Yachts
The yacht is a relatively small boat designed for recreational use. This type of boat was originally a light, fast sailing vessel almost always used for personal, leisure use. These boats may be propelled by sail, power, or sometimes even both. The first of these boats were all made entirely out of wood, but nowadays it has become more common for a wider range of materials to be used in these boats. For example, the material most commonly used for the hull these days is fiberglass. Other commonly used materials include aluminum, steel, and carbon fiber.
Common Sailing yachts can vary in length from as little as 20 ft. up to over 100 ft. Once a yacht reaches these larger lengths, it can be difficult to differentiate between them and ships. However, the main difference between a yacht and a ship is that a yacht is used for leisure purposes and a ship is used mainly for work and military use. The shortest of these luxury crafts, usually those under 40 ft. long, are commonly referred to as 'cabin cruisers.' Currently, yachts are growing in their luxury use and therefore they are usually broken down into one of two distinct categories: racing yachts and cruising yachts.
Currently, yachts are classified as one of the three following groups: day sailing yachts, weekender yachts, cruising yachts, luxury sailing yachts, and racing yachts.
Day Sailing Yachts
A day sailing yacht is usually a fairly small vessel, most of the time under 20 feet in length. They are commonly referred to as 'dinghies' and will often times feature a retractable keel and centerboard. These yachts would very rarely have a cabin as they are designed to be used only by the day or sometimes even the hour, and are hardly ever used for overnight journeys. More often they will feature a small cubby where equipment may be stored.
Weekender Yachts
Next there are what's known as the weekender yachts which are only slightly larger than the sailing yachts, roughly 30 feet. They usually have twin keels which allow them to operate in shallow waters, or even beach in case of low tide. In fact, the boats may even sit upright when they are out of water. These boats are designed for short journeys only, two or three days at best. They will however usually offer a small cabin where there may be space for two or three people to sleep. The smallest varieties of the weekender are sometimes referred to as pocket yachts or 'trailer sailers.'
Cruising Yachts
Cruising yachts are the most common type; in fact, whenever you hear the term yacht, the person is usually speaking of this type of boat. They vary in length, but most commonly are found to be between 25 to 45 feet. They will often feature a design that is nothing short of complex, as they will try to accommodate the desires of most types of people. They will usually feature a tradeoff of the following: the quality of the handling, inside room, performance in light wind, and general comfort.
The cruising yacht will usually have a group of cabins underneath the deck of the boat, usually consisting of 3 cabins which are double-berth, a single saloon galley, seating and navigational equipment, and an area known as the 'head' which will contain a toilet and shower in most cases. Cruising yachts that are larger than 50 feet are still categorized as such, but are usually tailor designed to meet the specifications of the buyer. They offer an exquisite design that may include inside wood paneling and will have plenty of space for storage. As a result, these boats are perfectly built for long trips at sea, even thousand-mile long trips.
Luxury Sailing Yachts
The luxury sailing yacht is usually a massive ship built longer than 82 feet. Fiberglass hulls have made it possible for these ships to become less expensive, so their designs have become increasingly intricate as a result. Some of these ships can actually be built to be 130 feet in length or more. It is not unusual for ships this large to be outfitted with every type of modern convenience such as air conditioning, television, and much more.
One benefit that technology has made possible for the luxury sailing yacht is the ability for these ships to practically run themselves. Passengers upon these boats will find that there is little work to be done as computer controlled electric winches work the sails, and other devices such as radar and autopilot are common as well. These days, even the smallest of yachts will feature radio, electric lighting, and GPS equipment, which was practically unheard of only a few decades ago. Midsized yachts provide even more luxury including hot running water, pressurized water systems, and refrigerators.
Racing Yachts
Obviously speed is of primary concern with racing yachts, so everything is done to ensure high speed when they are being designed and built. For one thing, these boats do their best to keep their hulls light and their wetted area of surface is reduced. A deep and heavy keel, which they often feature, allows them to support a very high mast with the maximum sail area possible. It's not uncommon for the modern models to feature a wide beam and are flat underneath which serves to maximize the level of buoyancy which the boat experiences. Altogether, these attributes help the racing yacht to achieve speeds of 35 knots or even more when the conditions are right.
Motor Yachts
Besides the more commonly found sailing yachts, yachts with a motor are becoming increasingly popular. They fall into similar categories of those listed above. Generally speaking, propulsion is usually achieved by one or two internal combustion engines that burn diesel fuel. Naturally, fuel costs do make running these motor yachts somewhat more expensive than traditional sail yachts. There are several different hull types found in motor yachts which are based on factors such as displacement, planning, or a combination of the two.
Yachts