Is Your Boat a "She" or a "He"?

[Cariadco]

It's an inanimate lump of Plastic, so it's an 'it'
It, however does like to bite me, every now and then, just to show whose the boss.

 

[oldharry]

Calling a boat 'she' goes back to the ancient tradition of assigning gender to inanimate objects, well established by Roman times. Navis is a female noun, as was a soldiers shield. Remember too that from very early times a ship was assigned human characterisics, typified by the tradition of painting eyes on the bow, so the ship could see where it is going.

Another explanation is that a ship is called ‘she’ because there is always a great deal of bustle around her, there is usually a gang of men about, she has a waist and it takes a lot of paint to keep her looking good!! It is not the initial expense that breaks you, it’s the up keep. She can be all decked out but it takes an experienced man to handle her correctly and without him at the helm she is absolutely uncontrollable. She shows her topsides, hides her bottom, and, coming into port she always heads for the buoys

And before someone accuses me of being non-pc that was written I am told, back in Nelson's day.

 

[Stemar]

Would you have bought the boat??

Probably. Madame had fallen in love with her, so what's a poor boy to do?

 

[mjcoon]

...
Another explanation is that a ship is called ‘she’ because there is always a great deal of bustle around her, there is usually a gang of men about, she has a waist and it takes a lot of paint to keep her looking good!! It is not the initial expense that breaks you, it’s the up keep. She can be all decked out but it takes an experienced man to handle her correctly and without him at the helm she is absolutely uncontrollable. She shows her topsides, hides her bottom, and, coming into port she always heads for the buoys

I was given a tea-cloth with those assertions decades ago by an elderly spinster (for whom I subsequently arranged probate). So it must be true. Ships however have buttock lines: buttock line - Wiktionary

 

[SaltIre]

I refer to it as a she, but it does have a COCKpit, so I suppose it could decide it is a he after all.

But how would I know.

I believe it is a woman because it is temperamental. If it ever becomes totally dependable and predictable with no surprises, then I will know it has chosen to be a he.

If you don't tug her strings properly she'll do into a flap.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I was given a tea-cloth with those assertions decades ago by an elderly spinster (for whom I subsequently arranged probate). So it must be true. Ships however have buttock lines: buttock line - Wiktionary

Pretty sure we’ll all agree that a fine buttock line is an essential feature for both boats and women.

 

[Slowtack]

I'm pretty sure they am a she....

 

[SaltIre]

Two Shes and a He on a She.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Two Shes and a He on a She.
View attachment 148141

You say that with such assurance. The boat, I will grant you, is a She. The people, you’ll meed to ask them their preferred pronouns.

 

[Frogmogman]

While I don’t particularly refer to my boat as being female, I do confess to saying things along the lines of “bring her about” and so on.

 

[dsw]

In these gender fluid times the traditional "She" could perhaps be transitioned to "He"
If in Scotland the boat might decide to self transition without the consent of the owner.

mines got two holes at the back so its a she !!!

 

[ProDave]

mines got two holes at the back so its a she !!!

Every she I have known has one hole at the front and one hole at the back......

 

[mjcoon]

Every she I have known has one hole at the front and one hole at the back......

Which one is used to shout at you?

 

[Roberto]

A boat is an it. It is neuter. In German they say "das boot". Not "der" or "die".

Ours must be fluid, people onboard with different mothertongues, from neuter, to masculine in French LE bateau, to feminine in Italian LA barca, but these are languages without neuter so one is obliged to choose

 

[Frank Holden]

Given the care and attention I lavish on my boat she is a she... unless I have gone into bat for the other side which I haven't.

Mind you she has been a little distant over the last few years.

 

[BabaYaga]

A boat is an it. It is neuter. In German they say "das boot". Not "der" or "die".

However, in Scandinavian tongues the same word (båt/båd) used to be masculine. Nowadays it is a common gender noun, the opposite of neuter nouns, such as skepp/skib (ship).
On the other hand it seems that the noun jakt (yacht) used to be feminine...

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I've always referred to boats and ships as 'she'.

Recently, I advertsised a Peter Duck for a friend, who insisted that she was a he (as Peter is a boy's name, innit?). I genuinely found that very difficult eg "he has a good set of sails", "he has a reliable BMC engine". It felt stupidly, but profoundly, wrong, to me.

People who speak languages other than English do that all the time. Every noun has gender.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Does a multihull prefer to be referred to as "they"?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Does a multihull prefer to be referred to as "they"?

Good one, but no thanks.

Thr language thing, perhaps it’s why the French aren’t very woke.

 

[savageseadog]

Does a multihull prefer to be referred to as "they"?

Bi