A pleasure craft (or pleasure boat) is a boat used for personal, family, and sometimes sportsmanlike recreation. Typically such watercraft are motorized and are used for holidays, for example on a river, lake, canal or waterway. Pleasure craft are normally kept at a marina. They may include accommodation for use while moored to the bank. In Great Britain, many narrow boats were converted into pleasure craft from their previous use for cargo transport on canals, and today the same hull style is commonly used for new pleasure craft using the canal system. Pleasure boats are designed for a variety of family fun day trips or overnights and are versatile for skiing, fishing, day cruising or sightseeing. Pleasure boats are popular among families and boating enthusiasts. As we power-up and unfurl the sails on a magical cruise through time, viewers meet the people who've devoted their lives to pleasure boating. Traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe, we delve into a world of luxury, adventure, and sport on spectacular vessels ranging from classic yachts to sports boats to the ultimate floating palaces. In this timeless pastime, technological wonders continue to evolve and enthrall. The largest cruising yacht in the world is Saudi Arabia's rarely photographed Abdul Aziz, at 482 feet. In 1950, there were 3.5 million pleasure boats in operation in the United States. Fifty years later, that number had swelled to nearly 17 million. The majority of private motorboats in the United States are under eighteen feet in length. Sweden has the highest pleasure boat rate per capita in the world: one pleasure boat for every six people. The United states ranks fourth, with one pleasure boat for every sixteen people.

• published: 12 Sep 2014
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