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Mail boats or postal boats are a
Mail boats are still in use for some communities and may become tourist attractions, or a means of
Mail boats or postal boats are a boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats.
Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...
or ship
A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...
used for the delivery of mail
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...
, and sometimes transportation of goods, people and vehicles, in communities where bodies of water commonly separate settlements, towns or cities, often where bridges are not available. They are also used where water transport
Maritime transport (or ocean transport) or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by watercraft has been widely used throughout recorded history, as it pr ...
is more efficient or cost effective, or other means of transport to the destination is impractical, even when roads or flights may be another option.
Nearly any type or size of boat or ship may be used as a mail boat or ship. The size of the boat may be determined by the needs of the communities it serves, or by environmental factors which may influence the boats design for protection of crew, passengers, and items for transport, or requiring lesser draft for shallower waters.
Sometimes a mail jumper jumps off the boat to exchange inbound and outbound mail while the mail boat continues slow movement rather than docking.
Modern day use
Mail boats are still in use for some communities and may become tourist attractions, or a means of slow travel
The slow movement is a cultural initiative that advocates for a reduction in the pace of modern life, encouraging individuals to embrace a more thoughtful and deliberate approach to their daily activities.
It was an offshoot of the slow food m ...
while still serving the purpose of mail transit.
The inter-island commerce of some countries depend heavily on mail boat services. In these areas the mail boat may be large enough to carry a number of vehicles including tractor-trailers
A semi-trailer truck (also known by a wide variety of other terms – see #Other terms, below) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer attaches to the tractor with a type of Tow ...
.
See also
*Dispatch boat
Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore. Dispatch boats were employed when other means of transmitting a message w ...
* Packet boat
Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during t ...
* Royal Mail Ship
Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship or Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. The designation dates back to 1840. Any vessel de ...
, ships authorized by the British Royal Mail to courier mail across bodies of water, from one nautical postal depot to another
References
Mail boat
Mail boats or postal boats are a boat or ship used for the delivery of mail, and sometimes transportation of goods, people and vehicles, in communities where bodies of water commonly separate settlements, towns or cities, often where bridges ar ...
Postal infrastructure
Postal vehicles
Postal history
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