Airspeed must surely be a critical factor in how turbulence "feels". I have been thrown around quite a lot in light aircraft but I have never experienced the violent bumps I've occasionally felt in the faster and bigger stuff. I also remember reading that wing shape has quite a big effect on gust response although that may only be relevant to fast jets at low level.
The boat analogy above should also consider a speed boat in the same choppy sea. Up to a point, a heavier hull which is designed to cut through the waves would be more comfortable at higher speeds. Continuing the boat analogy I was a little apprehensive the first time I went on a big cruise ship. Although I had sailed small boats for years and never been sea sick, I was unsure about big boats. What really surprised me as we steamed slowly out of Southampton, was that I could feel the ship move as we passed through the wake of the I.o.W ferry.
