What Is A Yacht?

A yacht can be any kind of pleasure boat, but Americans associate the term with large luxurious vessels. Photo by Paul Vinten/iStockPhoto.

What Is a Yacht? -- Slate

And when did owning one become a symbol of wealth?

A 38-foot ocean yacht sank off the shore of Palm Beach, Fla., last weekend. What is a yacht? A sailboat or motorboat used for recreation. Most yachts are privately owned and big enough to contain a cabin, but even small, cabin-less dinghies are sometimes described as yachts. The Dutch term jacht, meaning hunt, originally applied to light sailboats that were used to pursue pirates. Such boats eventually gained popularity as leisure vessels, and the term was anglicized in the 17th century when King Charles II returned from his exile from the Commonwealth of England—part of which he had spent in Holland—with a newfound passion for yachting. The term later came to be associated with steamboats and motorboats that were used for leisure purposes, and during the Gilded Age, yachts became a status symbol among wealthy Americans. J.P. Morgan, for instance, owned a 240-foot yacht, the Corsair (which was later acquired by the U.S. Navy and converted to a gunboat). Yacht clubs—exclusive associations of yachtsmen—also became popular around this time and helped associate yachting with wealth in the popular imagination.

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My Comment: A good summary on what is a yacht.