The difference between a boat, a motor yacht and a superyacht is in the size. We will not go into the history of the origin of the terms, for us it is not so important.
Today we use the term “yacht” to refer to any vessel, sailing or motor, intended solely for recreation and having the necessary amenities for a comfortable long stay on board. And the word “motorboat” can be used to designate almost all classes of multi-purpose vessels, which can be both civilian and service.
There is another, alternative definition of a yacht: if a private boat requires a permanent crew to safely operate and maintain it in working order, then it is a yacht.
You may come across slight differences in the classification of boats and yachts, depending on the source. And although we believe that the classification below is the most correct, by and large it does not matter, since in the yachting industry we call all vessels the same, regardless of their size and displacement: just boats.
Small boat
Small motorboats are most often equipped with outboard motors and are usually no longer than 7.6 meters (25 feet).
Since the classification of small-sized fleet by size is very conditional, here it is rather necessary to look at the purpose of the vessel, the level of its equipment and the degree of habitability. For example, workboats can be larger and equipped with inboard engines, as well as have a shelter cabin, a simple galley and a latrine.
Motor cruiser
Motor cruisers (or cruising boats) are boats that are designed for recreation and travel both on inland waters and along coastal sea routes, if their seaworthiness category allows it. They can be equipped with any type of engine, have a wide variety of hull shapes and, accordingly, different modes of movement.
A mandatory requirement for cruisers is the presence of a minimum set of amenities: a cabin with berths, a latrine, a galley, a shower. Cruisers are usually 7.6 to 13.7 meters (25-45 feet) long.
Motor yacht
These are larger vessels for traveling and recreation with inboard engines, allowing you to live on board as long as you want, together with your guests, fully covering your needs for comfort and living space. Motor yachts are usually 13.7 to 24 meters (45-79 feet) long.
In the official classification of yachts when obtaining various types of licenses, we are not talking about the overall length (LOA), but about the load waterline (LWL), the length of which can differ significantly from the overall length. However, for a general understanding, this is not so important.
Superyacht
Yachts over 24 meters usually have a professional crew on board. A couple of decades ago, this class of vessel was automatically classified as a superyacht. However, today, a large private boat with a crew is not something unusual, so the term “superyacht” tends to move further up the length scale.
Megayacht
Megayachts are the largest private boats in the world (well, officially, not quite private, since they are usually registered to the owner’s company). Sometimes this term is used as a synonym for superyacht, but mostly it refers to floating palaces over 70 meters (200 feet) in length.
If you go even further, you can even come across the term “gigayachts”, but in the yachting industry it is never used (as well as megayachts), and its definition is rather vague.