10 Unconventional facts about boats!

Boats and yachts are quite the interesting past time for a lot of people. It is funny however the amount of information that people might be surprised to know about their favourite hobby or sport. What most boat owners are familiar with are ways to maintain their vessels, the composing parts of boats, how to manage their boat in a marina, where to find the most important data regarding their boats and other similar data. However, not many know some of the weirdest and most unconventional facts about boats.  Here is a countdown of 10 juicy facts that will make your jaw drop in astonishment.

Top 10 boat facts

Number one, we are used to throwing around the word boat and ship sometimes in the same sense. The two however have quite a different meaning. Most will think its a matter of size when the reality is the main difference comes as a result of the gravity center of each. A boat will lean inwards when it turns while a ship will lean outwards.

Number two, let’s get into a bit of history. The oldest boats ever found are actually canoes and they are believed to be almost 10.000 years old. It is believed that the egyptians are the first ones to roam the Nile in a boat, or better called canoe, which was made from papyrus plants. They later developed wooden boats which is still unclear how were held together as no nails have been found in any Egyptian ruins.

Number three, is quite the creepy fact. A Russian cruise ship was abandoned in 2013 and it has since then been sailing around international waters.

Number four, right and left are not the same when it comes to nautical terms. The term for right is starboard while the term for left is port, if you are facing the front of the ship.

Number five, you will be happy and proud to know that one of the oldest international sporting trophies in the word is actually the America’s cup. This award has been given at the end of yacht races since 1851.

Number six, the longest yacht in the world is about 150 meters long.

Number seven, the most expensive yacht in the world costs $1.9 billion dollars and it belongs to the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. It is called the Eclipse and it comes with two helicopter pads, two swimming pools and 24 guest cabins.

Number eight, a new superyacht builder is opened and it is called Oceano. It has a 156 meters long dry dock that could build boats big enough to host 31 tennis courts.

Number nine, the president of The United States used to have his own personal yacht where he would travel and host events. This practice started back in 1893 and continued up until 1977. Since than, the idea has not been put to use anymore.

Number ten, the first manuscript dictating how to build boats dates back to 1436 and it has been written by Michael of Rhodes.