Boaty vessel definitions!

[phatcat1]

Is there anyone out there in forum land who can help settle an argument or two!

Q. What is the difference between a ship and a boat & when does one become the other?

Q. What is the definition of a Motor yacht? My simple brain percieves a yacht to be a boat (ship??) propelled only by wind, a motor yacht being one fitted with an engine (either in or out board) but still with the ability to use the wind!

Why therefore in some expensive magazines are some boats(Ships??/cruisers/motorboats) referred to as motoryachts, even though they have no masts and nowhere to put sails!

& should small catermarans be called kittermarans

 

[Cornishman]

Ships are things wot carry boats
Boats are things wot are carried on ships
yacht = pleasure craft, so you can have sailing yachts or motor yachts.
Catermarans are cooks with two hats!

 

[Dougie_the_Mate]

I bought a magazine in the States called Yachting and had to search hard to find an article about a boat with a sail.

 

[navstar]

This question has caused much debate amongst my crew...we guess it is defined by tonnage.....however if the tonnage is relatively low it causes problems....for example a "coaster" might be called a ship whith a tonnage of X, whereas a tug is generally called a tugboat and may well be heavier!! Go figure...

 

[Sybarite]

In France, yachts are exclusively motor yachts.

John

 

[john_morris_uk]

I don't believe there is a hard and fast answer to some of the issues you raise.

A good rule of thumb is that if it can be lifted onto a ship its a boat.

Whether you call your boat a yacht is up to you. Motor Yacht or Sailing yacht depends on motive power.

Can't get too worked up about any of this.

We always refer to 'the boat' as yacht gives the impression we have money - which as any boat owner will know is what we might have had once - before we bought a boat...

 

[navstar]

Come on forum.....there must be someone out there who has the definative answer!!

 

[DJE]

So it was a heavy lift ship that brought back the Royal Navy's damaged destroyer boat from Australia recently.

 

[tcm]

Re: attempt at definition

a ship has its own boats - so technically, yep, i wd agree that if a boat can be put on a ship - it is indeed a boat. I wd go further -cos some realy monster ships can carry other ships - a ship has proper lifeboats - hence certificed for more thyan just 12 passengers and even quite large "superyachts" are limited in this way. AAnd some ships can be quite small - under 50m as we all know.

A motor yacht (or motoryacht) is more fuzzy. However, a motor yacht definitley has power as its primary motive power tho some could have a staysail.

A yacht USUALLY has sail as its primary motive power - except in the brokerage world when punter's egos are massaged by having the salesman call a monster power boat a "yacht".

Generally, the term "motor yacht" is a bit fuddy-duddy. A motor yacht had better be big, or olde or shiny - or all three - and with some Visible Wood on the outside with varnish on it. A motoryacht is never very fast - expect the absolute maximum to be under 25knots. A modern power-driven boat say 20feet to 80 feet can't really be a "motor yacht" or motoryacht - you can elide the words. Sunseeker have called their larger flybridge boats the "Motor Yacht" series, which is probably right - big, shiny, not too fast.

A "Gentleman's Motor Yacht" is a right old heap, max 9knots and might be 50 years old , and although quite shiny it has been on the brokers books for months- they're blimmin desperate!

In france, everything seems to be either a "voilier" (sailing boat) or "bateau a moteur" - motor boat. French type will know more but this enuf for the people on the vhf in a marina.

A Superyacht is a large boat, power or sail, but again, there needs to be some care. Numerous 40m boats look pretty super - the smallest superyacht being surely over 31m i reckon - until you puttem next to even larger boats and they don't look so "super". A superyacht can't really be old. ChristinaO, for example, is a Classic, a Motor Yacht, an original - but not really new enuf to be a "superyacht" tho it is a matter of opinion.

One more thing - your own boat is ALWAYS a "boat". As an onlooker or friend, anyone and everyone is allowed to call it a boat, a yacht, a motoryacht if appropriate, or a sailing boat, or sailing yacht (obviously not v boaty people tho) or even a superyacht - but YOU must always refer to your boat.

Referring to your own boat as your "yacht" (or Motor yacht) - is the mark of a thorough-going maritime Cad.

hope this helps

 

[gianenrico]

Re: attempt at definition

May I remind that in the trade "Super Yacth" is applied to boats (motor or sail driven) over 80 feet of lenght?
Cheers
Gianenrico

 

[muchy_]

I once heard that any privately owned vessel for pleasure purposes was a yacht, motor or sail.
A ship is a vessel over 500 tons and a boat is a vessel under 500 tons.
Unless it is a submarine which in that case it don't matter how big it is it's always a boat.
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[girlfriday]

The children's encyclopaedia I had when I was younger said the difference between a boat and a ship was that a ship is big enough to cross the ocean.
Rather a subjective definition, I fear.

 

[peterb]

I seem to remember that a ship has been defined as a vessel with at least one deck above the weather deck. That's why a submarine is a boat.

As others have said, any vessel used as a pleasure vessel can be a yacht, whatever the means of propulsion. But does that mean that a six foot rowing dinghy is a yacht?

 

[Das_Boot]

Actually they are all vessels.

 

[DJE]

Just to complicate the issue; what in nautical parlance is a "Packet"?

 

[Guest]

About £10,000?

 

[reginaldon]

I always thought a ship was a vessel with three or more masts and square rigged on each mast

 

[billcowan]

Re: attempt at definition

Wot about the "Royal Yot Brittania" it looks like f***ing ocean liner. (But it IS only a 1950's cross channel ferry.) still pretty impressive though.

 

[Swagman]

[ QUOTE ]
Just to complicate the issue; what in nautical parlance is a "Packet"?

[/ QUOTE ]

Its what you find in your pants when your mast falls down.
JOHN

 

[john_morris_uk]

[ QUOTE ]
So it was a heavy lift ship that brought back the Royal Navy's damaged destroyer boat from Australia recently.

[/ QUOTE ] Smart A**s!!

I lost my mainsail trimmer for Cork and Cowes week when that happened - he had to go and run the RN Board of Enquiry in OZ. To add insult to injury, the next ship I was on had the navigator from the Nottingham - we used to call him 'Rocky'.