When you think of the biggest boats ever your mind may very well travel to the cruise ship lines that have continuously tried to build bigger, better, and more entertaining ships for the last few decades. However, they are actually rather far down on the list. Supertankers tend to take the top spots. Supertankers are designed to withstand all weather events while making the most of their cargo space.

There are still quite a few supertankers in service, although the largest one built to date has been scrapped. At 1504 feet or 458.5 meters, the Knock Nevis was considered the largest functional ship to ever be built. Naturally, over the years many shipbuilders have considered that tankers of such size might not be as financially viable as tankers that are smaller, built with more safety features, and require less fuel to propel.

One of the biggest boats ever that is intended to be used for passenger travel is only now being prepared for her launch. Royal Caribbean has built a cruise ship that measures 1181 feet or 360 meters. One this ship one will find everything you could expect to find on a vacation designed by the cruise ship race to be the biggest and best. Numerous water slides, night clubs, restaurants, and entertainment is just the beginning.

Privately owned yachts that reach more than 250 feet are considered to be mega yachts. In most cases, these boats are built as powerboats. Designing a very large sailboat that fits into the mega yacht category is quite costly and difficult as the hull shape requirements can make it highly challenging. In order to reach the performance level that is necessary, there has to be considerable work put into models and trials. As of right now, the largest sailboat built is 289 feet.

As the shipbuilding industry races to be the best, they obviously try to build the biggest vessels. Yet, the game has changed since we can now not only build super large boats, but we can also create a complete and intricate network of technologically based equipment. Shipbuilding is about building the largest boat with all the bells and whistles. The more vessels that are on the water that have reached such a goal, the harder it is for the next vessel to be able to compete.

There are many critics within the industry that claim that overachieving in size can lead to dangerous situations. Since so much of the vessel is run through technology, would the operator be able to maintain control in the event of failure? This argument is generally countered with the idea that the size is completely legitimate because the building of today is of higher quality. Ships can withstand a great deal more than ever, and merging technology with size leads to more efficient vessels.

Each ship has been built with all kinds of potential dangers in mind. Each ship is put through a serious of tests through computer models to see where the design weaknesses might be. Because of this, the ships that enter the water today might be so large they're intimidating, they are also built to a higher standard than the older ships that have less displacement. The industry is filled with all kinds of opinions, but it is clear that the majority believe these new, bigger ships are amazing creations and wonders.

The biggest cruises ever built are created to be more environmentally friendly while also being more financially responsible. The possibility of hazards have been addressed through the use of computer aided drafting and models, giving the ship's designers a chance to eliminate a problem before it starts.