Where does a Yacht become a ship?

[Hotel Lima]

Out of sheer curiosity, what is your opinion? It can be based on anything, length, power, crew, tonnage. I just think with the recent explosion of super, mega, giga and now "terra" yachts the recently pretty defined line has turned into a gray area. At best. Where do you think yachts end and ships begin?

[Jratte]

The terms yacht and ship are not mutually exclusive. Boat and ship are more so. A 400' yacht could certainly be considered a ship. For one take on it please see the definition of boat, ship and yacht provided by Westlawn at the link below. Hope this helps.

http://westlawn.edu/student_center/definitions.asp

[Hotel Lima]

I was looking for people's opinions, not a definition. But thanks for the reply .

[Munter]

If it has a hot tub it is no longer a yacht.

[Omeron]

To me, a vessel is a ship, if its sole existance is commercial, and not recreational, and/or commercial not related to recreational.
So, a yacht, built and used for charter business where the charter purpose is also recreational, it is a yacht and not a ship. On the other hand if it is solely chartered for research,or any other activity where that activity is related to conducting a business only, it is a ship.
Ok, you may have your mega yacht and you may conduct your business from there when you are aboard, but then again i dont think you can say it is the sole purpose of that vessel.
By the same token, a cruise ship, is a ship, because the owners would not take it out to sea to entertain themselves and their families only.
Although this is not a scientific explanation, i think, the purpose of a vessel
defines what it is, as good as any other criterion.

[Jratte]

I think Omeron brings up some very good points. As far as opinion goes it is pretty much inline with mine. I don't see the term yacht as one that defines size, but instead defines purpose. Or rather the vessels purpose defines it's term. Yacht = private or pleasure boat whose primary purpose is not commercial. There is I would say a bottom limit on the term yacht. For instance I would not consider an 18' open day sailer as a yacht. Not entirely sure where I would start using that term, it would depend on the boat and probably begin somewhere in the upper 20' region. Now as for for size I go with the definitions I referred to as for a boat or ship.

[Bergalia]

The answer is quite simple Lima - 'Never'.

It is a scientifically proven fact that the Royal Navy has ships...all other vessels are simply boats....

[joz]

super, mega, giga and now "terra" yachts

Isn't that more a generic term rather than anything else?

[RatliffFranklin]

Originally Posted by Hotel Lima

I was looking for people's opinions, not a definition. But thanks for the reply .

I think the most practical way of defining a yacht is not by size but by looking at the purpose for which it was designed and built.

[Bergalia]

Originally Posted by RatliffFranklin

I think the most practical way of defining a yacht is not by size but by looking at the purpose for which it was designed and built.

Dictionary definition: Yacht -(Naut.) A light and elegantly furnished vessel, used either for private parties of pleasure, or as a vessel of state to convey distinguished persons from one place to another; a seagoing vessel used only for pleasure trips, racing, etc.

The exception to the scientifically proven definition - that the Royal Navy has ships - all other vessels are boats, is the Royal Yacht Britannia. It is crewed by Royal Navy personnel - therefore it follows that this 'Yacht' is in fact a ship.

[KnottyBuoyz]

Originally Posted by Hotel Lima

Out of sheer curiosity, what is your opinion? It can be based on anything, length, power, crew, tonnage. I just think with the recent explosion of super, mega, giga and now "terra" yachts the recently pretty defined line has turned into a gray area. At best. Where do you think yachts end and ships begin?

I agree with Berg. A yacht never becomes a ship as long as it's retained for recreational purposes. If a yacht becomes employed in the carriage of passengers or cargo it is then a "ship".

Now on the other hand it's always been my understanding that a "boat" becomes a ship when it has the ability to carry it's own lifeboat (not a dingy). Some hair ass'd ole' sailor told me that once.

[kach22i]

Is there a submariner's version?

A boat takes one torpedo to sink, a ship takes at least two?

Aren't all submarines boats even if over 400 feet long?

[Bergalia]

Originally Posted by kach22i

A boat takes one torpedo to sink, a ship takes at least two?

I believe it took just one to sink the Belgrano. Three were released - one missed, one failed to explode and the third (WWII vintage) did the crime.

[donncha]

I thought the old definitions was that a ship had a raised poop deck and had to be square rigged on more then one mast. That definition is certainally antiquated now though.

According to the oxford companion to Ships and The Sea The word comes "form the old English word "scip", the generic name for all sea-going vessels..." It doesn't say much else really except comment on the whole masculine/feminine argument. It aslo states that all yachts were often described as ships up until the 1950's.

So according to that a yacht becomes a ship anytime before 1960.

[Landlubber]

You can put a yacht on a ship, but you cannot (or should not) put a ship on a yacht.