Jolly boat
（重定向自Jollyboat）
![Types of boat shown in an 1808 engraving, including top left, 'a Jolly boat for oars or sail'](/Images/godic/202501/21/Types_of_boats3103.jpg")
![In this illustration from Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, crew members flee from a mutinous ship in a jolly boat.](/Images/godic/202501/21/Treasure-island033103.png")
The jolly boat was a type of ship's boat in use during the 18th and 19th centuries. The origins of the name is the subject of debate, but it was by the 18th century one of a number of ship's boats, and was used mainly to ferry personnel to and from the ship, or for other small scale activities. The design continued to evolve throughout its period in service.