hello, this has come up before and there was quite a debate I seem to remember...

"voilier habitable" is quite a vague definition because it just means that the yacht has enough below deck space to live in.

Yacht Race Banff Stavanger North Sea Yacht Race
The race record is held by Skaarungen, a Wasa 50 ft monohull skippered by Odd Olsen of Stord, ... Cruising Class. Orosay. Beneteau Oceanis 393. Gerry Hughes ...
www.banffstavangeryachtrace.org.uk/results.htm

GOod morning,

I think you will find a number of glossary entries already up and available, under tourism and/or sailing. The term is also "findable" in any decent dictionary.

All the best,
Nikki

http://www.proz.com/kudoz/french_to_english/tourism_travel/1...





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Note added at 1 hr (2009-05-06 06:55:15 GMT)
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Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne: Cruiser/racer, racer/cruiser (depending on whether the particular model is designed or tuned for one or the other), cruiser, live-aboard... also a question of whether target reader UK, US... and indeed, the term has at least three glossary entries.
17 mins
-> Thanks Nikki, but an "habitable" is not necessarily a cruiser/racer - last week I charted an RM 10.50, an "habitable" par excellence, but nobody in his right mind would think of racing with it ...


Coucou Michel, That is the reason why I set out the various possibilities, all of which are available on the glossaries

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-05-06 07:17:42 GMT)
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ust to illustrate my point that « habitable » is commonly used to mean « cruiser-racer » :

http://www.ffvoile.net/ffv/public/Lettre_Voile/80orc_texte.h...
* Système de handicap attribué aux compétitions en habitables monocoques en temps compensé.
* International et national, il se place naturellement entre l’International Measurement System (IMS) et le Handicap National (HN).
* Le certificat de jauge, peu onéreux, personnalisé et non contraignant, prend en compte le système de prévision de vitesse du voilier (VPP) en fonction des différentes forces de vent, permettant aux concurrents de se positionner facilement en cours de régate, puis aux comités, d’établir rapidement le classement.
* Pour répondre, aux souhaits exprimés par les coureurs et les organisateurs.
* Ce système de handicap évolutif sans prétendre à la perfection, doit présenter des avantages importants par rapport aux systèmes de handicap à Rating fixe.

http://www.ffvoile.net/ffv/web/
http://www.ffvoile.net/ffv/web/actualites/actus_detail.asp?I...



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Note added at 1 hr (2009-05-06 07:22:32 GMT)
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And I agree, as official interpreter, inter alia, for the last three Vendée Globe races, translator of their SI and NoR, not to mention several missions for the IMOCA 60, that the case in point is not referring to thoroughbreds...

My point here guys is that the full gammut of answers is already in the glossary. Depending on context, I maintain that cruiser-racer, for the sake of completeness is an option. In context, here, for this question I suspect that "yacht" alone would suffice! "Cruiser" certinaly. I did agree after all, but we are debating around a virtual cup of tea here.
My aim - sniff, sniff - was to provide a complete range of suggestions for the akser, who, after all, has not provided the term in the original context, hence my reference to the glossary, where adequatye discussion has alreayd raised these points... Something I wan't to avoid again, bis bis repetita...



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Note added at 3 hrs (2009-05-06 08:51:00 GMT)
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My final shot on this one. Yes, and I have never suggested anything else... "habitable" indicates that the yacht has accommodation below decks, nothing more nothing less. Every cruiser has that,as does every cruiser-racer and racer-cruiser, the very term "cruiser" indicating that there is accommodation. You will note that I have not suggested the term "racing yacht" as, irrespective of the fact that they generally have some sort of accommodation below deck, that specific term is too restrictive.
John Roussmanière :
« cruiser, cruising boat : a boat with living accommodation in which comfort, seaworthiness and good stability are more important than speed. Among sailboats, ‘cruising boat’ or ‘long-distance cruiser’ has a moderate to heavy displacement and substantial, comfortable accommodation and a ‘cruiser-racer’ is comfortable enough for cruising and fast enough for racing. …”
“liveaboard : … a boat ready to be lived aboard full time”.

Examples of “cruiser-racer” :
http://www.sailing-boats-for-sale.com/sail_boat_type_Cruiser...
http://yachtbroker.escapeartist.com/boats/action/viewBoatTyp...

But then you knew that already guys…!

I actually phoned up the International Sailing Federation for this one because I was intrigued... the difference between a dinghy and a yacht is basically that a yacht has a keel to keep it upright... the smallest yacht is generally about 20 ft long. Any smaller than that and it is a dinghy, the largest of which is a Wayfarer which has a cubby hole but there is no reasonable way in which you can live in it.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2009-05-06 11:37:57 GMT)
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sorry, answer submitted before finishing...

You can generally stay on sailing boats (yachts) which are 20ft or longer and any boat you cannot stay on is more or less a dinghy.

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Note added at 14 hrs (2009-05-06 20:18:45 GMT)
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Hi, I have to plead innocence and say that I was going on what the ISF bloke told me (honest!). I won't give you his name.

I have never heard of a catamaran being called a yacht but ok. Surrender.