The Boat reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004
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Boat

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A boat, like a ship, is a buoyant vessel designed for the purpose of transporting people and possibly goods across water. A boat is usually smaller than a ship. Some boats are commonly carried by a ship or on land using trailers.

A boat consists of one or more buoyancy structures called hullss and some system of propulsion, such as, oars, paddles, a setting pole, a sail or a motor.

Indonesian transport on Seram, Maluku
Tourist Boat in Greece

Table of contents
1 Boats
2 Unusual uses of the word "Boat"
3 Unusual types of boats
4 Directions
5 See also

Boats

Unusual uses of the word "Boat"

Unusual types of boats

Bathtub racing on a pond in [[LeipzigEnlarge

Bathtub racing on a pond in [[Leipzig

, Germany in 2003]] Unsuitable floating vehicles have been used for sports purposes as well, this is known as bathtub races.

Directions

A specialized set of terms is used to designate directions relative to a boat or ship.

The bow is the foremost point on the ship: the point that is ahead when the vessel is underway. The stern is the rear. The adjectives fore/forward and aft mean towards the bow and stern, respectively.

The left and right sides of a ship, relative to a person facing forward, are termed port and starboard.

The side of the ship from which the wind is blowing is referred to as the windward side, with the side away from the wind is termed the leeward side.

See also