Drive types
Outboard
A boat equipped with a detachable motor fixed to the transom.
Inboard/Outboard (also called I/O or stern drive)
Engine to the rear, but inboard, with the drive portion outside the transom.
Inboard
Engine enclosed in the boat and located in the center of the craft. Drive shaft extends through stuffing box in the bottom of the watercraft and are attached to a strut. Propeller is attached to the end of the drive shaft.
Jetboat
An outdrive boat powered by an inboard engine, and equipped with a jet pump to propel the boat. The hull is totally free of any underwater propeller or protrusion.
Boat styles
Runabout
A multi-purpose watercraft used for a variety of activities: waterskiing, fishing, swimming or sunbathing. They can have an open or closed bow and can be powered by outboard or stern-drive engines.
Sport Fisherman or Cuddy Cabin
An open powerboat with a small cabin forward.
Cruiser
A powerboat with a fully enclosed cabin equipped for living aboard. They generally use outboard or stern-drive power.
Tender (Dinghy)
A small boat carried aboard a larger watercraft, often used for transporting passengers to and from shore.
Pontoon Boat
A flat deck placed on pontoons (portable floats), primarily used on inland lakes and waterways.
Houseboat
A powerboat fitted for use as a dwelling or for leisure cruising with a superstructure much like a house, and usually flat-bottomed.
Catamaran
A boat with twin hulls side-by-side, with either sail or outboard power.
Day Sailer
A sailing boat with one mast well forward and only one sail with a centerboard or a fixed keel.
Sloop
A single masted sailboat with two sails (a jib and a mainsail rigged fore and aft, respectively).
Cutter
A single masted sailboat with the mast placed nearer the center than that of a sloop. It has a single mainsail and usually two headsails.
Bass Boat
A boat designed for speed. They are usually equipped with larger outboard motors, have shallow drafts and are made of lightweight material. There are storage areas on board to store fishing equipment and other gear. There is often a raised-deck casting platform, swivel seating and a designated area for a trolling motor.
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