Whats the difference between a boat and a ship?

Question

please dont include no pictures becuase i am frightened of them thanx =)

Answer 1

Small craft is under 65' Size is the difference>>

Answer 2

In all actually everyone on here is incorrect...the difference between a ship and a boat has nothing to do with size, with the exception to the cliche " you can fit a boat on a ship but not a ship on a boat". There are two ways to identify a ship, in the old days it went by the number of masts there had to be three or more, since there are no masts in today's ships, the other rule is decks, a ship has a continuous deck running from bow to stern with no breaks, excluding the bottom hull.  Size only comes into play when it refers to boats and yachts, over 40' to 45' is a yacht, (that depends on who you talk to, it use to be 40, back in the day, but now they are making boats larger for more people),then you have mega-yachts , generally over 80'.

Answer 3

a ship is supposed to be sea worhy (i think) and has the ability to cross an ocean safely, this is why most shipps are bigger than boats.

Answer 4

lol, try sailing a boat across the Atlantic in hurricane season and if you make it then a ship - you ll soon know the difference.

ships have a "v" shaped bottom to help cut through the water and boats have a "u" shaped bottom.

FYI most cruise ships are actually boats just really big ones, very few (such as the QM2) are actually technically ships.

hey if I'm wrong pls let me know!!!! cause i learned that when i was working on the ships and if Ive been miss informed heads will roll!!!!!

Answer 5

boats are made of wood,  ships are made of metal. FACT

Answer 6

Well some people have boats but I've got a ship......and it's called bloody hardship. lol........1-0 at Ewood, great result.

Answer 7

Their size is the differance.  A boat is something you could pull on a trailer with your truck.  A ship is far to large to be driving down the road with.  

Why are you so terrified of pictures?

Answer 8

The difference is the weight of the vessel. Anything over 200 tons is considered to be a ship.

Answer 9

Ships are very large boats!

Answer 10

Hey......!

           A simple Answer i will give you..........in one boat mostly 5 or 6 people can sit comfortable.....but in one ship thausands of people can Sit...................

Answer 11

The Internation Rules for Prevention of Collision at Sea defines a ship as being 'any vessel that is not propelled by oars'. Thus, if the vessel is rowed or sculled, it must be a boat.

Answer 12

The popular definition is that you can put a boat on a ship, but you can't put a ship on a boat!

Answer 13

ok a boat is a little thing compared to a ship.

a ship would be something like the Titanic, Brittanic, Olympic, or the Lusitania!!

hope this helps!!

Answer 14

Size and displacement and usage are the most important factors.

I would say if you've a commercial vessel with LOA bigger than 60', displacement over 6000 tons than its a ship.

Answer 15

Ships always have displacement  hulls and move through the water at speeds that are a function of the square root of their waterline length times a contstant, usually about 1.3.  They are designed to carry a significant load as a percentage of their total weight (or displacement).  The load can be anything including extra structure to accomodate passengers. There are large vessels that are boats because they lack displacement hulls and/or lack cargo capacity, and small vessels that could be considered ships due to their hull design and cargo carrying capacity.  Both have to have a means of self propulsion, otherwise it's a barge.  Ships are also designed to be seaworthy for most sea conditions and can stay out on open water for extended periods.  Boats are more limited in both regards.

Example: A tug of any size is a boat because it is designed to be a waterborn "tractor" rather than a cargo carrying vessel.  A 35 foot sailboat designed for offshore work and ocean passages that can also be safely loaded to 40% of it's empty weight is a tiny ship.  A giant hydropane ferry  is a boat because it's unsafe in rough sea conditions and can't carry enough fuel to make extended ocean passages and still have decent cargo capacity.

Answer 16

There is no strict nor universally agreed distinction. Only tradition.  Yes submarines are called boats in the Navy but not by any dictionary definition.  Generally to command a ship you need strict Government regulated license although is some countries, not the UK, you need a license even to command a boat.  The "little ships" of Dunkirk fame were boats but they performed a function more associated with ships.  Many people would regard a vessel over 125 feet long to be a ship.

Answer 17

technically submarines are boats and everything on water except litle rowing things are boats

Answer 18

A lot of people are talking a load of guff in their answers.

It depends on the class of craft and the people who man/own/sail them.

Generally ships are large and boats are small in relative terms, but submarines are always boats even very large ones.

If you search Yahoo answers you will find this question comes up every three months or so and there are hundreds of different answers, but there is no rigid definition.

Answer 19

a book called dictionary will give you the answers and more.