Interesting Facts About Boats

For those who love boats (as well as fishing) they will definitely enjoy these interesting and fascinating boat facts:

Interesting Facts About Boats

  • ‘The World’ is the largest privately-owned residential yacht with travels around the world. The yachts have 165 residences from more than 45 countries, and they can either live full-time or part-time throughout the year.
  • The first ships were built by the ancient Egyptians by sewing planks with straps and stuffing grass and reed in between.
  • The Chinese were the first to use the compass for maritime navigation.
  • Many people don’t know that ships have a life expectancy after which they aren’t stable and safe. Ocean-going cargo ships have a life of 20-30 years and sailboat that are made up of plywood or fibreglass can last up to 30-40 years. Ships that are made of regular wood require regular maintenance.
  • Freshwater ships tend to last longer as they don’t corrode easily.
  • The most long-lasting is the steel-hulled yacht which can live up to 100 years if well-cared.
  • Titanic, when launched, was known as the largest man-made moving object in the world.
  • The first steam engine was found in the 1770s.
  • The Vikings used their ships to bury the higher class dead.
  • A whopping 73 million, or about 1/3 of Americans participated in recreational boating, a slight increase from the 71.3 million in 2005.
  • The most expensive yacht was the sun seek predator 115, with a value of p, 2 million pounds, which is about $13 million. This luxury boat accommodates up to 10 people, has five cabins, an elevated wheelhouses as well as an expansive fly bridge for entertainment and socialization.
  • Fishhook-related wounds are one of the common injuries seen in fishing. This happens whether you accidentally puncture your finger while searching through for your sharpest hook. Or your arm, leg or chest gets caught by the hook after with a cast gone wrong. Even more terrible is that some anglers have experienced getting hooked — in the eye! It sounds improbable that fishing involves injured muscles, but in reality it is. Getting out of the boat and slipping off the dock may make you lose your footing and sometimes accidentally hit your head.
  • The space occupied by boats on the London Boat Show equal to that of 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This huge event takes place every January at London’s ExCeL Exhibition Centre, which has a waterfront that features a wide range of boats. It also features a wide line of boating gear and clothing with interactive attractions related to boating.
  • The Swedish warship Vasa sank in 1628 and was recovered from the ocean in 1961, almost completely intact.  Still, in good shape, it makes Vasa the only intact ship left from the 17th century. The ship was transferred to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, a museum which was constructed around the ship. The Vasa Museum is one of Sweden’s most popular tourist attractions, receiving a total of 29 million visitors.
  • Strangely, in the span of 200 years, three ships perished on the same location and same date, Add more to their luck, all three ships had the only survivor with a common name Hugh Williams.
  • The most expensive yacht in the world bought in 2013 belongs to a wealthy sheikh. It is 590-foot yacht and worth $627 million. This luxury yacht is currently owned by Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the sheikh of Dubai. The yacht was built by Blohm + Voss in 2006. This is one of the few personally-owned yachts that feature a submarine.
  • As of 2013, there are a total of 11.99 registered recreational boating vessels, and despite the technology trends, boating business is still booming as ever. The domestic recreational boating market had an estimated value of $37 billion as of 2013 and just Americans own approximately 18 million recreational boats.
  • The royal navy, whistling on the ship is superstitious and considered as a call to strong winds. In the olden days, whistling was only allowed to the cook, since he was the one not eating the food.
  • Anglers pumped more than 42 billion dollars into the national economy in 2006. Out of which, $18 billion went travel expenses, $6.9 went to food and lodging expenses and $5 billion was spent on transportation.
  • Studies show that those who boat or go fishing have or will likely to have a closer relationship with friends and spouses, compared to those who do not boat or go fishing.
  • It is a fact that boaters have a closer relationship with their kids as they usually go fishing with them. This is pretty much the same effect that boating has on friends and spouses. People who boat or fish will be likely to have closer bonding with their children compared to those who do not boat or fish.
  • Fishing is a great opportunity to bond with family members. It also relieves stress and helps the family to become more active outdoors, so fishing brings a lot of health benefits.
  • Ching Shih is known as one of the mightiest pirates ever. Why? She was a Chinese female prostitute yet she had controlled 1,800 ships and 80,000 sailors.
  • The longest ship in the world was an oil taker built in 1979. It was known as the Seawise Giant and broke in 2009.
  • The world’s largest passenger ship is ‘Symphony of the Seas’ with a length of 1,184.42 ft. and weight of 228,081 GT.
  • The Greeks own the largest international merchant fleet in the world, with 16% of the world’s capacity.
  • The earliest representation of a ship under sail was painted in between 5000-5500 BC and can be seen in Kuwait.

These are just a few facts to keep you curious. You can know a lot more about boats and boating by reading some great authors.

101 Amazing Facts about Ships and Boats

This kindle edition of 101 amazing facts is actually a lot more than one would expect. From ships to boats, naval ships, their categories, classes and seafaring terminologies, this book covers a great deal of information to keep the reader updated.

The Science of Seafaring: The Float-tastic Facts About Ships (Science of Engineering)

A little on the technical side, this book is more than facts and figure son boats. It is a guidebook to seafaring that explains how the method of moving over the sea have evolved over the years, how baiting techniques have changed, how technology has influenced bating, floating and navigation. A very well written book with illustrations, scientific, real-life examples and a glossary to keep the reader thoroughly engaged.