What Is The Definition Of A Boat?

When people think of a boat, they usually think of a boat that is floating, however it is still a boat even if it's not a floating. It's still a boat if it's sinking or if it's sunk. A boat can be made from fiberglass, which nowadays is the most common material for recreational boats, wood, steel, aluminum, rubber, PVC, hypalon or just about any other material that one could think of. I've even heard of boats being made out of plastic drink containers. 
The division between boat and ship is not precise, although The Navigational Rules make a distinction at 20 meters, or about 60 feet.  Craft and small craft usually carry the same meaning as a boat.  The term vessel is used particularly in legal and regulatory contexts without reference to size.  Yacht deserves special consideration.  It often connotes a sail or powerboat over 40 feet in length with luxurious accommodations.  It is also widely used when referring to prestigious government craft such as a presidential or state governor's yacht.  In sailboat racing, every competing boat is a "yacht" without regard to size or accommodation.
A boats primary means of propulsion places in either the powerboat or sailboat category.  Sailboats are propelled by wind and sails.  Most sailboats are over roughly 18 feet long have inboard gasoline or diesel auxiliary engines; smaller ones often have an outboard motor. Small, open sailboats are called day sailers and those used primarily for racing may be known as racing dinghies, although the word dinghy is usually reserved for a very small boat used to ferry crew and supplies. 
A boat propelled by machinery is known as a power driven vessel. This includes sailboats using auxiliary engines, whether or not they have sails up. A motorboat includes craft propelled by gasoline or diesel engines. Some motorboats are now we'll propelled by environmentally friendly electric motors and storage batteries. Some boats are now powered by solar power, partly or completely. 
Other types of boats are; motorsailers, cruisers, houseboats, hydroplane, hydrofoil, utility boats, rigid hull inflatable boats, sailboards, surfboards, and I could go on and on. There is a boat out there for anyone. 


  

How To Buy a Boat Without Getting Burned

Or Most Things You Need To Know About Buying A Boat But Have No One To Ask.

Hi, my name is Mckay Black and I live beside the sea, in a place called Marshfield, Ma, about 50 miles south of Boston, Massachusetts.  A lot of boating goes on around here!  Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Stellwagon Bank, Narragansett Bay, and don’t forget Cuttyhunk Island, along with the thousands of wonderful destinations in the New England area.
What is the best type of boat to buy? Well, 'best' is one of those 'relative' words. 75% or 80% of boats on the market today are neglected. The average Joe (or Jo-ann) assumes a coat of paint or polish will restore it, W-R-O-N-G! Let's talk about a neglected yacht.
Most people's first boat is in the $20,000 to $50,000 range. Buying the wrong powerboat can cost you big time later. The wrong sailboat the same.
A collapsing rig could put you in dire peril so you must re-rig it and step the mast and overhaul it and also replace halyards, say $5000. You can bet because the boat will be, on average, 15 to 20 years old, the sails will need to be replaced, at least a Main and a Jib or Genoa. Say $3500 Then there's the motor/s.
Now it or they may sound OK to you now, but the odds are sometime in the first couple of years it will probably die. Another $5000 to $10000.
Then we've got the hull, which, as time goes on will look uglier and uglier to you to the point where you'll want to spend more money to restore it.
Then there's the crappy wiring, the cushions are worn out, the timber- work is scuffed and the galley and head stink.
Need I go on? Does this reasonably describe the last few boats you've looked at, (check with your partner before you answer!)
Sounds depressing doesn't it, don't despair, just follow some sensible advice and you'll be out on the water in your new boat, sailing or cruising with new friends and having a ball.
The golden rule when buying a boat is: BUY QUALITY!!! NOT QUANTITY!!!
Look at those words! Stare at them till they're engraved in your brain!
I have never in my life, met any boat owner who's ever had enough money to buy the boat they had in mind.  Whether it's $20,000 $50,000 or $250,000
It's amazing but true.
I've owned a lot of different boats and I can tell you it's a fact. I guess it's true every time we make a major purchase; we just seem to be short of dollars for that thing we want to buy.....

Welcome To Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Boating At Your Fingertips

I've been a boater all of my life.  That is quite a bold statement.  Most people are born in a hospital, maybe in a house or car.  However, I was born on a boat on a sailing trip from Virgin Gorda, BVI to Bermuda.  That is a five day sail by sailboat.  I was born on the yacht "Skipjack," in "The Sargasso Sea" about mid-trip.  Never heard of it?  Well, it runs between Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands. It's named after the beautiful seaweed that floats on the surface.  It is six miles deep where I was born.  No help possible, you are on your own.  Why did my mother take the trip?  Well, she wanted me to be born in her home country; Bermuda!  After much paperwork, I was declared a Bermudian, and I'm proud of it.  
I've since sailed again through "The Sargasso Sea." many times.  There is something about being in the middle of nowhere, feeling confident about what you are doing, but knowing that at any second, it could all end.  You could hit a whale, God forgive, a gigantic container that has fallen off of a container ship, or get totally destroyed by a storm or rouge wave.
I will say that it is all worth making a trip like this.  For instance, I once and many times, took a trip on a beautiful Hinckley 51' Souwester, from Virgin Gorda to Bermuda in the month of May.  No wind for the whole trip this time, unfortunately we had run the engine, of course.  Fortunately we brought enough extra fuel.  Talk about peace and relaxation.  I took a picture from the bow looking down into the water during daylight.  The ocean was glass.  The picture came out perfectly.  Clearly showing our bodies and faces reflecting back up into the camera.  It is the picture of my life!  
And, I have to mention the phosphorescence that emanates from the bow wake all the way back to the wake trailing the boat.  I remember leaning over the bow one night, looking down at the wake caused by the bow, with no light other than the cockpit lighting, and seeing beautiful rolls of phosphorescence light plowing back away from the bow and gradually sliding back into the sea.  The stars were clearer than I've ever seen, the water was bright with phosphorescence light, what a memory!
Anyway, that's where I was born, how about you?  I'm kidding,  It doesn't matter where you you were born, it only matters what you do after that!