What is a Boat?
A boat is a vessel that floats on water because it is shaped to be full of air. Usually a boat is small enough to be moved by the strength of men, applied to oars or poles. However, many vessels that use sails or engines are also called boats. The raft, made of logs bound together, which floats merely because the wood is lighter than water, probably came before the boat; but that was so long ago that no one can say. Men were making boats thousands of years before written history began.
Carvel and Clinker Built Boats
Boats may be built out of boards or planks in two different styles. If the boards are laid edge to edge, the boat is carvel-built. If the boards overlap, the boat is clinker-built. Among the larger kinds of carvel-built boats are launches, pinnaces and cutters. Many of these are as much as 36 feet long and 8 to 10 feet wide. Launches are open, or undecked, boats. They are used by ships to carry supplies and sailors to and from the shore, and large launches are sometimes used as pleasure boats on lakes and rivers.
