Boat

Yacht

What is a yacht? This may seem a strange question, but it's actually a very pertinent one. What makes a yacht a yacht? And when does a boat become a ship? Here's what you need to know.

Origin of the yacht - A Dutch "jaght

A yacht is a boat used for pleasure and sport. Its name comes from the Dutch word jaght, which translates as "hunter", a fast, light sailing vessel once used by the navy to hunt pirates and other bad guys. When English King Charles II was transported by "jacht" from the Netherlands to his home country in 1660, the word quickly came to mean a vessel in which important people were transported, not just any other boat.

What is a yacht? Cruisers, superyachts and mega-yachts

Today, there are two types of yacht: sailing yachts and motor yachts. In terms of size, yachts tend to range from 10 meters to several hundred feet.

If you own a luxury boat under 12 meters in length, it's usually a cabin cruiser, sometimes just a cruiser. A superyacht is usually over 24 meters long.

What is a mega yacht? It's a boat over 50 meters long, and there's no upper limit! The world's largest yacht measures an impressive 222 meters in length.

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Other definitions linked to this word

Boat

Catamaran

What is a catamaran? Simply put, a catamaran is a boat with two hulls. The term is derived from the Tamil word kattumaram, meaning "tree trunks bound together". Far from their rudimentary beginnings, today's catamarans are generally built in fiberglass or carbon, with two hulls joined by a deck, and are designed in many sizes and for a variety of activities. Sailing catamarans have made great strides in recent decades. Small day sailing catamarans are popular because they provide a safe and simple learning platform. You'll find fleets of them in seaside resorts, where they're used by people with very little sailing experience. These small boats are generally made of roto-molded plastic or fiberglass and usually have no auxiliary engine, their only source of propulsion being the sails. Tall ships have invaded the world of long-distance cruising and bareboat charters. Almost all bareboat charter companies based in the tropics now offer more sailing catamarans than monohulls, and their numbers are also increasing in destinations such as the Mediterranean. As a rule, sailing catamarans have two engines, one in each hull, for maneuvering, as well as a mast supporting a mainsail and at least one headsail.