What makes a boat a yacht?

[Kermit]

I told a friend recently about our 1986 Hunter 23 and referred to it as a "sailboat." He said, "Oh, it's a yacht." He defined a yacht as any boat with a cabin and then asked me what boat I consider to be a yacht.

I have honestly never considered our boat a yacht and am now wondering what really constitutes a yacht. Dictionary.com defines it as "a vessel used for private cruising, racing, or other noncommercial purposes." So I suppose we all have yachts. Heck, even my 12.5 foot AquaCat must be a yacht according to that definition.

What do y'all consider yachts?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

A yacht is the term you use to describe your boat to anyone you're certain will never see it.

Seriously....Technically, any recreational vessel--with or without cabin--is a "yacht," to distinguish it from a commercial vessel. However, to the British only sailboats--with or without cabins--are "yachts"...and there are some impressive racing yachts that don't have cabins. About 20 years ago, Chapman's defined a yacht as any recreational vessel over 40'. But to most of us, referring to anything much smaller than than the (former) Royal Yacht BRITANNIA as a "yacht" is being pretentious.

 

[Rick486]

I think that any well turned out boat, sail or power, is correctly referred to as a "yacht". I believe the term has more to do with how the boat is used and maintained, than the actual description of the boat. For instance, a 16 ft motorized launch could be described as a yacht if she is well maintained, ship shape, and well turned out. Or an 8 ft Turnabout may also be a yacht as she is raced and well maintained.

 

[Tim R.]

Ice cream. If you can carry ice cream indefinitely, the boat is a yacht!

 

[PSTEVEN]

when I was a boy sailing on my father's boats (more than 20 years ago) it seemed to be agreed that to be a yacht a power boat had to be over 65', but a sailboat only had to have a cabin to be a yacht. I still like this definition but it does tend to disgruntle the smaller power boat guys.

 

[Kermit]

So far Peggy's first explanation ("A yacht is the term you use to describe your boat to anyone you're certain will never see it.") and Tim's definition are running neck and neck for the "Make Kermit Happy By Defining Yacht" award. Peggy if you win, I'll give you a free daysail on Palmetto Moon with absolutely NO bathroom odors. (Palmetto Moon has no head.) Tim, if you win, I'll make you a churn of my world-famous, 2nd-place-at-the-church-ice-cream-churning-contest strawberry ice cream. But you'll have to eat it while underway. Palmetto Moon has no refrigeration.

 

[thinwater]

Dress whites for the crew? Attitude?

I like Peggy's answer.

As for me, if I inherit billions and buy something incredible, it will still be a boat and tee-shirts will still fine with me.

 

[31seahorse]

Yacht: a vessel that is far more expensive than I could ever imagine owning or maintaining.

There are Presidential Yachts, Royal Yachts, and many old, wooden sailing/racing vessels were yachts. At least a yacht has to have some history or pedigree behind it in my opinion.

"Yacht Club" brings into play a whole other set of variables.

HOWEVER, there are many fine, well cared for, beautiful vessels that I wouldn't "kick out of bed"!

 

[Maine Sail]

My buddy Gerry 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 tender into the water with. Three bars, a wine cellar and a tv on a hydraulic lift that appears from out of nowhere.

He calls it a "boat" but then again Jerry is not pretentious despite the hundreds of millions he's made.

I own a boat and will never own a "yacht" it just sounds so arrogant and insecure... Perhaps because I have worked for owners who refer to their boats as "yachts", and ones who call them boats, and I have always preferred the latter owners..

I also dislike calling the "yacht" club what it is so we usually just call it PYC or the club. Our 4 year old even knows not to call it the "Y" word.".

 

[tommays]

Its gotta have porcelain with a door

 

[JoeWhite]

OK - here is the answer.
Boat= 26ft or less Yacht= over 26 ft.

I rest my case.

 

[zeehag]

a yacht has a helo on board. everything else is a boat.

 

[Ross]

My favorite pick-up line is, "If I don't ask you to paddle, is it alright if I lie about the size of my yacht?"

 

[Old Skool Neil]

Maine touched on it.

What makes a boat a yacht? - The arrogance of the owner.

 

[Indysailor]

Friends from Australia always refer to our little tub as a yacht, which leads me to believe there may be some difference, depending on where one is from. I call it a camper on the water.

 

[davenlynn]

When you've put more into the boat than what you paid for it, it is a yacht. (or Money Pit)

 

[Ron20324]

A yacht is anything bigger than what you own.

 

[woodster]

a..... ya ch it...... is whaf ya chop woud with said buggs bunny


regards

woody

 

[Joe]

I always thought that if you had a paid crew you could call your sailboat a yacht.

Or if it is 100 percent maintained by professionals you would call it a yacht.

I think it would be appropriate to call any kind of sailboat racing ... "yachting".... However, you could apply that term to just about any type of recreational sailing... short of cruising.

 

[Ctskip]

Peggy has it down.

It all depends on who you are talking to.
Tax man, it's a boat. Someone who will never see it, it's a yacht,

Keep it up,
Ctskip