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bhasky
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BEST ANSWER  chosen by asker   |  bhasky  |  January 06, 2009 08:23 PM
Among sailing vessels, the distinction between ships and boats is that a ship is a square-rigged craft with at least three masts, and a boat isn't. With regard to motorized craft, a ship is a large vessel intended for oceangoing or at least deep-water transport, and a boat is anything else.
In the military - ships have to be big enough to carry boats, and boats have to be small enough to be carried by ships.
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jeffhoard
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jeffhoard  |  January 06, 2009 08:20 PM
A Boat is essentially a small ship.
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Directly from the Dictionary: "a small ship, generally for specialized use: a fishing boat."
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/33749589@N07/3174995122/

A ship in the dictionary is defined as...
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a vessel, esp. a large oceangoing one propelled by sails or engines.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/33749589@N07/3174996948/
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greenup
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greenup  |  January 06, 2009 08:21 PM
A ship is over 300 feet in length, where a boat is less than 300 ft. in length. - maybe false.

The distinction between a ship and a boat varies depending on regional definitions, but as a general rule, a boat can fit onto a ship, but a ship cannot fit onto a boat. A ship, in other words, is a very large ocean-going vessel, while a boat tends to be much smaller. Additionally, a ship usually is defined as having a displacement larger than 500 tons. During the age of sailing, a craft with three or more rigged masts was considered to be a ship, but this definition has been superseded, as different methods of power generation are used on modern ships. - FROM WISEGEEK

According to the Navy sailor who conducted our tour, "the difference between a ship and a boat is that you can put boats on a ship, but you can't put ships on a boat. But submarines are always boats." - from second link
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arous
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arous  |  January 06, 2009 08:23 PM
From "Chapman Piloting: Seamanship & Boat Handling (63rd Edition)", the mariner's bible for all things maritime -- though there is no official difference, the line is generally drawn at 20 meters (or, about 60 feet), at which point a "boat" becomes a "ship," though neither designation in incorrect for any length.
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gadgetenvy
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gadgetenvy  |  January 07, 2009 04:06 AM
The definition I learned was: A boat can be carried on a ship but a ship can never be carried on a boat.
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mskdmonk
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mskdmonk  |  January 08, 2009 01:17 AM
I believe a boat has no mast and a ship does.
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