Boats can generally be defined as watercraft that float on, and provide transport over water. Boats such as the whaleboats were historically designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. The Navy defines a boat as a craft small enough to be carried aboard another vessel such as a ship. Boats may have government, marine research, or other commercial usage, but any vessel, regardless of size, used privately or in a non-commercial status is almost certainly referred to as a boat.



The beginning notion of boats and boating happened when people first used bamboo rafts and hollowed-out logs to travel across a lake or down a stream. Since then boats have been a major part of life.

Although wooden boats are widely used today, some of the first modern boats were made of synthetic material such as fiberglass and other man-made or hewn materials. Although, there are numerous uses for boats today, most are used for pleasurable purposes.

The word “boat" refers to a vessel that is buoyant, stable and easily moves across water by some physical or mechanical mean. Contrastingly, a ship is considered a large, ocean-going vessel usually propelled by sails or engines.

The word “boat" comes from the German word, “bot", which originally referred to the goods or items delivered. Later this became the definition for the craft used to make the delivery. Thus we get the term “boat".

There are many different watercraft that go by the name “boat." There are dozens of different names for boats around the world. Here are a few types that might fall under the general category of pleasure or recreation boats.

•Dinghy

These craft are usually 10 feet long or less, light and portable. They are generally used close to shore, in small harbor areas or on lakes.

•Johnboat

These smaller boats are used for many purposes, such as fishing, hunting and coastal exploring. Most boats of this type are propelled by a small outboard motor.

•Day Boats

This is a recreation boat for use on small lakes or for sailing close to the shoreline of the ocean. They are generally less than 20 feet in length.

•Fishing Boats

This category can include bass boats, general purpose pleasure boats, trawler-style boats, sport fishing boats, combination fishing and ski boats.

•Catamarans

This type of sailboat has two parallel hulls. It can be made of logs or floats lashed together and are capable of traversing long distances for pleasure boating and racing.

•Houseboats

These homes on the water boats are designed specifically for living on the water. They provide all home amenities and are more elaborate than pontoon boats or deck boats.

•Flatboats

A flatboat is a boat with a flat bottom and square ends used for transporting freight on inland waterways. Many are also adapted and used for sports such as fishing and hunting.

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