Hostile mobs have increased range in boats
I haven't tried it with a mob other than a zombie and a drowned but it seems like they can still hit a player when they're 2.5-3 blocks away when they're in a boat.
How to reproduce:
- Start a creative world.
- Spawn a zombie using a spawn egg.
- Place a boat and push the zombie into the boat on surface.
- Switch to survival mode.
- Try to get close to the zombie.
Observation:
The zombie will be able to hit you despite being about 3 blocks away from you.