A Boat is an item that first appeared in the "Seecret Friday Update 5" to Alpha mode. Currently, Boats can only be found in Alpha mode.
A boat can be crafted from 5 Wood blocks in the pattern below:
In-Depth Boat Riding
Like Minecarts, a boat must be right clicked to enter or exit. Since Boats do not operate on tracks, they move accordingly to the player's will or a water current. The boat also moves significantly faster than a player on water but is slower than a Minecart. While some movement bugs are still present, it's possible to steer using the movement keys. Boats also have movement relative to the camera- if the back of the boat is not facing the front of the view, the boat will automatically steer itself so that the back can be seen.
If a boat collides with a block at a fast enough speed, the boat will break and drop 3 Wood blocks and 2 Sticks that, in multiplayer, at least, may not be able to be picked up. The same will happen if you try to pick it up like a Minecart by hitting it with left click repeatedly. A crash will drop the player in the water if they are riding at the time. However, boats do not break when crashing into Slow Sand, so it is recommended to make docks and harbors out of slow sand. Boats change direction when they come in contact with a player, another boat, or a mob. If you crash a boat into another boat, the boat being ridden will be destroyed while the other one will just bump away. If you attempt to go through a spot with only 1 block of air between the water and ceiling, the boat (and you) will successfully pass through, but you will take suffocation damage.
You can place a boat in Lava, but if you try to ride it you will instantly die and the boat will break. Due to a bug, boats can be placed on a solid block. They can be ridden, although they move extremely slowly if you try riding and moving them on solid block. Like Minecarts, boats can be used in water slides. This video shows how a boat works.
In multiplayer, when you lay down a boat no other players can see it. While riding in the boat you just appear to be running very fast across the water to other players. You can still give boats by dropping them, instead of laying them down.
Trivia
- When placing a boat on ground, not water, the graphic for splashing water still appears.
- Due to a bug, a Boat will rocket vertically when it hits a waterfall. This can be used to the player's advantage, such as by using the elevator to reach a high place that mobs cannot. A video demonstration of this bug can be seen here.
- Boats can be confused with Blocks in much the same way as Signs: a Sign is stored using an Item in inventory screens, but is placed on the map using Block data. A Boat does not have any Block data, so it is an Item.
- If the player exits the game while on a boat, the boat will be gone and the player will fall into the water upon reloading.
- For long drops onto dry land, a boat can be used as a parachute.
- Due to a bug, in multiplayer, when a boat breaks, it will drop two sticks and 3 wood crates, which you cannot pick up. They are added to your inventory upon getting close however.
- Screenboat.PNG
A boat floating.
A harbor.
