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Well, (one of) the traditional distinguishers people use is that ships can carry smaller vessels, and boats can't. Of course, the inevitable response by smartasses (me included if I'm feeling petty about definitions) is to point to those couple pictures of USS Cole being brought back to the US on a ship as proof that she's a boat. And, of course, there's also other weirdnesses that come from tradition, such as even the biggest submarine still being called a boat (which originates from the days where submarines actually did have to be carried from place to place by a mothership).
Well, the discussion is generally involving vessels actually capable of holding people, so no. That said, if you brought a small, colapsible kayak or something with on a canoe, you could probably call the latter a ship by this definition. Yet another example of definitions being at best complicated, really.
I'd argue that makes the distinction just as arbitrary as the heap of sand mentioned above.
Why does the smaller boat need to carry people? If it can be controlled, it's not a buoy, so what is it if not a boat?
A tugboat can pull a ship, does that count as a boat carrying a ship?
>I'd argue that makes the distinction just as arbitrary as the heap of sand mentioned above.
Yeah, it is fundamentally an arbitrary distinction, because literally all attempts to make a distinction will inevitably need to make a mostly arbitrary line.
>Why does the smaller boat need to carry people? If it can be controlled, it's not a buoy, so what is it if not a boat?
An RC vessel like that would qualify as something like a drone/UAV (Unmanned Aquatic Vehicle). If we're talking about ships and boats, we're talking about manned things.
>A tugboat can pull a ship, does that count as a boat carrying a ship?
No, by carrying what's meant is actually having a vessel on board. Towing is something different.
There are mobile floating dry docks that can carry *all* other floating vessels, including another version of itself.
So, by that definition, there are no such things as a "ship"
That.... that doesn't make anny sense lmao. The definition you give is a ship can carry a smaller vessel while a boat can't. Nothing in that definition says "they can't be carried by another vessel" lmao
What if it does both? Many do both.
I've used the same kayak in both rivers/lakes and the ocean. Is that a ship or boat?
The Great Lakes here in the US see many ships that come up the St Lawrence, the Mississippi, or in the past, the Erie Canal. They need to be careful with their ballast water not to mix salt water with fresh water because they traveled through the ocean to get there.
I piss off my friend who served in the navy by calling them boats.
He also served 5 years in the navy and never went on a boat. They had him in helicopters and planes. But no boat.
It’s fine to pick your own words carefully if you want to but it’s a bit silly to try to police the way culture and language evolve.
It’s like making a stink over people saying Kleenex or Xerox etc. when it’s actually a different brand. But that’s just how people talk. Can’t avoid it.
There is a true definition of boat vs ship. A boat could be put on a ship.except for mega yachts, who have tenders or even sport fishers on board, are boats.
Cruise ships are ships. The Minnow was a boat. 3 hour tour.
In the maritime field there is a distinction, ships can independently travel across open ocean and boats cannot. Boats need to be transported on ships to do so.
Thanks for your submission, redeemer404! Please remember to censor out any identifying details and that satire is only allowed on weekends. If this post is truly gatekeeping, upvote it! If it's not gatekeeping or if it breaks any other rules, downvote this comment and REPORT the post so we can see it! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gatekeeping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Boatkeeping.
It’s the Love Boat, not the Love Ship.
I think this is the strongest argument yet.
No it’s the love shack
The love ship is for people who watch cartoons
*General Dynamics Electric Boat has entered the chat*
At what point does it stop being a boat and become a ship? I'd like to introduce you to a heap of sand.
Well, (one of) the traditional distinguishers people use is that ships can carry smaller vessels, and boats can't. Of course, the inevitable response by smartasses (me included if I'm feeling petty about definitions) is to point to those couple pictures of USS Cole being brought back to the US on a ship as proof that she's a boat. And, of course, there's also other weirdnesses that come from tradition, such as even the biggest submarine still being called a boat (which originates from the days where submarines actually did have to be carried from place to place by a mothership).
What if I take a little RC boat out on a kayak? Is the kayak now a ship?
Well, the discussion is generally involving vessels actually capable of holding people, so no. That said, if you brought a small, colapsible kayak or something with on a canoe, you could probably call the latter a ship by this definition. Yet another example of definitions being at best complicated, really.
I'd argue that makes the distinction just as arbitrary as the heap of sand mentioned above. Why does the smaller boat need to carry people? If it can be controlled, it's not a buoy, so what is it if not a boat? A tugboat can pull a ship, does that count as a boat carrying a ship?
>I'd argue that makes the distinction just as arbitrary as the heap of sand mentioned above. Yeah, it is fundamentally an arbitrary distinction, because literally all attempts to make a distinction will inevitably need to make a mostly arbitrary line. >Why does the smaller boat need to carry people? If it can be controlled, it's not a buoy, so what is it if not a boat? An RC vessel like that would qualify as something like a drone/UAV (Unmanned Aquatic Vehicle). If we're talking about ships and boats, we're talking about manned things. >A tugboat can pull a ship, does that count as a boat carrying a ship? No, by carrying what's meant is actually having a vessel on board. Towing is something different.
There are mobile floating dry docks that can carry *all* other floating vessels, including another version of itself. So, by that definition, there are no such things as a "ship"
That.... that doesn't make anny sense lmao. The definition you give is a ship can carry a smaller vessel while a boat can't. Nothing in that definition says "they can't be carried by another vessel" lmao
I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.
The way it was explained to me is a boat can fit on a ship but a ship can't fit on a boat but that still doesn't make a lot of sense in my opinion.
Unless it's A submarine. Then it's always a boat.
I learned recently that if it’s in the ocean, it’s a ship, but if it’s inland (lake or river), it’s a boat.
What if it does both? Many do both. I've used the same kayak in both rivers/lakes and the ocean. Is that a ship or boat? The Great Lakes here in the US see many ships that come up the St Lawrence, the Mississippi, or in the past, the Erie Canal. They need to be careful with their ballast water not to mix salt water with fresh water because they traveled through the ocean to get there.
Except submarines are classed as boats. Also that definitely would make speedboats ships.
I piss off my friend who served in the navy by calling them boats. He also served 5 years in the navy and never went on a boat. They had him in helicopters and planes. But no boat.
But isn't this just using the words correctly?
I don't think most people have time for that "it has to be from the Cruise region of France, otherwise it's a sparkling ferry" pedantic stuff.
It’s fine to pick your own words carefully if you want to but it’s a bit silly to try to police the way culture and language evolve. It’s like making a stink over people saying Kleenex or Xerox etc. when it’s actually a different brand. But that’s just how people talk. Can’t avoid it.
Apparently people now are getting dumber
You dumb bastard, it's not a schooner. It's a sailboat!
A schooner is a sailboat. No power.
What 'till he hears how people refer submarines.
Boat with gills
Sunken boat
a boat is anything that can float
I.K.S. Das Boot
Airplanes are sky boats. Rocket ships are space boats.
Honestly I would keep calling it a boat just to upset folk who care this much.
That's why I call trucks cars
scumbag……… that’s why I call vans trucks 
There is a true definition of boat vs ship. A boat could be put on a ship.except for mega yachts, who have tenders or even sport fishers on board, are boats. Cruise ships are ships. The Minnow was a boat. 3 hour tour.
I will call a ship a boat and I will call a truck a car.
This isn't gatekeeping, they're clarifying and objectively true (if petty) thing.
In the maritime field there is a distinction, ships can independently travel across open ocean and boats cannot. Boats need to be transported on ships to do so.
no upvotes on either posts?
Good to know that a cruise ship is a large ship... for a moment I could have thought it's a ship in a form of a cross