The boats actually do have collision, but it's only a single point in the middle of the object. If you stand directly in front of it and let it try to pass through you, it will move you slightly to the side.
I don't think the boats change speeds either.
It's not necessarily your imagination, but it could just be an optical illusion. Objects in the distance appear to be moving slower than they really are, especially in open water with no other reference points... and even more especially when the object is moving in the same direction as one of the animated water textures. It may even appear to be sitting still. If you put a stationary object (or yourself) next to the moving object, the actual speed becomes more evident.
I just wish we could stand on them as they move. Same with cars and trucks too.
I have wanted to ride on top of the cars since I got here too.
Enjoy your day please.
Unfortunately, the exact movements of vehicles seems to vary slightly for each player... for example say you're fighting some enemies in the middle of the street, you might see a truck pass through a teammate and then push you aside. They would probably need to make those kind of things server-side instead of client-side to make riding work consistently. 
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I want to have a party on top of the blimp.
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Originally Posted by WolfSoul
I just wish we could stand on them as they move. Same with cars and trucks too.
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There should be a party boat that cruises around Talos Island.
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Don't recall the zone, but I had fun pretending to drive this one 
Boat
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There are some boats you can sit in. I remember when Croatoa was new and sitting in a boat waiting for Sally to show up.
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Quote:
The ones that are simply floating in the water are stationary objects (part of the map) that you can indeed stand on, unlike the ones traveling the waters which actually spawn like NPCs.
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Originally Posted by Largo
There are some boats you can sit in. I remember when Croatoa was new and sitting in a boat waiting for Sally to show up.
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Not being able to interact with moving objects is one of the things I hate most about this game|
Originally Posted by BashfulBanshee
I have wanted to ride on top of the cars since I got here too.
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. I still always try to jump on a big box truck when I see one tho
. Would be awesome to ride around on a truck while dancing or something
Surfing is what I would do...
LOL!! THAT would be fun!! And hillarious to watch.
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It's unmanned and has no collision. I may just be imagining this, but it seems to move faster when I get close to it.