Boat

boat, generic term for small watercraft propelled by paddles, oars, sail, or motor, open or partially decked, and usually less than 45 feet (roughly 14 metres) in length. A vessel larger than this is customarily classed as a ship, although the word boat is often applied to certain working vessels—such as tugboats—that may be of considerable size.

boat

The early forms of the boat were many, and their design and structure depended upon available material. Where suitable timber was at hand, the raft and later the dugout canoe developed. Where suitable timber was not available, reed and bamboo rafts, skin-covered canoes, and skin floats made by inflating the hides of small animals could be found. In some timbered areas bark canoes were used. It may be assumed that the boat developed from the canoe forms; it is evident that boats did not appear until long after various forms of canoes came into being.

boat

During the evolution of the dugout canoe the sides were raised by means of planks, and this led to gradual reduction in size of the dugout portion until it became a mere keel piece, with the rest of the hull built of plank. However, there is reason to doubt that the development of the plank boat was confined to areas where dugout canoes were used. The bark canoe and the skin boat were employed in some timbered areas, and the rigid framing of the skin boat may have been adapted naturally to plank construction. This possibility is supported by the fact that the longitudinal and transverse framing of most planked boats is basically the same as that employed in skin boats.

The development of early watercraft of each of the basic forms was more rapid in some areas than in others because of varying needs for water transportation. A great many types of early craft survived into the modern era, and some are still in use. Many were of relatively large size and of excellent design for the tasks they had to perform.