DCHP-2
coastal boat DCHP-2 (November 2016)
n. — Newfoundland, Transportation
a long-distance provincial boat service for passengers and freight.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — Coastal boats are the long-distance connections within Newfoundland and Labrador, usually routed via the capital, St. John's. They used to complement bay boat service, the latter no longer offered, to the smaller outports. Today, coastal boat is the term in use for the connections that have remained in service, which mostly serve the South Coast, Labrador Coast and Goose Bay. The term now contrasts with "ferry" which refers to boat services that take vehicles as well as passengers and freight (see the 2016 quotation). Chart 1 shows that the term, while found elsewhere as well (e.g. BC), is overwhelmingly used in Newfoundland and Labrador, which makes it, in addition to its cultural significance, a Newfoundlandism by virtue of frequency.
See also DNE, s.v. "coastal (a.)", with attestations until 1987.
