I am playing single player 1.17.40. The boat disappears every time i leave boat. If i leave the area so the chunk unloads then come back then the boat reappears.
I also have this issue. If i leave the loaded chunks and come back then the boat reappears. I am also using the experimental Caves and Cliff features.
I tried to find this on wiki to see if it was a feature before posting but no such luck.
I downloaded the installer today and tried to play. I pressed Microsoft Login and it recognized me as logged in, so I pressed Lets Play and the game just crashed. I opened XBox companion and tried again, and it worked just fine.