A boat was a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water.
History
17th century
The Fancy was the ship of Henry Avery. Many of its crew were taken by a virtual doctor who deemed them to be ill. The Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams boarded the Fancy through the The Doctor's TARDIS once the TARDIS sensors responded to a ship in distress. (TV: The Curse of the Black Spot [+]Steve Thompson, Doctor Who series 6 (BBC One, 2011).)
19th century
HMS Victory was the flagship of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar. (PROSE: H.M.S. Tardis [+]unclear authorship, The Dr Who Annual 1968 (World Distributors, 1967).)
The First Doctor landed his TARDIS aboard the Mary Celeste. They were followed by a group of Daleks, who scared the crew so much that they jumped overboard. This was not witnessed by anyone else, so the crew's disappearance remained a mystery. (TV: The Chase [+]Terry Nation, Doctor Who season 2 (BBC1, 1965).) The crew of the Mary Celeste were abducted by Arcturans. (PROSE: The Mystery of the Marie Celeste [+]The Dr Who Annual 1970 (Doctor Who annual, 1969).)
In 1889, George Litefoot was able to acquisition a rowing boat so the Fourth Doctor and he could find the confluence of the River Thames and River Fleet. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1977).)
20th century
On 18 February 1904, the day after the premiere of Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, Princess Tura invited Puccini, his wife, Elvira Gemignani, the Eighth Doctor, Charlotte Pollard, and Audacity Montague to join her on a cruise to Genoa. Audacity and Charley were quite impressed by Tura's sailboat, a small cruiser. (AUDIO: Puccini and the Doctor [+]Matthew Jacobs, Deadly Strangers (Big Finish Productions, 2024).)
The Eternals used replicas of boats from many periods of Earth history (literally, space ships) while conducting a race in space to reach Enlightenment. (TV: Enlightenment [+]Barbara Clegg, Doctor Who season 20 (BBC1, 1983).)
Captain Callany owned a steamboat called the Lankester that sailed from Madagascar to New Orleans every year. First mate Jacques De Requin brought a mermaid. The Lankester sank after it ran aground on some rocks. The Sixth Doctor convinced the mermen to save the crew. (AUDIO: Cryptobiosis [+]Elliot Thorpe, Bonus Releases (Big Finish Productions, 2005).)
RMS Titanic was a luxury ocean liner that sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. The Fourth Doctor owned a copy of the Daily Mirror detailing this event. (TV: The Invasion of Time [+]David Agnew, Doctor Who season 15 (BBC1, 1978).)
RMS Lusitania was an ocean liner sunk by the U-20 during World War I. This act finally convinced the United States of America to join the war. (AUDIO: The Sirens of Time [+]Nicholas Briggs, Main Range (Big Finish Productions, 1999).)
The SS Bernice was a cargo ship. It was sailing from Bombay when the crew were taken into a miniscope where they boarded a replica of the ship. With the aid of the Third Doctor, they eventually returned to the real ship. (TV: Carnival of Monsters [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 10 (BBC1, 1973).)
Ben Jackson was assigned to the Royal Navy ship, HMS Teazer. (TV: The War Machines [+]Ian Stuart Black, Doctor Who season 3 (BBC1, 1966).)
Tich owned a wooden boat. While the TV Terrors were hunting for autographs, he may have taken one or more of them aboard the boat, along with Quackers. (GAME: TV Terrors Autograph Hunt [+]TV Comic games (Polystyle Publications, Ltd., 1970).)
On Earth, some individuals lived aboard houseboats. In the mid-1990s, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart lived with her son Gordy in such a boat on a river. (HOMEVID: Downtime [+]Marc Platt, Reeltime Pictures releases (Reeltime Pictures, 1995).)
51st century
As well as hovercraft, the workers at the Delta III refinery used rowing boats to traverse the swamps, as did the native Swampies. (TV: The Power of Kroll [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978-1979).)
Undated events
During the Thousand Year War on Skaro, a Muto ferryman rented out a boat to those who sought to cross Drammankin Lake. Seeking to speak to the last true Dal, Davros and Elwyn used the boat to cross the lake. (PROSE: The Last of the Dals [+]Temi Oh, Origin Stories (BBC Books, 2022).)
The Sixth Doctor and Frobisher used a steamboat called the Sea Sharp to travel to and from Professor Strut's island on the planet Zazz. (COMIC: The Gift [+]Jamie Delano, DWM Comics (Marvel Comics, 1987).)