what's the difference between a yacht and keelboat ?

[BlueSkyNick]

Cruising people have or sail yachts, Racing people have or sail keelboats.

Is it that simple?

If somebody has a cruiser-racer, is it a keelboat on racing days, and a yacht on cruising days ?

 

[Evadne]

Cruising people have or sail yachts, Racing people have or sail keelboats.

Is it that simple?

If somebody has a cruiser-racer, is it a keelboat on racing days, and a yacht on cruising days ?

I think a yacht is a pleasure boat, motor or sail, a keelboat has a keel and, usually, sails. Thus the two definitions overlap. "keelboat" is a often used to describe an open boat, or dayboat, with a keel, which is often, but not exclusively, a racing boat. A dinghy, from Hindi for "little boat" I believe, is a small boat without a keel, which may be a racing boat but is not usually referred to as a yacht and is, by definition not a keelboat.

Sometimes the definitions in sailing make the offside rule seem quite straightforward.

 

[jhr]

I'd agree with Evadne - a keelboat is usually something open-ish and small-ish (Dragon, Star etc) with a keel and intended for day sailing.

Not sure this is the technical definition, but it's good enough for The Man Who Knew The Identity Of The Author Of Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang

 

[BlueSkyNick]

yet again comes up with the answer 15 minutes after the question was asked !

 

[Ubergeekian]

Cruising people have or sail yachts, Racing people have or sail keelboats.

Is it that simple?

If somebody has a cruiser-racer, is it a keelboat on racing days, and a yacht on cruising days ?

My definitions:

• Dinghy: small open boat with light keel if any. Examples: Mirror, Wayfarer
• Dayboat: open boat larger than a dinghy with light keel. Example: Drascombe Longboat
• Keelboat: open boat (or with minimal accommodation) with ballast keel - ie there for verticality as much as leeway prevention. Examples: Squib, Flying Fifteen, Dragon, some Folkboats.
• Yacht: any boat with overnight accommodation. Examples: Hunter 490 (for sale at a very reasonable price!), Sadler 32, some Folkboats

There's lots of crossover potential. Although I have listed the Drascombe as a day boat, it has quite a heavy keel. Although I have listed the Hunter 490 as a yacht it's so small that it's arguably a keelboat.

Well, that's how I see it. I think it was Peter Heaton who defined a yacht as "a boat when described to someone who will never see it."

 

[bbg]

My definitions:

Keelboat: any boat with a keel. Example X-412. Bavaria 32. HR 45.
Yacht: The word used to describe his keelboat by anyone who is a little pretentious.

 

[Wandering Star]

My definitions:

Keelboat: any boat with a keel. Example X-412. Bavaria 32. HR 45.
Yacht: The word used to describe his keelboat by anyone who is a little pretentious.

Sticking your neck out a bit to describe a Bavaria as a keelboat - I thought it was the lack of keel which was the main criticism of Bavarias.

Cheers, Brian.

 

[Quandary]

Sticking your neck out a bit to describe a Bavaria as a keelboat - I thought it was the lack of keel which was the main criticism of Bavarias.

Cheers, Brian.

Here we go again, what about exercising a bit of self control and just letting the hare sit?

 

[jonic]

Here we go again, what about exercising a bit of self control and just letting the hare sit?

Snigger.

 

[mcframe]

Cruising people have or sail yachts, Racing people have or sail keelboats.

Is it that simple?

If somebody has a cruiser-racer, is it a keelboat on racing days, and a yacht on cruising days ?

Heads'n'Beds.

I started on a Skipper 12 dinghy, then I had a windsurfer when I met SWMBO.
We did some courses and charters.
We now own a "yacht" with heads'n'beds (for the children), but I've got a cunning plan to upgrade our cruising chute to a proper spinny ;-)

 

[Sybarite]

In France "yacht" is used exclusively for moter yachts. Otherwise "voilier".

John

 

[Twister_Ken]

All yachts* are keelboats, but no keelboats are yachts.





*unless they're centreboarders or leeboarders

 

[Bosun Higgs]

deleted

 

[Bosun Higgs]

My definitions:

• Dinghy: small open boat with light keel if any. Examples: Mirror, Wayfarer
• Dayboat: open boat larger than a dinghy with light keel. Example: Drascombe Longboat
• Keelboat: open boat (or with minimal accommodation) with ballast keel - ie there for verticality as much as leeway prevention. Examples: Squib, Flying Fifteen, Dragon, some Folkboats.
• Yacht: any boat with overnight accommodation. Examples: Hunter 490 (for sale at a very reasonable price!), Sadler 32, some Folkboats

Mostly agree. Normal useage is that the keelboat is a dinghy with a fixed keel such as a Flying Fifteen or Squib. A Dayboat is a dinghy that is big enough and stable enough to go out for the day in it and picnic - a vague definition that would include boats like the wayfarer

Yacht covers a multitude of sins - when for example does a stinkpot stop being a mobo and become a yacht as in Onassis? Sailing boats with accommodation always are yachts

 

[Malabar]

If there is a kettle on board it is a yacht. Simple.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

There's a long tradition of yachts with drop keels. Not quite in the Bavaria sense, mind you.

No response! Do you think Bav34 is off skiiing or something?

These ***** servers. This is a reply to the post below. Maybe thats the problem. Bav 34 has replied to this thread but it was last week before the thread started.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Sticking your neck out a bit to describe a Bavaria as a keelboat - I thought it was the lack of keel which was the main criticism of Bavarias.

There's a long tradition of yachts with drop keels. Not quite in the Bavaria sense, mind you.