A
boat is a
watercraft of any size designed to float or
plane, to
work or travel on water. Small boats are typically found on inland (
lakes) or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the
whaleboat were designed for operation from a
ship in an offshore environment. In
naval terms, a boat is a vessel small enough to be carried aboard another vessel (a ship). Another less restrictive definition is a vessel that can be lifted out of the water. Some definitions do not make a distinction in size, as bulk freighters long on the Great Lakes are called
oreboats. For reasons of
naval tradition,
submarines are usually referred to as 'boats' rather than '
ships', regardless of their size and shape.
