A small boat used to carry provisions, supplies, or goods to ships anchored offshore, operated by bumboat vendors.
Origin unclear; possibly from Dutch 'boomboot' (tree boat) or from 'bomb' (to bump/knock), referring to small boats that would bump against larger ships. Associated with maritime commerce from the 17th century onward.
Bumboats were essential floating shops that served sailors—they'd swarm around anchored ships like merchant bees, selling everything from fresh fruit to rum and tobacco, making them the original 'food trucks of the sea.'
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