Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]

[quigonjay]

HTP99 said:

When does a boat become a yacht?

When you have more money than you know what to do with

[tertius]

StevieBee said:

Marvellous! It's facts like this that make this place worthwhile!

As you've revealed your hand.... when does a boat become a ship...or does it?

I think this is a super complicated question. I don’t fully know but, e.g. in Royal Navy parlance “ships” float whereas “boats” are submersible, I.e. only submarines are referred to as “boats”.

With regard to small floating craft I suspect it might be that there are no small “boats” that are actually officially called “boat”: they all have proper names like dinghy, tender, wherry, skiff, etc. and so “boat” is just a non-specific catch-all with no proper definition. However, I’ll look in my Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea later and report back ...

[paua]

quigonjay said:

HTP99 said:

When does a boat become a yacht?

When you have more money than you know what to do with

Particularly when it is not your own money - see Trump Princess.

[The Mad Monk]

tertius said:

I think this is a super complicated question. I don’t fully know but, e.g. in Royal Navy parlance “ships” float whereas “boats” are submersible, I.e. only submarines are referred to as “boats”.

With regard to small floating craft I suspect it might be that there are no small “boats” that are actually officially called “boat”: they all have proper names like dinghy, tender, wherry, skiff, etc. and so “boat” is just a non-specific catch-all with no proper definition. However, I’ll look in my Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea later and report back ...

I'll have a look in my "Big Boys Book of Boats" as well.

[tertius]

The Mad Monk said:

tertius said:

I think this is a super complicated question. I don’t fully know but, e.g. in Royal Navy parlance “ships” float whereas “boats” are submersible, I.e. only submarines are referred to as “boats”.

With regard to small floating craft I suspect it might be that there are no small “boats” that are actually officially called “boat”: they all have proper names like dinghy, tender, wherry, skiff, etc. and so “boat” is just a non-specific catch-all with no proper definition. However, I’ll look in my Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea later and report back ...

I'll have a look in my "Big Boys Book of Boats" as well.

Great that surely must have the answer!

[FiF]

tertius said:

The Mad Monk said:

tertius said:

I think this is a super complicated question. I don’t fully know but, e.g. in Royal Navy parlance “ships” float whereas “boats” are submersible, I.e. only submarines are referred to as “boats”.

With regard to small floating craft I suspect it might be that there are no small “boats” that are actually officially called “boat”: they all have proper names like dinghy, tender, wherry, skiff, etc. and so “boat” is just a non-specific catch-all with no proper definition. However, I’ll look in my Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea later and report back ...

I'll have a look in my "Big Boys Book of Boats" as well.

Great that surely must have the answer!

All sorts of explanations around the place.

Eg Navy calls submarines boats harking back to the early days when submersibles were very small and had limited range. Thus they were carried on the deck of larger ships to where they were to be deployed. Which supports the a ship can carry a boat theory.

Another one is that ships have complicated systems which require crews who are designated into specific areas of expertise, eg engineers, deck crew, navigation specialists and so on, whereas a boat can be operated by anything from one to a few multi skilled crew. But then where do you change as even relatively small boats are increasingly complicated, that's before you even get to the bigger millionaire type stuff.

Then there's an old sea dog interpretation, which is very simple but has some merit when you think about it. A ship travelling at speed, when it turns to starboard leans to port, whereas a boat leans to starboard.

[Ayahuasca]

StevieBee said:

Paddle Boarding. What's the point?

Our local canal / river (Chelmer and Blackwater) has seen a huge rise in paddle boarders.

I get canoeing or kayaking but not paddle boarding.

I'm not 'dissing' it and willing to be educated but keen to understand the attraction of standing on a floating ironing board and propelling yourself forward with an oar.

Suspect it is an exercise thing. More of a workout if you are standing up, having to balance, use more muscles, etc.

[Allan L]

tertius said:

StevieBee said:

Ahh. so question number 2....when does an oar become a paddle?

Paddles are fully handheld, oars are worked against a pivot point.

and so are sculls. . .

[SpeckledJim]

Ayahuasca said:

StevieBee said:

Paddle Boarding. What's the point?

Our local canal / river (Chelmer and Blackwater) has seen a huge rise in paddle boarders.

I get canoeing or kayaking but not paddle boarding.

I'm not 'dissing' it and willing to be educated but keen to understand the attraction of standing on a floating ironing board and propelling yourself forward with an oar.

Suspect it is an exercise thing. More of a workout if you are standing up, having to balance, use more muscles, etc.

I think a lot of it is faddy and showing off. You can strike much better poses on a SUPB than you can ensconced in a kayak or canoe.

[tertius]

Allan L said:

tertius said:

StevieBee said:

Ahh. so question number 2....when does an oar become a paddle?

Paddles are fully handheld, oars are worked against a pivot point.

and so are sculls. . .

Sculls are oars ...

[V8mate]

SpeckledJim said:

Ayahuasca said:

StevieBee said:

Paddle Boarding. What's the point?

Our local canal / river (Chelmer and Blackwater) has seen a huge rise in paddle boarders.

I get canoeing or kayaking but not paddle boarding.

I'm not 'dissing' it and willing to be educated but keen to understand the attraction of standing on a floating ironing board and propelling yourself forward with an oar.

Suspect it is an exercise thing. More of a workout if you are standing up, having to balance, use more muscles, etc.

I think a lot of it is faddy and showing off. You can strike much better poses on a SUPB than you can ensconced in a kayak or canoe.

Exactly. It's pure 'look at me'.

[98elise]

tertius said:

StevieBee said:

Marvellous! It's facts like this that make this place worthwhile!

As you've revealed your hand.... when does a boat become a ship...or does it?

I think this is a super complicated question. I don’t fully know but, e.g. in Royal Navy parlance “ships” float whereas “boats” are submersible, I.e. only submarines are referred to as “boats”.

With regard to small floating craft I suspect it might be that there are no small “boats” that are actually officially called “boat”: they all have proper names like dinghy, tender, wherry, skiff, etc. and so “boat” is just a non-specific catch-all with no proper definition. However, I’ll look in my Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea later and report back ...

Not quite. The RN operate floating boats such as the RIBs operating from ships, to various classes of fast patrol boat (not operated from other ships)

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/the-equipment/ships/p...

[tertius]

98elise said:

tertius said:

StevieBee said:

Marvellous! It's facts like this that make this place worthwhile!

As you've revealed your hand.... when does a boat become a ship...or does it?

I think this is a super complicated question. I don’t fully know but, e.g. in Royal Navy parlance “ships” float whereas “boats” are submersible, I.e. only submarines are referred to as “boats”.

With regard to small floating craft I suspect it might be that there are no small “boats” that are actually officially called “boat”: they all have proper names like dinghy, tender, wherry, skiff, etc. and so “boat” is just a non-specific catch-all with no proper definition. However, I’ll look in my Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea later and report back ...

Not quite. The RN operate floating boats such as the RIBs operating from ships, to various classes of fast patrol boat (not operated from other ships)

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/the-equipment/ships/p...

Good point. Forgot about those. I suppose RIBs fit the "boats can be carried on ships" category but fast patrol boats don't, indeed a fast patrol boat could carry a RIB ... so a boat carrying a boat ... I go back to my view there are overlapping definitions and generally its all a bit vague ...

[RizzoTheRat]

You get little cabin cruisers that carry an inflatable dingy, and some huge ships that are designed to carry other ships, so it all gets a bit confused around the edges.

Another definition I've heard is that a ship has multiple decks, but that doesn't work with submarines.

[MartG]

RizzoTheRat said:

Another definition I've heard is that a ship has multiple decks, but that doesn't work with submarines.

One definition I was told at marine college was that ships can store cargo on multiple decks below a weather deck and/or have multiple separate holds

[Paul_M3]

V8mate said:

SpeckledJim said:

Ayahuasca said:

StevieBee said:

Paddle Boarding. What's the point?

Our local canal / river (Chelmer and Blackwater) has seen a huge rise in paddle boarders.

I get canoeing or kayaking but not paddle boarding.

I'm not 'dissing' it and willing to be educated but keen to understand the attraction of standing on a floating ironing board and propelling yourself forward with an oar.

Suspect it is an exercise thing. More of a workout if you are standing up, having to balance, use more muscles, etc.

I think a lot of it is faddy and showing off. You can strike much better poses on a SUPB than you can ensconced in a kayak or canoe.

Exactly. It's pure 'look at me'.

I've recently bought one. I didn't know they existed until a friend purchased one.

The main point for me (and the main advantage over a canoe / kayak) is that they are light and stored in a large backpack which is easy to fit in a car and easy to carry around. They take less than 5 minutes to inflate or deflate.

It can be very relaxing, but also gives you a very good core workout and helps improve balance.

As a 41 year old ugly bloke with a beer belly (who looks very unstable and has fell off frequently) I can assure you that the very last thing I actually enjoy about it is people looking at me.

[theholygrail]

Why do some towns/villages have a small arrangement of white posts and rails at the town limits? Often at the same point where it says the speed limit or "please drive carefully". I don't get the point of the fence! Or why some towns have and some don't! Thanks

[HTP99]

theholygrail said:

Why do some towns/villages have a small arrangement of white posts and rails at the town limits? Often at the same point where it says the speed limit or "please drive carefully". I don't get the point of the fence! Or why some towns have and some don't! Thanks

I always assumed it was to give the impression of a narrowing of the road so that drivers slow down when entering the village.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

HTP99 said:

I always assumed it was to give the impression of a narrowing of the road so that drivers slow down when entering the village.

Yup. It really emphasises to drivers who are not otherwise paying attention that you are entering a village.

You'll usually see it where an A-road or B-road passes through a village and people aren't slowing down to 30mph, because drivers are obviously just thinking that its a few houses along the road otherwise. Putting the fences in gives the idea of a boundary and entering a place.

[theholygrail]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

HTP99 said:

I always assumed it was to give the impression of a narrowing of the road so that drivers slow down when entering the village.

Yup. It really emphasises to drivers who are not otherwise paying attention that you are entering a village.

You'll usually see it where an A-road or B-road passes through a village and people aren't slowing down to 30mph, because drivers are obviously just thinking that its a few houses along the road otherwise. Putting the fences in gives the idea of a boundary and entering a place.

Great, thanks. Interesting psychology It is usually on the faster, straighter roads I see it.