"Ships of the line would carry a barge, launch, pinnace, two cutters, all of various sizes, and a jolly boat, while the brigs might just carry a jolly boat and a cutter."
From wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jolly_boat
Where did they store all these boats of various shapes and sizes and how would they easily launch them and get into them and pull them out of the water without machinery?
I've looked for diagrams online but haven't been able to come up with anything that really explains the logistics of it.
Boats would either be stored on deck, or hung from davits off the sides. Google 'davits' to see how they look. The davits stuck out at about a 45 degree angle, and were supported by ropes going up to the mizzen-mast head. To launch a boat you would just lower it into the water with tackles (ropes and pulleys), and haul it up again when you were finished using it.
Once the boat was in the water, people would board or disembark via ladders on the ship's side.
Sometimes two boats were hung from the same pair of davits, one halfway along, and one at the end.
When boats were needed frequently, and the weather was good, they might be towed behind the ship.
Here's a model of the HMS Victory showing a boat hung on davits:
