Boatbuilding (sage ability)

Boatbuilding is an expert-status sage ability in the sage study of Beachcomber, that allows the character to design and construct single-masted vessels, shaping hulls, crafting masts and rigging, and fitting out a boat for fishing, trade, exploration or warfare. A character with this skill can source materials, balance weight distribution, and rig sails for efficiency. They understand how to make a vessel durable and seaworthy within its intended limits. While their boats can handle rough weather with skilled seamanship, they are not built for prolonged ocean-going navigation.

Defined for the purpose of this ability, a boat is a single-masted vessel with a keel depth of less than 6 feet (1.8 meters) and a maximum length of 60 feet. If it has a deeper keel, a length beyond 60 feet, or is built for sustained ocean travel rather than short-range navigation, it is no longer a boat — it is a ship. To separate the vessels spoken of here from skiffs, boats are at least 18 feet long.