To settle an ongoing debate from Whitby...

[mrph]

To quote Wikipedia:

"There is no universal rule to distinguish a ship from a boat. Usually, ships are larger than boats. A commonly used rule of thumb is that if one vessel can carry another, the larger of the two is a ship. As dinghies are common on sailing yachts as small as 35 feet (11 m), this rule of thumb is not foolproof.

A number of large vessels are traditionally referred to as boats. Submarines are a prime example. Other types of large vessels which are traditionally called boats are the Great Lakes freighter, the riverboat, and the ferryboat. Though large enough to carry their own boats and heavy cargoes, these vessels are designed for operation on inland or protected coastal waters."

Ships are not a subset of boats, ok? :-)

Comments

[mistdog.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia is just a collection of opinions, so not very good for "appeals to authority".

The OED says that ships are sea-going vessels, boats aren't, which is what I've always understood the difference to be myself.

Submarines are not called boats in general, they are called submarines. Any water vessel may be called a boat by people who are familiar with it. I believe this is using a diminutive as a term of affection, not a difference of terminology.

[mister-jack.livejournal.com]

All references are just a collection of opinions; especially when it comes to language.