Boat vs Ship: Difference and Comparison

What is the difference between a boat and a ship (boat vs ship)?

Generally, it’s easy for almost everyone to state the difference between a boat and a ship. One of the main factors that differentiates a boat from a ship is its size.

It’s usually that a ship is bigger in size, while a boat is smaller. According to the US Naval Education and Training Command, it’s possible to carry a boat on a ship, but you can’t carry a ship on a boat.

So, it means that if a craft is large enough to carry a few lifeboats or dinghies, that craft is considered a ship. But there are boats used by law enforcement for search and rescue often carrying small rafts for the operation.

Should such crafts be considered a ship or are they just a larger boat with search and rescue equipment?

What Is a Boat?

The English dictionary defines the term “boat” as a craft used for transporting goods, fishing, recreational cruising, or racing. Compared to the size of a ship, a boat is a smaller watercraft in a wide range of sizes and types.

Unlike ships which are larger vessels, boats cannot traverse the open sea. They are mostly found in inland waters around lakes, rivers or coastal areas. However, the whaleboat, which is a type of boat, was designed for an offshore environment.

Boats are generally built for specific purposes. Whether it’s a sailboat, tug boat, fishing boat, canoe, kayak, or speed boat, they vary in proportion and construction method.

For example, canoes have been used throughout history for transportation, fishing, and for sports. It’s still widely used today for the same purpose.

Fishing boats have been the vessel used by people to provide seafood for human consumption. Modern types of fishing boats can sail miles away from the coastline to harvest seafood.

Additionally, boats can be propelled manually such as paddle boats and rowboats.

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What Is a Ship?

A ship is a water-borne vessel that is generally larger than a boat. Ships are designed to traverse the world’s oceans carrying cargo or passengers.

These large watercraft are used to transport the largest portion of world commerce. Ships are vessels used in transporting crude oil and other merchandise. Without ships, it would be impossible to transport goods in large quantities from one part of the world to another.

Besides that, ships have also been used in migration, exploration, colonization, and warfare. Ships are generally larger than boats and they usually carry them for safety purposes. Size, shape, and load capacity are what differentiate ships from boats.

Boat vs Ship: Types of Boat and Ships

There are several types of boats of various sizes often found in rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. Types of boats include;

Canoes
Catamarans
Dinghies
Fishing boats
Patrol crafts
Pontoon boats
Sailboats
Speed boats
Tug boats

Types of Ships

Ships are designed to traverse the world’s oceans carrying cargo or passengers. These water-borne vessels are often found in seaports or the open ocean. Types of ships include;

Construction vessels
Cruise ships
Jack up and crane ships
Oil exploration or drilling ships
Naval ships
Offshore barges
Roll-on/ roll-off ships
Shipping containers

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Boat vs Ship: Difference between Boats and Ships

The common noticeable difference between a boat and a ship is the size. These watercraft can be found in rivers, lakes or along coastal areas.

Boats and ships were once propelled by manpower. However, modern watercraft can be propelled by inboard/outboard motors including diesel, electric and gasoline.

Capacity

Let’s look at the difference between a boat and a ship regarding their capacity.

Boat

A boat can carry quite a large number of people- for instance, the largest yachts may typically carry a large of people.

Some mega yachts are large enough with space for smaller boats to dock inside the watercraft. Yachts also have helipads for helicopter landing and taking off. They also have luxury rooms like those you would find on a cruise ship.

Generally, most boats are not built for cargo or a large transport crew. These watercraft are mainly designed for cruising, fishing, search and rescue and not for carrying cargo or a large crew.

Ship Capacity

As of 1912, the Titanic was one of the largest ships in the world, but today’s cruise ships are way more significant in size. Modern ships are over a thousand feet long and weigh hundreds of thousands of tons.

According to an online source, the largest shipping container ship spans over 1,300 feet and weighs over 200,000 tons.

One of the world’s largest shipping container ships a few years ago broke a world record by carrying 21,710 twenty-foot shipping containers in a single journey.

Some of the world’s largest ships carry over 5,000 people including passengers and crew members. For example, Wonder of the Seas is a cruise ship that can accommodate over 9,000 people. This cruise ship can accommodate 6,988 passengers alongside 2,300 crew members.

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Boat vs Ship: Propulsion

Modern boats can be propelled by motor, sails or even manually. However, can only be propelled by sails or by other propulsion technologies.

Vessels operating on the high seas are generally referred to as ships. However, submersible vessels are considered to be boasts. This is because centuries ago, submersible vessels could be hoisted on ships until they were needed to be used for naval purposes.

Boat vs Ship: Design and Layout

Boats are designed for specific purposes based on their types and sizes.

These watercraft can have berths, cabins, fly bridges, pilothouses, etc. Some yachts or houseboats offer luxury and comfort. Those who own houseboats or yachts do enjoy the living quarters in these watercraft.

Ship Design and Layout

Currently, there are many cruise ships sailing across the seas with thousands of passengers and crew members. These large watercraft are designed specifically for a purpose.

The Wonder of the Seas is a unique cruise ship built with a touch of nature. There is a park on the Wonder of the Seas with ten thousand natural plants growing on it.

The cruise ship also has a ten-storey zipline and an ice rink on the cruise ship.

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Boat vs Ship: Comparison Chart

	Boat	Ship
Definition	A boat is a craft used for transportation of goods, fishing, recreational cruising, or racing.	A ship is a water-borne vessel that is generally larger than a boat.
Crew	Depends on the size of the boat. It can either be one person or several crew members.	These large watercraft often require a large crew and a captain to operate the ship.
Cargo capacity	Boast are small to mid-sized vessels and has a lesser cargo –carrying capacity	Ships are generally built to carry cargo and passengers and even boats
Size	Cruising boats often measure between 20 to 30 feet	Large cargo ships or tanker spans between 984 to 1,312 feet.
Construction and design	Boats has lesser machine and design complexities. They are very simple in construction.	Ships are constructed and designed to have a variety of machinery systems for the safety and stability of the vessel

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