Difference between boats and ships

[Cliffhanger]

I always thought that a boat is a small vessel and a ship is a large, commercial or naval vessel requiring a crew to operate.

But I have noticed many posts referring to small sailing vessels as ships. It seems to mostly be Americans, so, I am wondering if there is a different definition in the US?

My next question will be "what is a yacht", but lets start with the easy one first....

[Montanan]

ship
noun
a vessel larger than a boat for transporting people or goods by sea.

boat
noun
a small vessel propelled on water by oars, sails, or an engine.

yacht
noun
any of various recreational watercraft

A yacht is a sail or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, so the term often applies to such vessels that have a cabin with amenities that accommodate overnight use, America's Cup racing yachts being an exception as to not having accommodations. To be termed a yacht, as opposed to a boat, such a pleasure vessel is likely to be at least 33 feet (10 m) in length, give or take some.

The term, yacht, originates from the Dutch word jacht (pl. jachten, which means "hunt"), and originally referred to light, fast sailing vessels that the Dutch Republic navy used to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries.

A ship can have shipped aboard boats and yachts, whereas, a yacht can have shipped aboard a boat [a.k.a. a dinghy or tender] and a boat can not ship aboard either a yacht or a ship.

Ship happens. But does boat happen?

But lest we not forget that the S.S. Minnow of Gilligan's Island fame was called a "tiny ship". But it certainly did not appear to be a Steam Ship, albeit provided the S.S. prefix to the name.

Some other common prefixes for watercraft are:

Cable Ship – CS
Fishing Vessel – FV
Gas Turbine Ship – GTS
Lifeboat – LB
Motor Tanker – MT
Motor Vessel/Motor Ship – MV/MS
Motor Yacht – MY
Nuclear Ship – NS
Platform Supply Vessel – PSV
Research Vessel – RV
Royal Mail Ship – RMS
Sailing Vessel – SV
Training Ship – TS


Whereas submarines are typically called boats; their size doesn't seem to matter.

So now we can debate if the watercraft depicted below is a boatship, or a shipboat?

[sailingabe41ds]

No dictionary definition here..but I always think of a yacht as a bigger, more expensive, and possibly requiring a crew pleasure vessel. Where is the cut off between a sailboat and yacht? This is similar to the difference between a mansion and a house.

Abe

[Jim Cate]

In many parts of the world ANY sailing craft is called a yacht. I reckon that it is only in the USA where it automatically brings up visions of the steam yachts of yore and their descendants with all the class envy/hatred that such vessels seem to attract..

One old definition for the distinction is that a ship can carry a boat, but a boat can never carry a ship. Then to complicate things, in the Navy, submarines, even huge nukes, are always called "boats". Dunno why!

Jim

[chrisr]

if i recall from my ship construction lectures correctly, a 'ship' is defined as a vessel with a continuous watertight deck

(nb this means really watertight, not the semi keep most water out most of the time we see on yachts etc)

of course these lectures were a long time ago so i'm not going to argue if somebody reckons i've got it wrong.

cheers,

[Dogscout]

I have always gone by the idea that; you can put a boat onto a ship but not a ship onto a boat.

As far as Yacht goes I guess that has to do with the location of your pinky finger when drinking tea.

[Benz]

For COLREGS purposes, everything is a "Vessel," which then gets qualifies by length. Further qualifications include tonnage, purpose, and propulsion.
Otherwise the distinctions seem to be accidents of location. In every central american port my cutter is deemed a "Yate" (yacht). In the Honduras Bay Islands, every dinghy is a "dory." In Nova Scotia, only a certain kind of small open vessel can be called a dory.
Ship, around here, seems to mean big things: Cruise Ship, Container Ship, Cargo Ship. Fishing vessels, however large, are rarely called ships: they are called fishing boats.
I think the terms ship and boat, without qualification, hardly mean anything other than an object afloat that can be directed.

[tkeithlu]

The US Navy used to (I don't know current practice) consider any vessel that crossed oceans on its own bottom to be a ship and any that crossed by being carried on deck of a ship as a boat. That distinction went to landing ships (such as LSTs) versus landing craft (such as LCIs). The odd one was submarines, called boats because they started as boats by definition, and then grew into ocean crossing vessels.

[John_Trusty]

I love these meandering winter threads without a definite answer. Surprising that it was started, and participated in, by so many that could be out sailing (or working on the boat), rather than some snowed-in N. American.

In the spirit of drinks in the cockpit - Let's go back to the original definitions:
Ship - anything with a full-rigged ship sail plan (3 masts, square rigged).
Yacht - a Dutch hunter, or small, fast coastal attack boat, or something that resembles one.
Boat - everything that floats not otherwise classified - so an aircraft carrier or super tanker.

[MicHughV]

you can put a boat on a ship....

but you can't put a ship on a boat....

simple...

[oldersalt1944]

When you step from the dock onto it, if it does not move it is a ship.
Oldersalt

[carstenb]

the funny thing is that no one is ever in doubt about when a ship is a ship and a boat is a boat - and it is true in all languages (at least the 4 I speak) and all cultures.

Point at something and say - see the ship? and they will correct you that it is a boat and vice versa.

[Cabo Jim]

To address your second question, what is a yacht.
The distinction between a boat and a yacht is this:
If you own a boat you must invite the ladies aboard.
If you own a yacht the ladies will invite themselves.
I chose the latter.

[skyline]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

In many parts of the world ANY sailing craft is called a yacht. I reckon that it is only in the USA where it automatically brings up visions of the steam yachts of yore and their descendants with all the class envy/hatred that such vessels seem to attract..

One old definition for the distinction is that a ship can carry a boat, but a boat can never carry a ship. Then to complicate things, in the Navy, submarines, even huge nukes, are always called "boats". Dunno why!

Jim

Yes, this is the historic definition, and the one that I have always quoted. Thanks Jim.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

I
One old definition for the distinction is that a ship can carry a boat, but a boat can never carry a ship. Then to complicate things, in the Navy, submarines, even huge nukes, are always called "boats". Dunno why!

This^^^

Subs are called boats, because it comes from "U-boat".