society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > boat attendant on larger vessel > [noun] > boat plying between ship shore
1945 ‘N. Shute’ vi. 124 I can get the trot boat down each evening.
1955 Sept. 402/2 A ‘trot-boat’ is a boat of any size which makes routine visits to discharge or embark passengers, stores, etc., at ships secured to the buoys.