What is a yacht?

[sfreihofer]

I grew up in the Virgin Islands, and I've always enjoyed the idioms of Calypso. For example, film is not developed, it is "washed" and a homosexual is an "anti-man".

A West Indian once defined the difference between a sailboat and a yacht for me thusly:

A sailboat carries stone ballast. A yacht carries steel or lead ballast.

Therefore, and without a doubt, these are Cape Dory Yachts.

Stan Freihofer
1981 CD 25 Restoration
www.reefroof.com

[Bill Goldsmith]

A yacht in my eyes has, over the years, gradually become a large powerboat, a floating gin palace as portrayed in Yachts & Yachting. I never tell landlubbers I've got a yacht, in case they expect me to pay for dinner. I always say I own a small sailboat.

http://www.johnvigor.com

I try not to mention the word "yacht" to landlubbers, lest I get into trouble. Even with a CD 32 I usually try to use the "small sailboat" routine as well. Today, I relaxed my guard, and at lunch told some co-workers about a discussion I had this weekend at my "yacht club"-- a jeans and t-shirt club where blazers are rarely seen. Of course, the mere mention of the "Yacht Club" raised eyebrows and I'm sure they all thought I was overpaid.

It seems that in America the term yacht has morphed from the British/European usage as described above, to the American usage which has a "hoity toity" inference.

Maybe this has occurred simultaneously with the change in definition of "famly car" from:



To:

[rtbates]

A boat is a yacht when the brightwork is done! Hopefully by someone else. Thanks to the chemists at Teakguard my 25D has gone from boat to yacht in the past two weeks. Well, almost, still need to do the eyebrow and cockpit coamings, but it's darn close to being a yacht...haha. At the very least she a prettier boat..

[wingreen]

I think it depends on whether you're talking to a lady or one of the guys. It's a yacht to the women...

[wingreen]

I think it depends on whether you're talking to a lady or one of the guys. It's a yacht to the women...

Except to my wife... she calls it "that d@mn boat"

[Bill Michne]

The word "yacht" is used to describe your boat to someone who has never seen it, and probably never will.

[Shipscarver]

Yacht vs. Boat - Maybe it is our American love of turning words into tools of class warfare, or to say it with more care, at least snobbery/reverse snobbery?
Where I misspend my 20's in Illinois and Wisc., if you had a boat for fishing or running around in with an outboard, that fishing boat it was a boat. If you worked on a tug, or a cruise ship, or a freighter, it was a boat. If you didn't own a boat and you saw a cabin cruiser with an inboard engine, it was a yacht, (and implied that by owing one you had money to waste, unlike a "normal persons" recreational fishing boat). And, if you didn't own a sail boat, and the sail boat seemed well cared for and big enough to stay aboard, it was a, "Yacht." Ah-ha! There's the rub again - the term came with the implication, MONEY to waste.
So, it seems to me, for those uncomfortable with using the word "Yacht" the issue of Yacht vs. Boat is one of personal values developed in childhood, not one of semantic exactitude.

[Tod M]

a yacht is a pleasure craft that has a paid crew

a sailboat is crewed by her owner

The view is the same from either:



[img]http://www.htmills.com/images/LF-ChesapeakeSunset.jpg[/img]

[John Vigor]

Here are two more interesting definitions from trusted sources:

The first is from The Encyclopedia of Nautical Knowledge, published by the Cornell Maritime Press, 1953 edition:

"Vessel or boat specially built for racing, or one used for pleasure only;

"a vessel, often more or less luxuriously fitted out, for conveyance of distinguished persons, for pleasure cruising, for sport of fishing, etc;

"any craft, other than a fishing- or a trading-vessel, used for private or official trips, or for racing.

"According to Lloyd's classification rules, a y. is a pleasure-boat over 30 feet in length and driven by either sail or mechanical power."

The second is from Chapman's Piloting, Seamanship, and Small Boat Handling:

"A yacht is a power or sail vessel used for recreation and pleasure, as opposed to work."

Society, and its attitudes, have changed a great deal in the 50 years since Cornell published its encyclopedia. Fiberglass enabled the middle class to become "yachtsmen." Sailing for pleasure ceased to be the exclusive privilege of the wealthy. Today, almost any boat, power or sail, could be classified a "yacht" under the definitions given above, specially one like mine that falls into the category "less luxuriously fitted out," and even a punt used for duck hunting.

So there's not really much help here; and many of us in the States at least are leery of the word "yacht" and its connotations of rich people obnoxiously displaying their obscene wealth. Unless Queen Elizabeth invites me to tea at the palace (well, you never know) I think I'll stick to calling my Cape Dory a "sailboat."

Cheers,

John Vigor
http://www.johnvigor.com

[Shipscarver]

John - As usual, well said.