A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats.
A yacht is a sail- or motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a yacht, as opposed to a boat, such a pleasure vessel is likely to be at least 33 feet (10 m) in length and may have been judged to have good aesthetic qualities.
A dory is a small, shallow-draft boat, about 5 to 7 metres or 16 to 23 feet long. It is usually a lightweight boat with high sides, a flat bottom and sharp bows. It is easy to build because of its simple lines. For centuries, the dory has been used as a traditional fishing boat, both in coastal waters and in the open sea.
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which are designed first and foremost for sailing. A dinghy's main use is for transfers from larger boats, especially when the larger boat cannot dock at a suitably-sized port or marina.
A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. The term steamboat is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels working on lakes, rivers, and in short-sea shipping. The development of the steamboat led to the larger steamship, which is a seaworthy and often ocean-going ship.
A runabout is any small motorboat holding between four and eight people, well suited to moving about on the water. Characteristically between 20' and 35' in length, runabouts are used for pleasure activities like boating, fishing, and water skiing, as a ship's tender for larger vessels, or in racing. Some common runabout types are bow rider, center console, cuddy boat and walkaround. The world's largest runabout, Pardon Me, is 48 feet long and owned by the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York.
Hydroplane racing is a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes, rivers, and bays. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries.
A motorboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine; faster examples may be called "speedboats".
A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. A tiller may also be used in vehicles outside of water, and was seen in early automobiles.
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are used for military purposes.
Garfield Arthur "Gar" Wood was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and championship motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on several occasions. He was the first man to travel over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) on water.
A yacht tender is a vessel used for servicing and providing support and entertainment to a private or charter yacht. They include utilitarian craft, powered by oar or outboard motor, and high-speed luxury craft, supporting superyachts, powered by inboard engines, some using water-jets. Some superyachts have a support vessel that follows them with bulky items that are not conveniently stowed aboard the main yacht, such as a helicopter, automobile or larger watercraft.
Elmer Carl Kiekhaefer was the founder of Kiekhaefer Mercury and Kiekhaefer Aeromarine and also a two-time NASCAR championship car owner.
SS Tahoe was a steamship that operated on Lake Tahoe at the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. Scuttled in 1940, the wreck presently lies in 400 feet (120 m) of water off Glenbrook, Nevada. The wreck was first visited in 2002 by a team from New Millennium Dive Expeditions (NMDE) in a record-setting high-altitude dive for Lake Tahoe. As a result of the work that NMDE did on the Tahoe site from 1999 up to their dives in 2002, Tahoe became the first maritime site in Nevada to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Frédérique Constant SA is a Swiss manufacture of luxury wristwatches based in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. Originally established in 1988 by Dutch married couple Peter Stas and Aletta Stas-Bax, it was acquired in 2016 by Citizen Holdings of Tokyo, Japan.
Charles Drown Mower (1875-1942) of New York was a noted yacht designer and author, and was at one time design editor of the Rudder magazine and a contributing author to Motor Boating magazine.
Hacker-Craft is the name given to boats built by The Hacker Boat Co., an American manufacturer founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1908 by John L. Hacker (1877–1961). It is one of the oldest constructors of wooden motor boats in the world. The company moved operations to New York State in the 1970s and continues to produce hand-built boats.
The Century Boat Company (CEBC) is an American boatbuilding company of racing and pleasure boats. Founded in 1926 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it moved to Manistee, Michigan to become a major nationwide supplier. It was taken over by Yamaha in 1995 and sold in 2012 to Allcraft Marine of Florida.
The Lake Tahoe Concours d'Elegance is an event held at Lake Tahoe yearly, and serves as one of the most prestigious judging events for classic wooden boats. The event, held over a two- to three-day span in August of every year, started in 1972 by wooden boat enthusiasts and experts of Lake Tahoe to judge boats much like in a car concours. Now officially hosted by the Tahoe Yacht Club, since 1994, the show has become a renowned event in the wooden boat world. Each year the show raises money for charitable donation, with $32,000 being donated in 2010, with total donations from 1994 to present have totaled over $200,000.
The Gar Wood Speedster is a model of 16 ft racing boat produced and offered from 1934 to 1938 by Garfield Wood under the "Gar Wood" brand, and powered with various single six-cylinder flathead marine engines. Of the fourteen original Speedsters, three have been widely researched due to their famous owners – "Miss Behave" and "Miss Chief" from 1935, and "Miss Persia" from 1936. Today, more reproduction Speedsters than original boats exist worldwide, with reproductions starting as early as the 1960s.
