In the UK all boats are classed as feminine (she) In France they are masculine. Why are they called 'she?'

Question

In the UK all boats are classed as feminine (she) In France they are masculine. Why are they called 'she?'

Answer 1

They take a while to get going in the morning, cost a lot to maintain, and tend to wander about all over the place.

or maybe

They are a pleasure to look at, graceful, everybody loves them and they tend to bring lots of enjoyment to life.

(think i got away with that )

Answer 2

I saw this aboard the Cutty Sark in September, 2004:

WHY IS A SHIP CALLED SHE?

A ship is call a 'she' because there is always a great deal of bustle around her; there is usually a gang of men about, she has a waist and stays; it takes a lot of paint to keep her good looking; it is not the initial expense that breaks you, it is the upkeep; she can be all decked out; it takes an experienced man to handle her correctly; and without a man at the helm, she is absolutely uncontrollable. She shows her topsides, hides her bottom and, when coming into port, always heads for the buoys.

Answer 3

HMMMM, unpredictable, expensive, at times difficult to handle, frustrating, high maintenance, and once in a great while, absolutely breathtakingly fantastic.

sounds feminine to me.

Answer 4

Probably because as everyone knows all French men are tres 'ginger beer'.

Like all things attractive, expensive to maintain, capricious and highly temperamental- and occasionally an utter ****** who makes a grown man cry- it has to be a she.

All my old English cars were she's- Rover P5's and P6's, Jaguars XJ's, XK, Mark IV, V VII.

Very, very female in their daily behaviour. And they make the wife jealous.

Answer 5

It because they are always attached to buoys!!!!!

Answer 6

Despite the grammatical masculinity of bateau in French, boats are mostly thought of as feminine worldwide because they are fundamentally sensuous, usually curvy, respond well to tlc, they give a man a great ride if treated well and can even handle more than one man at a time.  They can also absorb a lot of money and when they misbehave they need a right seeing to.

You get single s***w versions as well as multiple s***w variants, some are fast and furious whilst others dance elegantly over the waves.  Once they get going they take a lot of stopping and if you ever get a collision between two of them there is always damage and a man is blamed somewhere along the line.

Answer 7

Men tend to call all their toys she or her, like boats ,cars or machines.

Answer 8

All ships are called she,except a mailboat!

Answer 9

They have curves, men ride them, and use them to show off.

Answer 10

Whatever floats your boat.........

Answer 11

Seems only fair - you're far more likely to be taken for a ride by a woman than by a man....

Answer 12

well mister bigalsworth its true we all call our toys she or her. because most of us aren't g*y! you know the saying take care of a women and shell take care of you....! well you do the maths. didn't mean anything to g*y people i was just saying.............err!