure to point out to me (Kerry Picket, blogger on the Washington Times) on Thursday that the "Isabel," his 76-foot $7 million luxury yacht docked in Rhode Island, is actually not a yacht, but simply "my sailboat."

Sen. Kerry: Not a yacht but a sailboat - Washington Times

I would propose that if John Kerry wants to call his 76-foot sailboat a "sailboat," then it's a sailboat. And if Kerry Picket wants to call her 41-foot sailboat a "yacht," then it's a yacht.

Sometimes everybody gets to be right.

[Curmudgeon]

In fairness to Kerry, he had not yet taken final delivery of his yacht under the construction contract, so the tax was not yet due.

[Jim Cate]

This is a fairly parochial discussion. In many parts of the world (Australia for one) the term "yacht" is used to describe any sailboat, right down to Optomist prams, and no power boat, no matter how big, is just a "yacht". Big, flash power boats are sometimes called power yachts (or even steam yachts or trawler yachts, etc).

So, it depends on just where you live...

Cheers,

Jim

[JiffyLube]

Originally Posted by opsailor

Meant to engender discussion on what is a yacht. When I was a kid in South Florida, it seemed everything larger than 32 feet was a yacht. Now you rarely hear the term used.

Political angle just a great side benefit.

Except when someone refers to Mega Yacht.

[JiffyLube]

Maybe it depends on how a person is dressed? If they're wearing cut offs and a T maybe it's a boat, and if they're wearing yachting wear maybe it's a yacht.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Don't like the guy...but I would do the same ( avoid paying ) any more taxes then forced to If I were in the same situation....Nothing wrong with it at all..

REminds me of a well known Australian bloke called Kerry - Kerry Packer (his dad used to own a couple of America's Cup Yachts) who was challenged by a parliamentary committee about his efforts to avoid tax:

"Of course I am minimising my tax. And if anybody in this country doesn't minimise their tax, they want their heads read, because as a government, I can tell you you're not spending it that well that we should be donating extra!"

[TexSail]

Whatever about Kerry, his tax situation, or whether it's a yacht or a tugboat, the boat looked damned good.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

.....an abortion. The definition of which is: "a vessel sold for an overly large sum of money to someone with zero idea about boats, with zero taste, has a fetish for plastic and a fondness for swallowing ******** from a salesman. usually sold in catamaran form".

Where as a true Yacht is a boat sold to a person who wears expensive "yachting" clothing, never sails out of sight on a dark night and knows as a fact that real boats have one hull.

How on earth did discussion about one blokes mono turn into a bile outlet on multis. I don't get it - but then again you appear to have a fondness for goats and I dont get that either.

[Gator]

I'm no expert, but I've always thought a yacht was anything over 20 feet used for recreational purposes.

On the tax thing...if you can legally work the system, then do it. About 6 years ago I bought a sailboat for about $100,000. If I was keeping the boat in the state I bought it after X period of time, I would have to pay state taxes. On the other hand, the state I was sailing to and would be my home, wanted state taxes if I bought it within X months. The solution was great, I left the state I purchased it in, went cruising and then settled into my home state. All legal and no state tax paid, so that was about six grand saved for just messing around in the states in-between, which I was going to do anyway. Kerry got it right, but politics are politics and he had to save face and cough up the bucks.

What, only 1 post? I haven't posted for a while, guess they cleared things out at some point. Glad to be back.