Fri, Mar 18, 2016 at 4:45PM
In today’s day and age, we boaters are used to the comfort and luxury of our cruisers, yachts and other vessels. We enjoy quick travel to and from our favorite destinations, and never have to go without a cool drink or snack along the way.
Of course, boating wasn’t always this way—in fact, the earliest boats were a far cry from the modern vessels we’ve come to know and love. But just how different were they?
Below, we will be exploring the origins of boating as we know it today—starting with the very earliest variations.
The earliest boats and the Pesse Canoe
According to archaeological findings, dugouts were the earliest boats used by travelers as far back as the Neolithic Stone Age—about 8,000 years ago! These dugouts resembled what we now know as canoes, and were made with the hollowed out trunk of a tree. While a dugout may seem rudimentary to us now, these early vessels were actually made very carefully to support the weight of crew and gear while still being lightweight enough to move through the water.
The oldest boat to ever have been recovered, the Pesse Canoe, is believed to be from the early Mesolithic Period, from around 8,000 years BCE. The small canoe can be seen at the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands.
Reed boats and rafts
In addition to dugouts, reed boats and rafts were also used as some of the earliest vessels in history. In Ancient Egypt, these boats were created using reeds of papyrus that would bound together to form a sturdy, waterproof exterior.
While we may associate reed craft with Ancient Egypt exclusively, that isn’t quite the case—in fact, these vessels were used all around the world during ancient times. We know from cave paintings and archaeological evidence that similar boats were used in places like Kuwait, Peru, Bolivia, Easter Island and Scandinavia.
The Uru
Another ancient vessel, the Uru or “fat boat,” contributed to the world of sailing for ancient seafaring people. It was first used off the coast of India, where it was designed, but was also used by ancient Arab and Greek peoples to carry cargo—up to about 400 tons of it! This is just one type of ship that added to what would soon be sailing, sea-based cultures all around the world.
As you can see, boats and the act of boating have certainly come a long way since the prehistoric vessels first used by early travelers… but we’re glad to be where we are today!
FAQs
The oldest recovered boat in the world is the Pesse canoe, a dugout made from the hollowed tree trunk of a Pinus sylvestris and constructed somewhere between 8200 and 7600 BC. This canoe is exhibited in the Drents Museum in Assen, Netherlands.
What was the first boat in history? ›
The earliest boats may have been either dugouts or hide boats. The oldest recovered boat in the world, the Pesse canoe, found in the Netherlands, is a dugout made from the hollowed tree trunk of a Pinus sylvestris that was constructed somewhere between 8200 and 7600 BC.
What is the oldest boat found? ›
The oldest boat discovered so far is the 3 meter long Pesse canoe constructed around 8,000 BCE [ Wikipedia ]; but other craft existed even earlier. A rock carving in Azerbaijan dating from ~10,000 BCE shows a reed boat manned by about 20 paddlers.
When did humans first build ships? ›
The earliest known depictions (including paintings and models) of shallow-water sailing boats is from the 6th to 5th millennium BC of the Ubaid period of Mesopotamia. They were made from bundled reeds coated in bitumen and had bipod masts. They sailed in shallow coastal waters of the Persian Gulf.
What are old boats called? ›
Triremes, long boats, proas, catamarans, clippers, schooners, frigates, yachts, galleys, sloops, junks, and so on. There were hundreds of different types of sailing ships across the centuries. Currently, the large sailing ships - originals and replicas- are collectively called the tall ships because of their masts.
Who built the 1st boat? ›
The earliest civilizations that made and used these ships were the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Egyptians. Significant developments occurred in shipbuilding practices and about 2500 BCE, Egyptians started to venture out into the oceans, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
Who created the first ship? ›
Answer and Explanation: The earliest documented ships were built by the ancient Egyptians, beginning about the 4th century BCE. Egyptian ships were powered by many men who used oars to propel the ship through the water.
What was the first human boat? ›
According to archaeological findings, dugouts were the earliest boats used by travelers as far back as the Neolithic Stone Age—about 8,000 years ago! These dugouts resembled what we now know as canoes, and were made with the hollowed out trunk of a tree.
What is the oldest ship still afloat? ›
Built in Boston and launched in 1797, USS CONSTITUTION is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world today. During the War of 1812 the ship gained fame and its name “Old Ironsides.” CONSTITUTION remains both a training and ceremonial ship for the Navy, as well as an educational experience for visitors.
What was the first human made boat? ›
The world's oldest boat dates back around 10,000 years. Discovered in 1955 in the Netherlands, the dugout canoe – known as the Pesse canoe – was crafted by axe from a Scot's pine.
The first true ocean-going boats were invented by the Austronesian peoples, using technologies like multihulls, outriggers, crab claw sails, and tanja sails. This enabled the rapid spread of Austronesians into the islands of both the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, known as the Austronesian expansion.
Did Neanderthals have boats? ›
Ferentinos et al suggest the evidence shows that Neanderthals not only figured out how to build boats and sail but did so quite extensively well before modern humans ever got the idea.
When did humans first travel in water? ›
Thus far, evidence for modern humans sailing dates back to just 50,000 years when they made their way to Australia. If true, that would mean Neanderthal people were sailing around in the Mediterranean for fifty thousand years before modern people built their first boat.
What kind of ship is a pink? ›
In the Atlantic Ocean the word pink was used to describe any small ship with a narrow stern, having derived from the Dutch word pincke meaning pinched. They had a large cargo capacity, and were generally square rigged.
Is Pluto a type of ship? ›
PLUTO (IMO: 9432531) is a Bulk Carrier and is sailing under the flag of Liberia. Her length overall (LOA) is 175.53 meters and her width is 29.4 meters.
What is a brown boat? ›
The Brown Water Navy boats serving in the Vietnam War were a departure for the U.S. Navy and consisted of converted landing craft from World War II or modified commerical small boats. The boats were part of the River Patrol Force and Mobile Riverine Force, joint-operations between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy.
When was the first boat sailed? ›
The invention of sailing was the most important event in the history of navigation: it most likely appeared in 3500 B.C. in the Red Sea or Persian Gulf almost certainly formed by large palm leaves.
What was the first boat that sunk? ›
The first ship to sink is not known for certain, but one of the earliest recorded instances of a ship sinking is from around 2500 BC. The ancient Egyptians had a ship called the Khufu ship, which was built for the pharaoh Khufu.
