Watercraft Articles about
Watercraft 		Website Links For
Watercraft 		 

Information About

Watercraft
  CATEGORIES ABOUT WATERCRAFT
   
water transport
   
naval architecture
   
technical terminology
   
nautical terms
   
SHOPPER'S DELIGHT
 
Shop For:  
Department
Price Minimum:
Price Maximum:
      



The common need for buoyancy unites all watercraft, and makes each one's Hull a dominant aspect of its construction, maintenance, and appearance.

Most watercraft would be described as either ships or boats; although nearly all ships are larger than nearly all boats, the distinction between those two categories is not one of size per se.
  • A Rule Of Thumb says "a boat can fit on a ship, but a ship can't fit on a boat", and a ship ''usually'' has sufficient size to carry its own boats, such as Lifeboat s, Dinghies , or Runabout s.

  • Often local Law and regulation will define the exact size (or the number of Mast s) that distinguishes a ship from boats.

  • Traditionally s supply abundant power without consuming air, and such craft are large, much roomier, and classed as ships.


Another definition says a ship is any floating craft that transports cargo for the purpose of earning revenue; in that context, passenger ships transport "supercargo", another name for passengers or persons not working on board. However, neither fishing boats nor Ferrie s are considered ships, though both carry cargo (their catch of the day or passengers) (and for that matter lifeboats).

English seldom uses the term "watercraft" to describe any specific individual object (and probably then only as an affectation): rather the term serves to unify the category that ranges from small Boat s to the largest Ship s, and also includes the diverse watercraft for which some term even more specific than ''ship'' or ''boat'' (e.g., canoe, kayak, raft, barge, Jet Ski ) comes to mind first. (Some of these would even be considered at best questionable as examples of boats.)


EXAMPLES OF WATERCRAFT