A Quick History of Boats

Boats have been utilized by humans since prehistoric times; it’s actually really impressive how long people have been creating and using crafts to traverse bodies of water, from narrow rivers to massive seas and oceans. If you’re a boater, you may be curious to know about the way that boats were developed into the high-tech, sleek vessels you can buy today. Here’s a short primer on the history of boats.

Early Crafts

Before recorded history, around 12,000 years ago, the first rafts and dugout boats were created by early human societies around the globe to be used for ferrying people across rivers and for catching fish. Wood, animal skins, bamboo, tree bark, and reeds were employed as the building materials for these simple vessels, which were hand-powered using oars. 

Kayaks and canoes became commonplace in Indigenous communities in the United States and Canada, while Mesopotamians created sails around 5000 BCE to utilize wind power. Egyptian civilizations used rafts and barges to navigate the lengthy Nile River.

Vikings & Polynesians

During the Dark and Middle Ages (a timespan that runs from approximately 500 CE to 1500 CE), cultures around the world developed more elaborate and sophisticated boats and ships for exploration purposes. 

The Vikings of Scandinavia were renowned for their large-hulled longships made from interlaid planks of wood that enabled them to conquer England and Scotland. Meanwhile, the Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific Ocean were making impressive voyages to far-flung islands with their rafts and double-hulled canoes that allowed them to transport food, plants, clothing, and other supplies over thousands of miles. Chinese junks were developed during the Song dynasty in 1100 CE.

Into the Modern Era

The Age of Exploration took place in the 1600s to 1800s, when England, the Netherlands, Spain, and France explored the world using ships constructed first of wood, then of iron. In 1783, the world’s first steamboat was built, which allowed for swift transportation of goods and people up and down rivers, including the Mississippi River.

Gasoline engines are an extremely recent development, with boats only beginning to employ these during the very end of the 19th century. During the early 20th century, massive cruise ships and war ships were constructed, capable of going over long distances on thousands of gallons of fuel while carrying thousands of people and tons of cargo.

Today’s boats span between simple canoes that harken back to prehistoric designs and massive yachts that stem from the Dutch “jacht” boats created in the 16th century. Whatever type of boat it is you want, you can find an example of its ancestors in this long history.

Come see us at our location in Naples, ME, today to view our current stock of new and used boats for sale. New England Water Sports serves our Maine customers around Long Lake and Sebago Lake.