2006-06-20 13:40:03 · 8 answers · asked by grease monkey 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Boats & Boating
Thought I already answered this - a boat is a vessel capable of being carried aboard a larger vessel. A ship is not. One notable exception to this are submarines, which are universally referred to as 'boats'.
2006-06-20 13:45:09 · answer #1 · answered by Harry 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, we could get technical, I suppose. Among sailing vessels, the distinction between ships and boats is that a ship is a square-rigged craft with at least three masts, and a boat isn't. With regard to motorized craft, a ship is a large vessel intended for oceangoing or at least deep-water transport, and a boat is anything else.
But that's too much to remember. Try this: ships have to be big enough to carry boats, and boats have to be small enough to be carried by ships.
There are exceptions, of course. Many commercial fishing craft, for example, are sizable oceangoing vessels, yet they're almost invariably called boats. Similarly for submarines, built by General Dynamics' Electric Boat Division. The Great Lakes are pretty deep, and one sees certain large vessels on them that to all appearances are ships, but in fact said vessels are commonly called ore boats. However, these exceptions mar the classic purity of the answer above, so we'll pay them no mind.
2006-06-25 02:22:01 · answer #2 · answered by chuck h 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A ship is for sustained travel, being self sufficient during that travel. Ships are built to rigid specifications, classed, and fall under sets of national and international standards and laws. Ships must be declared seaworthy and they go through trials and there are records of its performance, turning radius, magnetic deviation curves, and stability. A ship also has an established hierarchy with officers that must possess valid legal certificates or licenses.
2006-06-21 15:17:01 · answer #3 · answered by river_plate_94 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I asked a Navy man this same question. A ship has boats on board--a perminate vechile capable of independent movement on the water
2006-06-20 20:49:01 · answer #4 · answered by Dan S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can put a boat on a ship, but you can't put a ship on a boat!
2006-06-21 06:56:50 · answer #5 · answered by shell 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tradtionally, a ship has boats... lifeboats, dinghies or whatever.
Although this does rather break down whn you consider that pretty much any day-boat could carry a dinghy, nowadays.
2006-06-21 14:31:49 · answer #6 · answered by IanP 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a boat is small a ship is big!
2006-06-21 08:33:11 · answer #7 · answered by rocknrollskwurl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
size matters ;-)
2006-06-20 20:43:11 · answer #8 · answered by hollisterkj 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋