The Boat reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Boat

A boat, like a ship, is a buoyant vessel designed for the purpose of transporting people and possibly goods across water. A boat is usually smaller than a ship. Some boats are commonly carried by a ship or on land using trailers.

A boat consists of one or more buoyancy structures called hullss and some system of propulsion, such as, oars, paddles, a setting pole, a sail or a motor.

see Banga, Canoe, Catamaran, Coracle, Cruiser, Dinghy, Dhow, Dutch Barge, Felucca, Ferry, Folding boat, Go-fast boat, Inflatable boat, Jetboat, Kayak, Ketch, Lifeboat, Log boat, Luxemotor, Motorboat, Norfolk wherry, Outrigger canoe, Peniche, Pinnace, Powerboat, Raft, Rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB), Sailboat, Sloop, Tjalk, Trampofoil, Trimaran, Whaleboat and Yacht.

See also: Sport, Offshore powerboat racing, Jet sprint boat racing, Jet boat, Boat building

Unusual uses of the word "Boat"

• In rowing, a boat refers to the collection of people rowing a particular shell, which is the term applied to the actual vehicle. So a university might refer to its first boat, meaning the rowers who make up their best team, rather than their best piece of equipment.
• A submarine is generally referred to as a boat rather than a ship.
• A ship can be informally known as a boat, especially by its crew. This use is uncommon in the case of a warship.

Unusual types of boats

Unsuitable floating vehicles have been used for sports purposes as well, this is known as bathtub races.

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