To say that boats come in many types is an understatement. From canoes to yachts and everything in between, if you’re looking for a boat, you have dozens of boat types worthy of your consideration. The following list offers a tiny glimpse of the many boat types that may capture your imagination.

• Banana boat – Not exactly a boat, but rather something you pull behind a boat. Banana boats are also called “water sleds.” The banana boat gets its name from its tubular shape and bright yellow color.

• Cabin Cruiser – Cabin cruisers are powerboats featuring a cabin with living essentials such as plumbing, sleeping quarters, and a galley.

• Canoe – Though often associated with Native Americans and Lewis and Clark, the canoe remains popular today. After all, you can strap the canoe to your roof and head out to the local river or lake for a day of paddling.

• Catamaran – Catamarans are two hulled boats. While Hobie Cat has made the word catamaran synonymous with sailing, catamarans can be either sail or motor powered. A typical Hobie Cat catamaran features a tarp in between the hulls. Sailors spend their time on and off the tarp, often attaching themselves to wires and standing on top of the “flying” hull.

• Dinghy – Dinghies are small boats that are usually towed behind larger boats. The term dinghy is also used when referring to small sailboats and rowboats.

• Houseboat – Houseboats come in two basic forms. Houseboats that are designed primarily as dwellings moored in the water are usually unpowered. The other type of houseboat is more like an RV built for the water. These houseboats have living quarters, much like an RV, built onto a pontoon-type platform.

• Inflatable boat – Inflatable boats feature flexible tubes that can be inflated to form a buoyant boat. Inflatable boats can be human or motor powered. Inflatables are often used as lifeboats, dinghies, or portable pleasure boats. Rigid hulled inflatable boats feature a solid, shaped hull with flexible tubes. These rigid inflatables are lightweight, high performance boats.

• Jetboat – Jetboats are propelled by a powerful jet of water rather than a propeller. This propulsion method makes jetboats extremely maneuverable. For example, by shifting the jetboat from forward into reverse, the jetboat is able to come to an almost immediate stop. Like jetskis, jetboats can make highspeed, sharp turns.

• Jetski – Jetskis and personal watercraft are small, one or two person recreational watercraft propelled by a jet of water. Original jetskis required riders to stand up on the deck while modern jetskis resemble motorcycles and ATVs in their seating and steering arrangements.

• Kayak – Kayaking has become increasingly popular in the U.S. These one and two person boats are long and narrow, powered by paddler using a double bladed paddle. Configurations vary with the paddler either sitting inside or on top of the kayak’s hull.

• Motorboat, powerboat, and speedboat – Motorboats and powerboats are boats (with the exception of jetskis and sailboats) powered by internal combustion engines that drive a propeller or jet. Speedboats are motorboats designed with speed in mind, such as for racing, waterskiing, or police patrols.

• Rowboat – Rowboats are simple boats constructed with simple bench seats. Oars are positioned into rowlocks.

• Sailboat – A sailboat relies on wind power, though many also have small outboard motors for “motoring in” to the marina.

• Trimaran – Trimarans are three hulled boats, both motor and sail powered, featuring a main hull and two outrigger hulls.

• Yacht – The term yacht is difficult to define. Insurance companies consider any boat longer than 26 feet a yacht while people generally think of yachts as large, luxurious boats favored by the rich and famous. In general, any vessel other than a dinghy powered by wind or motor that is used for yacht racing or pleasure cruising is considered a yacht.