Yacht was originally defined as a light and fast sailing ship used to transport important people. In subsequent developments, the definition changed to a ship, other than a dinghy, that was propelled by a sail and used for hobby sailing and/or yacht racing.

Yachts vary in length from 6 m (20 ft) to 30 m (98 ft) or more. However, most private yachts are around 7-14 m in length - the cost of building and maintaining a yacht increases dramatically with the size of the ship.