is it a yacht or a boat?

[HoffaLives]

i am especially confronted by this when i am writing. when talking to people, i always refer to fainleog as my sailboat, but when writing, i'm never certain if it is a yacht or sailboat. yacht sounds too pompous, but sailboat could also mean an 8 foot plastic dinghy.

[Sapperwhite]

Sailboat. If you start calling it a yacht you'll get the gentlemens rate ($$$).

[Freesail99]

You say "sailboat" the average Joe who isn't into boating hears "yacht".

[sailingdog]

It depends on how big the boat is and what your disposable income is... If the boat is small and the disposable income low... it's a sailboat. If the boat is large and the disposable income is high... then it's a yatch.... However, if the boat is small and has a lot of teak and the disposable income is high....it's a yatch. If the boat is large and in bad shape and the disposable income is low... it's a sailboat.

[k1vsk]

Yacht -Any recreational craft whose owner or user is not responsible for her operation, maintenance or upkeep or whose owner recognizes tax benefits from ownership to defray all operating expenses. It has no liens or mortgages. Also commonly used to describe any boat prior to purchase and by any owner to describe their vessel to persons who have never seen it and are not likely to do so.

[bubb2]

The difference between an yacht and boat is the ego of the owner.

[GySgt]

A boat with an LOA over 32 feet used for pleasure. I still call it a boat tho. Yacht reminds me of blue blazers, white shoes and a funny hat

[Freesail99]

Originally Posted by GySgt

A boat with an LOA over 32 feet used for pleasure. I still call it a boat tho. Yacht reminds me of blue blazers, white shoes and a funny hat

But didn't Elvis wear that very same funny hat ?

[sailingdog]

Insurance companies define Yatch policies as for boats over 26' LOA from what I've seen.

[Jeff_H]

The traditional and governmental definition of a 'Yacht' is any craft used for pleasure. The size, quality and cost of the boat have zero bearing. Landlubbers like to assume that the term Yacht includes some or all of the above.

Jeff