Types of boats A to Z, at a glance
All 30 in one list, with the quickest way to tell each one apart. The sections below have a picture of each and the full definition.
| Boat | Moves by | How to tell it |
|---|---|---|
| Barque | Sail | Three or more masts, square sails in front, a fore-and-aft sail on the last |
| Brig | Sail | Two masts, both square-rigged |
| Cabin cruiser | Motor | A power boat with a cabin, built for pleasure cruising |
| Canoe | Paddle | Light, narrow and open, moved by paddles |
| Catamaran | Sail or motor | Two hulls side by side on a rigid frame |
| Coracle | Paddle | Small and round, hides stretched over wicker |
| Cornish pilot gig | Row | 32 feet long, six rowers and a cox |
| Crabber | Working | A boat used for crab fishing |
| Cutter | Sail | One mast, set further back than a sloop's |
| Dinghy | Sail, oar or outboard | Any small open boat |
| Ferry | Motor | Carries passengers, often vehicles, on a regular run |
| Flybridge cruiser | Motor | A second steering position up on top |
| Kayak | Paddle | Like a canoe, but closed in around the paddler |
| Ketch | Sail | Two masts, the small rear one in front of the rudder post |
| Launch | Motor | A motorboat mainly for getting people about |
| Lifeboat | Working | Used to rescue people at sea |
| Lugger | Sail | A small working boat with a lugsail |
| Narrowboat | Motor | A canal boat 7 feet (2.1 m) wide or less |
| Punt | Pole | Flat-bottomed with square ends, pushed with a pole |
| Rowing boat | Row | Small, moved by one or more pairs of oars |
| Runabout | Motor | A light motorboat |
| Schooner | Sail | Two or more masts, fore-and-aft sails, the mainmast towards the back |
| Sloop | Sail | One mast, about a third of the way back from the bow |
| Smack | Working | A fishing boat with a well to keep the catch alive |
| Speedboat | Motor | Built for speed, inboard or outboard engine |
| Tall ship | Sail | Any square-rigged sailing ship |
| Thames sailing barge | Sail | Flat-bottomed, leeboards instead of a keel, red sails |
| Trimaran | Sail or motor | A main hull with a smaller hull each side |
| Tug | Working | A powerful engine for towing barges and ships |
| Yawl | Sail | Two masts, the small rear one behind the rudder post |
Sailing boats
Sailing boats are named mostly by their masts and sails. The definitions below are Collins's, via Dictionary.com, unless another source is linked.
Dinghy
A dinghy is any small boat powered by sail, oars or an outboard motor.
Sloop
A sloop has one mast, fore-and-aft sails, and a mast set about a third of the way back from the bow.
Cutter
A cutter also has one mast, set further back than a sloop's. A gaff cutter carries a four-sided mainsail on a gaff, a spar hoisted behind the mast.
Ketch and yawl
Both have two masts. On a ketch, the small rear mast, the mizzen, stands in front of the rudder post. On a yawl, it stands behind it.
Schooner
A schooner has at least two masts, with all its lower sails set fore-and-aft and the mainmast stepped towards the back.
Catamaran and trimaran
A catamaran has two hulls held side by side by a rigid frame. A trimaran has a main hull with a smaller hull on each side.
Thames sailing barge
The Society for Sailing Barge Research describes them as flat-bottomed, with no keel, using leeboards instead. Their sails, it adds, were dressed with mainly red ochre and fish oil.
Tall ship
Collins defines a tall ship as any square-rigged sailing ship.
Brig
A brig is a two-masted ship with square sails on both masts.
Barque
A barque has three or more masts. The front masts carry square sails, and the rearmost carries a fore-and-aft sail.
Lugger
A lugger is a small working boat rigged with a lugsail.
See every sailing boat we make in our sailing prints, and the square-riggers in our ship prints.
Motorboats
Runabout
A runabout is a light motorboat.
Launch
A launch is a motor-driven boat used mainly for getting people about.
Cabin cruiser
A cabin cruiser is a power boat with a cabin and comforts, built for pleasure cruising.
Flybridge cruiser
A flybridge cruiser is a motor cruiser with a flybridge. That's another name for a flying bridge: an extra steering position built above the main one, giving a higher view.
Speedboat
A speedboat is a high-speed motorboat with an inboard or outboard engine.
Ferry
A ferry carries passengers, and usually vehicles, across water, especially as a regular service.
Working and traditional boats
Crabber
A crabber is a boat used for crab fishing.
Smack
A smack is a fishing boat with a well that keeps the catch alive. Collins also uses the word for a sloop-rigged British coastal and fishing boat.
Lifeboat
A lifeboat is a boat used to rescue people at sea.
Tug
A tug is a boat with a powerful engine, used to tow barges and ships.
Cornish pilot gig
The National Maritime Museum Cornwall describes the pilot gig as built to be rowed fast. A gig is 32 feet long, with six rowers and a cox. It's clinker-built from Cornish narrow-leaf elm.
Narrowboat
A narrowboat is a long, narrow canal boat with a beam of 7 feet (2.1 metres) or less. Our sister store, Narrowboat Gifts, makes prints for narrowboat owners.
Paddle, row and pole
Canoe and kayak
A canoe is a light, narrow, open boat moved by paddles. A kayak is similar but has a covered frame, closing the boat around the paddler.
Rowing boat
A rowing boat is a small boat moved by one or more pairs of oars. Americans call it a rowboat.
Punt
A punt is an open, flat-bottomed boat with square ends, pushed along with a long pole.
Coracle
A coracle is a small round boat, made of waterproofed hides stretched over a wicker frame.
Boat or ship: what's the difference?
In short, size: a ship is too big to lift aboard another vessel, and a boat is not. Our guide to ship vs boat has the dictionary definitions, what UK law says, why a submarine is a boat, and whether the Titanic was a ship.
What is a yacht?
Collins defines a yacht as a vessel driven by sail or power, used mainly for pleasure cruising or racing. So a yacht isn't a size; it's what the boat is for.
Whatever kind of boat you own, we can print it from a photo. See our boat portraits, or browse our sailing prints and motorboat prints.
Sources
- Collins English Dictionary via Dictionary.com (each definition linked in the text)
- Society for Sailing Barge Research: FAQ
- National Maritime Museum Cornwall: gigs, speed under oar
Craig Fearn runs Still & Wake. He writes the guides and journal.