# "Boat" vs. "Yacht"?



## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

We visited an old friend and told him about our sailboat. He knows nothing about boats (though he is an avid kayaker), so he asked what I guess is a common question: What is the difference between a "boat" and a "yacht"?

I was caught a little off-guard, but after thinking for a minute, I told him that a boat is something that you maintain and repair yourself, and a yacht is something that you hire out all of that.

What do you think is the definition?


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

A yacht /ˈjɒt/ is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt".[note 1] It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries. After its selection by Charles II of England as the vessel to carry him to Britain from Holland for his restoration in 1660, it came to be used to mean a vessel used to convey important persons.

In modern use the term designates two rather different classes of watercraft, sailing and power boats. Yachts are different from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose, and it was not until the rise of the steamboat and other types of powerboat that sailing vessels in general came to be perceived as luxury, or recreational vessels. Later the term came to encompass motor boats for primarily private pleasure purposes as well.( wickie)

But personally - if it's enjoyed for its beauty and wonderful feeling you get sailing it then its a yacht. If its there for another purpose ( fishing, transport only or other) its a boat.
Termed differently when I'm sanding its bottom it's a boat. When I look back at her from the dinghy its a yacht. When I'm writing a check to the yard its a piece of stupidity I can't explain to anyone but another sailor.


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

If you can't afford it, then it's a yacht. Otherwise, it's a boat. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I prefer people refer to ours as a boat, sailboat to be exact. Don't like the pretentious tone most assign to yacht. You can call it a sailing summer condo, if you like.

I know a marina or two, where if you don't have a yacht, they won't even rent you a transient slip. They seem to know what one is, but don't publish the definition. Had a buddy with a brand new million dollar Swan 45 turned away! 

That said, if you have an ice maker and central vac, it's probably a yacht.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

"Yacht" has connotations of luxury and pomposity. Being only 27' mine is just a boat.


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## Subaqua (Jul 14, 2013)

a friend of mine gave a good description... "if your boat has a boat, it's a yacht"


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Yacht is only pretentious in the USA. In Australia a sailboat is a dinghy. My boat is a yacht.


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## Subaqua (Jul 14, 2013)

and if your boat has a boat and a helicopter, it's a mega-yacht


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Sabreman said:


> If you can't afford it, then it's a yacht. Otherwise, it's a boat.
> 
> ...


You mean, a 150ft sailboat is a boat if the owner can afford it?

Some discussion about it here:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/1210274-post5412.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/1216002-post5439.html

Regards

Paulo


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> Yacht is only pretentious in the USA. In Australia a sailboat is a dinghy. My boat is a yacht.


and in Europe unless you have a boat bigger than 60ft.

(have a look at the links posted above)

Regards

Paulo


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

> You mean, a 150ft sailboat is a boat if the owner can afford it?


Yup. And I suspect that if you own a 150' sailboat, you're looking at the 170' sailboat next to you in Monaco and planning on selling it for your next 180' purchase. That's how those guys are wired.

But remember, if you own a 30' $15,000 sailboat, then you're a "rich, elitist yachtsman". But if you own a 50' $150,000 motor home, then you're "a proud American". 
(no offense to motor home owners, there just seems to be a bias against those who chose to spend time on the water).


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Within the U.S., the term 'Yacht' is only presumptuous to the non-sailing public and sailors who are not familiar with the proper definition of yacht, which simply is 'pleasure craft' rather than a commercial vessel. Size is not a factor at all in the U.S. definition of the term. But because many non-sailors associate the term yacht with wealth and grandeur many of us are somewhat self-conscious about bandying the term around lightly. Still and all, proper radio etiquette would normally include identification, and the proper formal identification for a pleasure vessel includes " this is the yacht 'so-and-so" "call number 'so-and-so' " to distinguish the type of vessel.


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## Frogwatch (Jan 22, 2011)

If you put a six pack of Bud into a trashed out oyster boat, it becomes a yacht.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Agree with Jeff but more and more folks are saying s/v or m/v these days on the radio around here. The bride and I sign our greeting cards and emails s/v as well when appropriate. Sounds better then "oil screw"


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## guitarguy56 (Oct 10, 2012)

Hard to get around the manufacturer name of 'U.S Yacht 25' for my boat!

So for fun here is how I see it:

Boat is the name on tax forms
Yacht to my non boating friends
Sailboat to my boating friends


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## Markwesti (Jan 1, 2013)

Look it up in the Sailor's Sketch Book by Bruce Bingham .


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Jeff_H said:


> Within the U.S., the term 'Yacht' is only presumptuous to the non-sailing public and sailors who are not familiar with the proper definition of yacht, which simply is 'pleasure craft' rather than a commercial vessel. Size is not a factor at all in the U.S. definition of the term. But because many non-sailors associate the term yacht with wealth and grandeur many of us are somewhat self-conscious about bandying the term around lightly. Still and all, proper radio etiquette would normally include identification, and the proper formal identification for a pleasure vessel includes " this is the yacht 'so-and-so" "call number 'so-and-so' " to distinguish the type of vessel.


Jeff, we have no control on what words mean or how the meaning change and the meaning of words change with time. If the majority of English speakers (sailors or not) start to call yacht only to big boats than to call yacht to a small boat will becomes pretentious (not saying that is what is happening in US but it is certainly what is happening on most European countries).

Two examples of words that changed meaning:

Corinthian, a word used many times regarding sailing to mean amateur in the good sense of the word (the one who loves but it not a professional) meant on its original sense (related with the inhabitants of Corinth) licentious and libertine.

The word : exquisite, in French (exquis), having had that meaning in Portuguese long ago means today only odd, weird.

esquisito - Dicionário Português-Inglês WordReference.com

You can have the best of intentions saying to a Portuguese lady that is cooking is "esquisito" but I can tell you for sure she is going not to like the comment.

regards

Paulo


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

Sabreman said:


> But remember, if you own a 30' $15,000 sailboat, then you're a "rich, elitist yachtsman".


and by that definition, you (all of us) shouldn't have a problem paying the associated taxes, right?

I talk about my boat with people I work with and they refer to it as a yacht. Maybe because I can actually stay on it for days/weeks at a time. When I think of a yacht, I'm thinking of those big shiny ones showcased in the magazines (40'+)

Either way, it get's me out on the water and away from the stresses of day-to-day nonsense.


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## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

outbound said:


> Agree with Jeff but more and more folks are saying s/v or m/v these days on the radio around here. The bride and I sign our greeting cards and emails s/v as well when appropriate. Sounds better then "oil screw"


Yep, I'm hearing that more and more these days, it does make sense when trying to be clear in indentification


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

How's this: If it's financed, it's a yacht. If you paid cash, it's a boat. 

On the radio I self-identify as "sailing vessel." I figure it will assist with visual identification.


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## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Sailing yacht will do also...unless that risks to be misunderstood


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

Subaqua said:


> a friend of mine gave a good description... "if your boat has a boat, it's a yacht"


If it has a pirate flag it is a 'ship'

if it being chased by a ship with a pirate flag, it's a 'yacht'


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## desert rat (Feb 14, 2013)

This works for anything from a rowboat to the Queen Mary. If it smells of fish its a boat, 
if it doesn't its a yacht.


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## Markwesti (Jan 1, 2013)

With respect to the SailNetters here , It's not the boat it's the skipper .


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

as in

it isn't the ocean
it's the motion


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## BentSailor (Nov 10, 2010)

The use of _"sailing vessel"_ over _"yacht"_ over the radio is pretty common down here too. I actually cannot recall the last time I logged in someone that called their (sailing) boat a "yacht" over VHF. They've always identified themselves as _"sailing vessel name-here"_.

The dictionary defines it as I would _"a medium-sized sailing boat equipped for cruising or racing"_ or _"a powered boat equipped for cruising"_. Or more colloquially - a sailing boat of decent (but not mega) size, and most power boats, equipped for the purposes of fun / leisure. I'd probably add that the power boats need to be a decent size too... tinnies can make for some fun on the lake, but they are not yachts 

I admit the definition has an edge of "idle wealthy" added to it by most people I talk to who don't sail and, yes, they often have no issues with motorhome owners. Odd, eh?


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## Markwesti (Jan 1, 2013)

titus for sure you will always have a boat .


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

just hoping for a boat load of fun... hopefully in a boat

at close as I get to a yacht is in Yahtzee

_____
Titus Tiger








Rock the rogers


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Yup- I 'll keep going with s/v. That way the prices won't go up when we pull into a new harbor. Most expensive shoes I own are my sea boots. I still shop at tractor supply. No way I'm comfortably saying "the yacht Hippocampus " on the radio. Just the little voice in my head says that and then it giggles.


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## Markwesti (Jan 1, 2013)

Hi titus , I think I know what you are talking about . Well, not really. And I know you are just joking around and making nice, nice. But please read the book , you can get on Amozon for $9.00 . Thanks Man.


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

I admire you for your literacy..

I was responding to the thread, not your post way back when (http://www.sailnet.com/forums/1345825-post16.html) ... I noticed it... but didn't see it having anything with "With respect to the SailNetters here , It's not the boat it's the skipper ."

Did you mean those to be connected? didn't come across to me

.. well it wasn't very clear... and since I did not read the book, not sure how I would know the inside of what you are thinking... sorry

_________
Sail on


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

I tell non-sailors "We own a sailboat, not a yacht, because when the toilet clogs, I'm the one emptying the bowl with a ladle." That seems to end the conversation without further argument.

I got invited to a yacht club for some future dinner, by one of the executives at work. He's completed a lot of races, some of them half way around the globe. During that conversation we talked for quite awhile. It was early spring so I told him about installing the inverter and a bunch of other projects. By the end of the conversation, the dinner invitation wasn't brought up again. Either he figured I wasn't a racer, that I'm a boat-systems nerd, or that I'm a boater instead of a yachtsman -- to this day I'm not sure what it was. (Any hints?)

.

Flip-side to all that... Sometimes when we tell non-sailors that we live on a sailboat all summer, they get a certain look. Then we say we have 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. That seems to convey the idea that it's not camping. (If I start talking about things like inverters and microwaves, the typical non-sailor quickly loses interest, like I'm speaking Chinese or something.)

Yes, I have 4 heads to maintain. And no, I don't really own a ladle. 

Regards,
Brad

P.S. Rarely I'll say yacht, although I'm still a little uncomfortable with the word. In the winter it's usually "Honey, I'm going to the boat."

Sistership shown below. In the crew's quarters, we have one bunk to starboard (and the head was taken out).


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

My insurance company thinks we have a yacht. I call it a boat.


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

I think some of what a boat is, relates to the perspective... like Bene505 just mentioned, when you are elbow deep in the head, you don't believe you are a yacht owner... but...

I think when you sail into port, people will think of some rich guy in his yacht..

To a kayaker... his perception of what a yacht is is much lower than the Steve Job vessel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_(yacht)


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## Markwesti (Jan 1, 2013)

Hi titus , man you really need to read the book . It has nothing to do with being connected. And it has nothing to do with the size of your purse or your boat . It has everything to do you , and me and Sailnetters . And hoo yoo callin literat !!


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## sck5 (Aug 20, 2007)

I met a guy in St. maarten who said there were three sizes of sailboat: small, large, and with a helicopter.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Bene- that's a yacht. You even have a room for the au pair. ( grin).


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Mine's a yacht. Yours is a boat.

Pretty simple really.


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Bene505 said:


> By the end of the conversation, the dinner invitation wasn't brought up again. Either he figured I wasn't a racer, that I'm a boat-systems nerd, or that I'm a boater instead of a yachtsman -- to this day I'm not sure what it was. (Any hints?)


I know exactly what it was...you told him about your depoopinator.

No one wants THAT GUY at the dinner table.


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## ericb760 (Apr 11, 2012)

The builders plate says it all...


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Bene505 said:


> I tell non-sailors "We own a sailboat, not a yacht, because when the toilet clogs, I'm the one emptying the bowl with a ladle." That seems to end the conversation without further argument.
> 
> I got invited to a yacht club for some future dinner, by one of the executives at work. He's completed a lot of races, some of them half way around the globe. During that conversation we talked for quite awhile. It was early spring so I told him about installing the inverter and a bunch of other projects. By the end of the conversation, the dinner invitation wasn't brought up again. Either he figured I wasn't a racer, that I'm a boat-systems nerd, or that I'm a boater instead of a yachtsman -- to this day I'm not sure what it was. (Any hints?)
> 
> .


If you said "I hired an electrician to put in a 110 volt electrical system," he would have been impressed. It was the fact that YOU were doing work on your boat that made it a boat. if you hold a varnish brush it is a boat, if you write a check it is a yacht in there minds.

Personally I think Yacht means that you love the boat and take care of it. Like L. Francis Herreshoff said ""The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat."


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

Bene, I've always been curious, how do you get to that forward berth?


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

Over the last 10 years or so, language that can be construed as indicating "wealth" is greatly frowned upon in the U.S.

The origins and past common usage of the word "yacht" have already been illuminated in this thread. I think it's a shame that a simple word that originally described basically any boat not used for work, is now treated as a near-profanity.

I'm a government contractor. I make a fair sum. My co-workers all make good money, many of them make more than I do. Yet, when I mention my "yacht", you would not believe the jokes and harsh criticism I get.

It's not pretentiousness they accuse me of, it's affluence!
It's useless to point out that many of them earn more money than I do, that my "yacht" is 40 years old, has tired sails, a tired cabin, a tired Atomic-4.

It's a yacht. Ipso-facto, I am some kind of wealthy a$$hole.

I won't even discuss the reaction when I mention that I'm into "yacht racing".
------------------------

Example #2:

A good friend of mine lost his job 2 or 3 years ago. He owns a 21 foot sailboat, and a very tired pickup truck.

When he told people that he was unemployed, and living aboard his "modest yacht" (tongue firmly in cheek), people marveled and women were attracted to him. (Seriously)

This poor guy was wedged into that day-sailor cabin among his canned food, a sleeping bag and his sails, and people treated him like he was very well-to-do. He was always honest about the size of his boat when he told people about his living arrangements.

If he told people that he was "jobless and living out of his pickup truck", what do you think the reaction would be? Quite the opposite, I would think.

I use the word "yacht" because the original definition is accurate, and it allows me an economy of words. "Sailing Vessel" and "sail boat" become tiresome when repeated in conversation.

Speaking of economy of words, I think I've spent enough here.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

BubbleheadMd said:


> Over the last 10 years or so, language that can be construed as indicating "wealth" is greatly frowned upon in the U.S.


Agreed, but not confined to the US. Our parents raised us to get good educations, work hard and stretch our boundaries to become successful.

If it works, you have to keep your head low.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

^^ I wasn't willing to speak authoritatively about what's happening in other countries.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

titustiger27 said:


> I think when you sail into port, people will think of some rich guy in his yacht..
> 
> To a kayaker... his perception of what a yacht is is much lower than the Steve Job vessel
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_(yacht)


Venus is in St Martin at the moment.
Its not the largest superyacht here by any means. At 78 m x 12 m. Theres some longer at the marina, a number bigger, and then those so large they cant fit through the lifting bridge into the lagoon. The bridge is 52 feet wide, the largest boat that can get through is Limitless, 96 meters long, 315 feet, owned by the Victorias Secret boulder holder. Venus is 38 feet wide while limitless is 50 feet wide. A bit of a squeeze to get in!

The largest boat in Simpson bay at the moment is Luna, its just dumped its tender Number 4 which is 9 meters x 4 meters! Luna, itself, is 115 meters long, thats 377 feet!

Just heading into Simpson Bay is Rising Sun at 138 meters thats 452 Feet. I dont remember Rising Sun so it may be the first time its been here. Its tender is 12 x 4 meters. The same size as Sea Life!


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Minnewaska said:


> Agreed, but not confined to the US. Our parents raised us to get good educations, work hard and stretch our boundaries to become successful.
> 
> If it works, you have to keep your head low.


#1 problem with the world, right there. You never hear people say "He earned it."

You may want to tax him more, regulate him more, or sneer at him for you own lack of effort, but you ought to at least agree that "He earned it."



MarkofSeaLife said:


> ...Just heading into Simpson Bay is Rising Sun at 138 meters thats 452 Feet. I dont remember Rising Sun so it may be the first time its been here. Its tender is 12 x 4 meters. The same size as Sea Life!


Mark,

You always add excellent perspective.

Regards,
Brad


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

jimgo said:


> Bene, I've always been curious, how do you get to that forward berth?


There's a separate entrance (Lewmar Hatch) and small ladder built into the bulkhead.

We call it "the garage" since it's partly filled with a spinnaker (in a bag), line, a couple fishing poles, fenders, and things like that.

The bulkhead is sealed up to the top of the sink, where water lines and the windlass wires come through.

Regards,
Brad


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## Stella's crew (Sep 3, 2012)

FWIW 
In my mind when I think of her, "My wonderful yacht", to wife and friends, "You talking about that %$#@%$ Boat again, it's winter."


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

sck5 said:


> I met a guy in St. maarten who said there were three sizes of sailboat: small, large, and with a helicopter.


Not sure about that one, I've yet to hear of a sailing vessel carrying a chopper aboard... Even on a yacht the size of Barry Diller's EOS, finding a spot to land a helo would appear to be somewhat problematic...










They've become a dime a dozen on larger motoryachts, of course... although not all of them are necessarily 'real', or intended to ever actually be flown...


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

A friend took a "drone" out last week to video the whales, the video turned out great but the take off and landing thru the rigging was a nightmare.
Brad, I like to tease my friends that any man with more than one head on his boat is just asking for trouble.


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

Calling my boat a "yacht" just sounds wrong to my ear. It's like asking someone if they want to go for a ride in my "automobile." Um, you mean your car?


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

When you say you have a yacht people think you spend your weekends looking like this guy:










When we tell people we live on a sailboat every weekend the reaction is almost always positive.


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## Philzy3985 (Oct 20, 2012)

I think if you can cook and sleep comfortable in it, it's a yacht.

But really I don't care. My girlfriend calls my sailboat a yacht and I happily don't correct her. I know a guy living on a 60' pilothouse and he refuses to call it a yacht, as if it isn't good enough.

It's like calling your car a "luxury sedan" all the time instead of a car, just to make it heard that you have something different. It means something to some people and nothing to some people.


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## Dave_E (Aug 7, 2013)

I think it all comes down to who you are and who you hang out with. In the Navy, we called our aircraft carrier the "boat", (officially I guess, submarines are the boats). Some definition says "recreational vesel over 28" is considered a yacht. I say "sailboat" and then when a non-boat person sees my fat 31 footer, they get all crazy and "wow, look at the size of this thing". I quit saying "yacht". I'm a sailor and I own a sailboat.


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

When my 32' ft. boat was in a 30' slip it looked like a yacht, now it's in a 35' slip between a IP and a 38' Catalina and looks like a boat again.


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## jimgo (Sep 12, 2011)

JimMcGee said:


> When you say you have a yacht people think you spend your weekends looking like this guy:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


"this guy"? You post a picture of yourself on your boat, and you say "this guy"?


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

I've got a friend that wore that costume for the yacht club opening parade.
Before I retired, when going "on-duty" my wife would hand me my clean uniforms and say "Here's your costumes". She's dyslexic so she'd just shrug it off if I tried "correcting" her, but she's a college graduate and I know she did it for 30 years on purpose to keep me humble. I avoid fancy clothes and she now refers to a long sleeve white T-shirt, khakis and deck shoes as my "retirement uniform".


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## Tallswede (Jul 18, 2012)

Yachts come in all different sizes. If it's a small boat with nice lines and lots of purty varnished wood work, it's a yacht. My boat, it's a plastic bottle with a little wood on it. Not quite a yacht. LOL.

Kevin


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

JimMcGee said:


> When you say you have a yacht people think you spend your weekends looking like this guy:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


"You scratched my anchor!"


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## Rick486 (Sep 14, 2010)

If one muster ponder this question, then for sure he is not a yachtsman.


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## Andrew65 (Dec 21, 2009)

Stella's crew said:


> FWIW
> In my mind when I think of her, "My wonderful yacht", to wife and friends, "You talking about that %$#@%$ Boat again, it's winter."


Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth! Lol!


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

The guy in the jacket and hat is over the top. But the grotty yottie is very prevelant. Scumy dressed in rags now retired men feel they look right with long greasy hair in a pony tail, ass out of their shorts and a tshirt the ripped jeans generations chucked out a decade ago.

You may have retired but does all self discipline go out the door? Why do I have to smell the unwashed former executive pretending to be something he's not? uke

If they dress like that what must the wifes put up with when they get down to their undies?


Mark


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Gee Mark that's pretty harsh. Maybe the guy just came off passage or replacing the duckbill valve in his head or ripping an engine down. Agree with you phonies are phoney but everyone carries a heavy load time to time. Could see myself characterized like that if it's a work day on the boat.Think being dirty is gross but maybe the guy is depressed or has "issues".
Admittingly the mater says I clean up nice before we do three -zies at the club.:laugher and I love a nice shower.


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> If they dress like that what must the wifes put up with when they get down to their undies?


Just hang this from your junk:










Problem solved.

And remember...it's not "Yachts and Hoes"


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## BentSailor (Nov 10, 2010)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> If they dress like that what must the wifes put up with when they get down to their undies?


Damn it man! I was enjoying a nice lamington with my coffee and you've gone and ruined my appetite.


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## H and E (Sep 11, 2011)

Most of my long time friends are non-boaters. I tell them I have a small sailboat and they ask how long-I say 25', they say that's big. Where I grew up (power boating) a Yacht was 100' or better. Who cares as long as you enjoy it.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

H and E said:


> ...Who cares as long as you enjoy it.


We have a winner !


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## norahs arc (Jan 23, 2013)

jimgo said:


> Bene, I've always been curious, how do you get to that forward berth?


I'm not sure, but I think he takes the subway. 
The boat does have one doesn't it?


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

My buddy Jerry owns a 100 footer. Each cabin on the boat has it's own complete air conditioning and heating system. It has a crane to lift the dinghy into the water with, a toy room in the stern for dive gear and water toys, a hydraulic hide and seek TV, marble counter tops and burns hundreds of gallons per hour.. He can spend more in a weekend on fuel then our boat is probably worth. It also has three bars & a wine cellar. The entire boat has close circuit tv monitoring and a remote control pod for docking. He is having it painted this winter to the tune of 350k+.....

Jerry calls it a "boat" but then again Jerry is not a pretentious guy despite the large amounts of money he's made. If you met him in a bar the Timex on his wrist and the 1998 car in the parking lot would give no indication of his net worth.

He runs the _boat_ him self and his wife cooks, no captain and no crew when off cruising just family & friends.. He handles this boat with ease and in 15 years has never even scratched it. Only at the slip do they have paid crew to maintain the BOAT. Heck his slip in Florida cost him SEVEN FIGURES for this _BOAT_....

We own a _boat_ and will never own a "yacht". Sorry but it just sounds so arrogant and insecure like a middle aged guy with a small "D" and a red Corvette....

Perhaps it is because I have worked for owners who refer to their _toys_ as _yachts_, and also worked for the owners who call them _boats_, that I have formed this opinion.

I have always preferred the owners who call them boats and in general find them considerably more down to Earth, well grounded and less arrogant/ignorant/rude/demeaning/demanding etc. etc..... Have there been owners who call them _yachts_ that don't meet this, yes, but they are about 1 in 20 in my experience.

I once interviewed with an owner of a _sport fishing boat_, this is what they are called, and he kept referring to it as his _sport fishing yacht,_ a real stomach turning name, and he really suffered from small-d syndrome.

He made me an offer and I turned it down. He was shocked that I was not interested in kissing his yachtie a$$.. A week later I was working on an even nicer sport fishing _boat_, that not only fished better but it had an owner who was as down to Earth as they come. He was even wealthier than the _yacht_ guy but one would never know it and he called his sport fishing boat a boat. The guy would bring us iced coffee every day he came to the boat and treated his crew as humans.. The d-bag on the yacht/sport fishing boat expected his crew to file his toe nails and never once thought of his employees as even human, they were servants. He went through about six or seven crew in three months.. Go figure...

When a boat owner calls me to request work and they start saying things like "I need some electrical work done to my yacht." it is amazing how many weeks booked out I become. I usually add three or four weeks to my existing back log for _yacht_ owners because it is these _yacht_ owners who alaways seem to be the cheapest guys on the planet. Perhaps if they had only bought a _boat_ they could afford to have it fixed... BTDT with too many _yacht_ owners to continue the head bonk......... They are usually the last people who will get a call back from me even if my schedule allowed for it..... Yes, I am stereo typing, but this is based on my own direct experiences.... Sorry if that offends but _most_ people I have dealt with who feel the need to use the word _yacht_ well....

I also dislike calling our _yacht club _what it is, so we usually just call it PYC or the club. We even refer to it as the "boat club" to the dismay of some of the "yachties" in our _club_.... Our 7 year old even knows not to call it the "Y" word."

Sorry but I find the word _yacht_ has a level of self important, self absorbed arrogance to it and owners who use it are not generally folks I have much in common with.... Again, this opinion I have formed has been created by working for and dealing with two owner sets; _boat owners_ and _yacht owners_ bring on the boat owners!!!

We own a sailboat or a boat not a sail yacht, sailing yacht or a yacht because I don't want to be associated or lumped into the bucket with what I have personally experienced over the years rom _yacht_ owners.......


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

Jerry really needs a friend like me.


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

If the IRS asks you what it is, it's a boat.

If the pretty girl sitting next to you at the bar asks what it is, it's a yacht.


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

not... would you like to ride my dinghy? (out to my yacht)


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Group9 said:


> If the IRS asks you what it is, it's a boat.
> 
> If the pretty girl sitting next to you at the bar asks what it is, it's a yacht.


Any girl who is impressed by the term _yacht_ is barely qualifying for a one night stand, certainly not the type of girl you marry.

The girl who is impressed that you own a 22 foot _boat_, and still wants to go sailing, with out a blow-drier, now she's the one you marry...


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## seafrontiersman (Mar 2, 2009)

Speaking on behalf of those of us from "flyover country"; I will NEVER own a yacht or be a yachtsman. I am a proud working man who made his bones in the Naval service, commercial fishing (crabbing mostly), and in the Merchant Marine operating oil patch supply boats; I will never take rank amongst the arrogant, over-priviledged, silver-spoon types and I wouldn't want their company if I could fit in with them.


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Maine Sail said:


> Any girl who is impressed by the term _yacht_ is barely qualifying for a one night stand, certainly not the type of girl you marry.
> 
> The girl who is impressed that you own a 22 foot _boat_, and still wants to go sailing, with out a blow-drier, now she's the one you marry...


When I lived in Annapolis, I had a girldfriend that would go camping with me on my 21' Victory with a $40 Seyvelor dinghy. We had a little square BBQ that fit over the back hatch.

Anyway, I married her. Now we have 4 kids.

So, yes Maine, I agree with you. 

Regards,
Brad

Edit -- adding picture of a sistership. Mine had the same color scheme. She was my previous (and first) boat. She could really point high. The P.O. sailed around the Delmarva peninsula with her.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Bene505 said:


> When I lived in Annapolis, I had a girldfriend that would go camping with me on my 21' Victory with a $40 Seyvelor dinghy. We had a little square BBQ that fit over the back hatch.
> 
> Anyway, I married her. Now we have 4 kids.
> 
> ...


See you found a keeper....


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Maine Sail said:


> See you found a keeper....


Exactly!

Some friends haven't fared so well. Seems that some spouses want to spend their partner's money to impress others or feed their ego (blurry line between those two concepts). It's a big drain on the finances, relationship, etc. Sometimes the spouse influences the other person to trim away his/her friends. I guess the spouse is making a banzai tree -- a stunted plant that they mould however they want.

Back on topic... if only to influence who you attract into your life, call your boat a sailboat.

Regards,
Brad


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

Maine Sail said:


> Any girl who is impressed by the term _yacht_ is barely qualifying for a one night stand, certainly not the type of girl you marry.
> 
> The girl who is impressed that you own a 22 foot _boat_, and still wants to go sailing, with out a blow-drier, now she's the one you marry...


It was a joke. That's why I put the little "  " thingy behind it (for future reference).

God, some of ya'll must be fun to hang out with.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Group9 said:


> It was a joke. That's why I put the little "  " thingy behind it (for future reference).
> 
> God, some of ya'll must be fun to hang out with.


Ah mine was a further play on your joke, why I put the winkie....


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

DRFerron said:


> My insurance company thinks we have a yacht. I call it a boat.


Wait till you file a claim... Then they'll tell you that you had an old, mostly depreciated, boat.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Group9 said:


> God, some of ya'll must be fun to hang out with.


I'm a riot!

(WooHoo! Post #3K! - Jeeze, I need a job! )


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

So to sum up:

- It's a boat if it's about your enjoyment.

- It's a yacht if it's about your ego.


OK, we've definitely got a boat.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

And where you are from. Words in one country mean different in another, so its important for differences not to become xenophobic.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

JimMcGee said:


> So to sum up:
> 
> - It's a boat if it's about your enjoyment.
> 
> ...


It's also a boat when your boss asks about your weekend. Just so there's no confusion about getting paid too much.


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## captain jack (May 5, 2013)

a yacht *is* a boat ( or a ship ). it's just a boat ( or ship ) put to a certain usage; in this case a pleasure boat. i would specifically say that a yacht is a pleasure boat over a certain size, as compared to a dinghy; usually one that has sleeping accommodations. i can't think of any boat that is considered a yacht that doesn't have sleeping accommodations.

a working boat, like a skipjack, is not a yacht. although, if you converted one to just pleasure use, it would become a yacht.

i think the confusion is one of connotations. originally, if you owned a boat you had a practical reason for it. it worked for you.only the wealthy owned boats for pleasure use, alone. of course, since they were wealthy, they had large boats that you could sleep on or entertain on. after sailing boats lost relevance as working vessels, most sailing boats were yachts, outside of dinghies and the few working boats still sailing.

of course, thanks to fiberglass, most boats on the water, now, are for pleasure use...but most of them aren't owned by the wealthy. so, it has lead to a general confusion as to what is a yacht.


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## captain jack (May 5, 2013)

titustiger27 said:


> as in
> 
> it isn't the ocean
> it's the motion


wow dude :laugher that's a fred sanford moment if i ever saw one. i think you mean:

it's not the size of the boat
it's the motion of the ocean


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## titustiger27 (Jan 17, 2013)

time to re-name my yach.....ummm boat


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## captain jack (May 5, 2013)

titustiger27 said:


> time to re-name my yach.....ummm boat


:laugher


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