I've asked navy personnel and I can't get one of them to answer the ? w/ any real conviction...somewhere, someone, or something(probably the Brits) has the real answer.....Hmmmmmm?
2006-12-10 11:52:59 · 9 answers · asked by rackerday 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Boats & Boating
DOD - Officially they are a boat and a Merchant Ship.
Boat : amphibious assault landing craft (boats are crafts)
Mership: (ships are vessels) A vessel engaged in mercantile trade except river/estuarial/CRAFT which operate solely within harbor limits.
So boats are harbor limited and ships go out of harbor.
Military vernacular is anything that floats is a boat. They interchange boat/ship at will or just call it what it is = a destroyer, tug, freighter...
Civilian dictionaries mainly go off the vessel precursor:
Boat: a relatively small water borne vessel...that can be carried aboard ship, as in a launch.
Ship: any relatively large ocean going vessel.
Vessel: any craft that is capable of floating & moving on the water.
Watercraft: a vessel of any type that can operate on water.
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Article1490.html is another fun site that will explain why there is so much vairance in perception/definition.
2006-12-10 16:03:27 · answer #1 · answered by Quest 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i had someone tell me a long time ago i forgot the exact answer but all the ones above are wrong..the only correct part is about a boat fits on a ship but a ship cannot fit on a boat..it has to do with decks, full decks that run from bow to stern.....the size doesn't matter...if a boat is over 40' it is a yacht, subs are called boats, they could also all be referred to as vessels(except for the subs).
i think it is 2 full decks, but i am not sure
2006-12-10 13:31:02 · answer #2 · answered by sevenout7 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The difference between a boat and ship is quite obvious.
It's the spelling.
2006-12-11 03:43:11 · answer #3 · answered by guru 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A ship is generally much larger than a boat.
2006-12-10 12:00:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just size. Over 100 feet is considered a ship.
2006-12-10 12:01:07 · answer #5 · answered by Andrea D. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The difference is in relative size. You can put a boat on a ship but never can you put a ship on a boat..THE ONE BIG EXCEPTION are U.S. submarines,,,,,they are BOATS ,, go figure
2006-12-10 12:04:01 · answer #6 · answered by zorba1360 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a boat can fit on a ship
but a ship cannot fit on a boat
2006-12-10 11:54:29 · answer #7 · answered by tomkat1528 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
boats are small and would. usually no motor. unlike ships that are big and steel with a motor.
2006-12-10 11:56:10 · answer #8 · answered by fuzzysparkle182 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i always thought it was size ,a matter of perception perhaps= good question,
2006-12-10 11:56:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋