Pompous Boat Terminology and Boat Owners

Skylark

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I have never referred to my floaty thing as anything other than a boat, except when things go wrong, and I refer to it as a heap of shit. Many owners of relatively small boats, especially ones with big poles in the center, refer to them as yachts. I have no great issue with that, if it's what pleases them. However, some of the other pompous nonsense gets on my wick. A guy on social media this morning referring to one of the cabins on his Leopard 39PC as "the Master Stateroom" is well up there.
There are only two, utterly uncontroversial definitions of a floaty thing allowed within this hallowed chamber and they are MAB and AWB.
 

shan

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I’m keen on using the correct terms for things; boaty or otherwise. These usually save time and explanation. But when one party doesn’t understand them they do, admittedly, have the opposite effect.

My wife, on the other hand, refers to every type of fastening as a nail. Sometimes I wonder if she does it to irritate or because she enjoys my presentation on the merits of different types of fastener for various purposes, including sections on head types, threads and basic metallurgy.
I very much doubt it.

PS I use the word kitchen and bathroom and bedroom on the boat... I can actually see Mr Shan getting irritable. :cool:
 

lustyd

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There are only two, utterly uncontroversial definitions of a floaty thing allowed within this hallowed chamber and they are MAB and AWB.
Trouble is, since we started using those terms most of the AWBs have gone a bit MAB and were replaced with newer AWBs of more modern design. Is a '90's AWB now a MAB or an AWOB
 

capnsensible

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Up to you what you want to call anything, really.
Personally having dpent decades in various nautical environments where ambiguity matters for vessel safety and crew welfare, I'm not gonna change for anyone on a wind up.

I do worry about these islandish sometimes.
 

RobbieW

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I’m keen on using the correct terms for things; boaty or otherwise. These usually save time and explanation. But when one party doesn’t understand them they do, admittedly, have the opposite effect.

My wife, on the other hand, refers to every type of fastening as a nail. Sometimes I wonder if she does it to irritate or because she enjoys my presentation on the merits of different types of fastener for various purposes, including sections on head types, threads and basic metallurgy.
If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail :)
 

madabouttheboat

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When I owned a motorboat I always just called it a ‘boat’. Now I have sails I mostly call it a ‘sailing boat’ or occasionally a ‘yacht’ but if using the word yacht, I always prefix it with ‘small’ as yacht sound a bit too grand for the thing sitting on my berth. Most non-boaty people would not have any idea what a MAB is.
 

madabouttheboat

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It is you putting the grandeur into the term there though. As discussed above, yacht just means pleasure boat.
I think it comes from being a long term Moboer where 'yacht' only got added when it was a serious bit of kit. Ie motoryacht (big motorboat), superyacht (very big motorboat), megayacht (is that a motorboat or a ship?)
 

justanothersailboat

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Trouble is, since we started using those terms most of the AWBs have gone a bit MAB and were replaced with newer AWBs of more modern design. Is a '90's AWB now a MAB or an AWOB
We need a new acronym. I suggest that boats that still go in a bit at the stern are AWBs and newer boats that are the same width all the way to the open transom are FABs - Fat A...
 

Sandy

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I've always understood that a yacht is a boat used for pleasure and a boat could fit on a ship.

When I am out at sea seeing people inspecting the contents of their last two meals in a bucket I am quite sure they have no pleasure in that.
 
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