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How do you describe driving a boat? Is is correct to say

  • drive a boat
  • steer a boat
  • sail a boat?
George Simms
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4 Answers4

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The common term is "piloting".

Per Google definition:

pilot (gerund or present participle: piloting): act as a pilot of (an aircraft or ship).

synonyms: navigate, guide, maneuver, steer, control, direct, captain, shepherd

Per the Oxford English Dictionary (OED):

pilot: To conduct or convey (a person) in a ship or boat; to direct the course of (a vessel), esp. through difficult or dangerous waters; to guide or steer. Also occas. intr.: to perform the role of pilot on a vessel.

Per the SeaTalk Nautical Dictionary:

pilot: to operate a vessel, meaning to steer safely to a destination

See Also: navigate

Dan Bron
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    This is mainly used in situations where a pilot is on board the ship (pilot: A person with expert local knowledge qualified to take charge of a ship entering or leaving a harbour.) (as the reference you cite also says) [ ODO, which you call 'Google' ] – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '15 at 19:26
  • @EdwinAshworth The word has more than one definition. The local expert guiding a vessel to harbor through dangerous waters is one, but another is simply to operate or direct a vessel. See my updated answer with citations from both the OED (real one, not ODO) and the SeaTalk Nautical Dictionary. They both record this sense as well as yours. Also I called it "Google definition" because I literally typed [define pilot] into the Google search box and quoted the result, which was not attributed to ODO or anyone else. – Dan Bron Jun 08 '15 at 19:39
  • I'd say the common term is 'sailing' (used double-metonymically: quite possibly no sails, and one doesn't 'cruise' a car but cruises in a car). – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '15 at 19:44
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    @EdwinAshworth Seems like a fine answer to me. The issue is that everyone in the crew is "sailing" the vessel, not just the master, captain, navigator, or pilot. And while I can say I sailed to Grand Cay, I cannot claim I was directing the boat that got me there: I was not piloting or navigating it. – Dan Bron Jun 08 '15 at 19:47
  • @Dn Bron You're not taking account of the 'to manoeuvre or navigate a vessel' sense for 'sail' given above. And as for 'the common term', look at Google hits for 'he sailed his ship' vs 'he piloted his ship'. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '15 at 21:38
  • @EdwinAshworth Rather than quibble with me about sail under an answer which makes no mention of that word, why not add an answer which does? – Dan Bron Jun 08 '15 at 21:42
  • I've close-voted as the OP shows no signs of personal research. And it's not your 'piloting' answer that I'm saying is incorrect, it's your 'The common term is ...'. Have you compared the hits for 'he sailed his ship' versus 'he piloted his ship'? Checked Ngrams? – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '15 at 21:45
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    Well, the OP did offer several suggestions of his own, at least. Can't say that about every SWR. Personally, I hold SWRs involving specialized argot or the technical language of some domain to a different standard than general vocabulary questions. At the very least, they're fun to research. But if you believe the question is inadequate and have voted to close it, all well and good. You've done your duty, and so there is no reason to spend more time on it (especially not caviling at the answers the rest of us have put time & effort into supplying). – Dan Bron Jun 08 '15 at 21:51
  • @DanBron: I agree, but the question is a duplicate. – jxh Jun 08 '15 at 21:59
  • It's academic; the question is a duplicate. In the original, the more usual modern usage of 'pilot' is mentioned, and the fact that a 'common term' is not available is stated. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '15 at 22:00
  • @jxh Voting to close as a dupe is legit, IMO. – Dan Bron Jun 08 '15 at 22:00
  • Voting to close as a dupe is 'doing your duty'. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '15 at 22:01
  • @EdwinAshworth: I need more upvotes before I can do my duty :-) – jxh Jun 08 '15 at 22:02
  • @EdwinAshworth if you believe that, I recommend you upvote and possibly answer (in the affirmative), this recent Meta question. I tend to recuse myself from closevoting on questions I've already answered, or answering questions I closevoted. – Dan Bron Jun 08 '15 at 22:02
  • I have taken your advice (inasmuch as looking at the topic and upvoting). Have you found an authority backing your claim 'the common term is piloting'? This is not so according to my impressions (as valid as yours), nor, it would appear, according to raw Google data and Ngrams. OED is a historical dictionary, and STND a nautical glossary. AHDEL, Collins, M-W etc define the verb pilot [nautical] in terms of the noun, with the sense A person with expert local knowledge qualified to take charge of a ship entering or leaving a harbour being ranked as more common than the more general one. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '15 at 23:08
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    @EdwinAshworth I offered a citation in the original version of my answer, and at your prompting further substantiated with references to not only the what is and has been considered the most authoritative dictionary of the English language for the last century, but also a specialized lexicon dedicated to the domain in question. They both record the definition of pilot as I have use it (as does the original citation, still). Dictionaries and glossaries reflect how language is used; this definition of pilot is recorded in those reference works because people use it this way. – Dan Bron Jun 08 '15 at 23:12
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    @EdwinAshworth In sum: the answer is corroborated to my satisfaction, and I will make no more edits, nor add anymore references to authorities, nor engage in any more dialog about the applicability of the word. I will let the voters make their own determination. – Dan Bron Jun 08 '15 at 23:14
  • So, does this mean that you can say "We will rent a boat to pilot along the coastline"? – JJM Driessen Aug 16 '19 at 09:25
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It depends on the boat. You may be coxing, if you are sitting in the back of a rowing boat. (example from Trinity College Cambridge)

If you are on a sailing boat, then you are, well, sailing the boat. But if you have a crew, (and you are potentially telling someone else to turn the wheel or move the tiller) then you are skippering or captaining.

If you are in a motorboat, to say that you are driving it is not inappropriate according to the UK government.

As the boat gets bigger, you may find that you are steering it.

And if you are a water rat, of course, then you are just messing about in boats!

macdo
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8

You may use "helm".

Steer (a boat or ship): he helmed a sailing vessel

Perhaps for more informal use there is "boating".

the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat

Bookeater
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2

I believe pilot is the word you want, but as an alternative not yet mentioned, you can use skipper. Its relevance would be on the occasion there is minimal (or no) crew, and where the helmsman and captain are one and the same (a case of metonymy).

: to be the captain of (a ship or boat)
...
The boat was skippered by a skilled veteran sailor.
Merriam-Webster

As an example, the Manhattan Yacht Club explains how to earn skipper privileges:

Any member, 18 years or older, can apply for Skipper Privileges if he or she believes they:
1) can safely skipper a boat in the harbor
2) understand the local sailing conditions (including topography, currents, wind patterns, etc.)
3) understand how the club operates (including rules, reservations, responsibilities, etc.).

jxh
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