Going On A Boat

What kinds of boats are there? And do they all have different purposes?
There are many different types of boats and they all are different for a reason. You can have a boat for pleasure or a more functional boat used for a specific purpose.

In this article, we will talk about flat bottomed boats. More specifically, traditional and modern day rafts and what they are used for.

Flat bottomed boats have many different functions and can only be in waters that are calm and shallow. Because of the way the boat is crafted, they are able to glide slowly along the water and usually provide a smooth ride.

You usually see them in rivers and will probably never see them in bodies of water such as the ocean. They have flat bottomed hull which makes it less likely to get stuck on the ground underneath the water.

Because of the design of the boat, the flat bottom allows it stay more stable in the water (if the water is calm) and makes it good for hunters and fishers. But that also means that if the water is choppy, the boat becomes a lot less stable and makes it hard to ride.

Not only do you have to worry about riding a flat bottomed boat in choppy waters, but also watching out for excessive wind conditions. These two things can cause your flat bottomed boat to become unstable really quickly and tip in the rough water.

Instead of having a rounded or a v shaped hull as most other boats do, it is flat. So the boat ends up traveling on the water rather than through the water.

Some types of flat bottomed boats include; barge, flatboat, gondola, Jon boat, keelboat, Norfolk punt, pirogue, pram, punt, horse drawn boat, pedalo, raft, towboat, and towpath. The first image that comes to mind when you think of a raft in the river is a picture of the book, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.

The first kind of flat bottomed boat that you think of is a raft. Whether it be a modern day inflatable raft or the wooden raft from Huckleberry Finn’s time.

When you think of a wooden raft, you see an African American man with a small white boy on a raft floating down the river. There is quite a bit of space and they have built a tent on top of the boat for some shelter during the night and then again during the day when they want to get out of the sun.

These traditional rafts are constructed out of wood planks that are tied together in a straight line. Loggers used to go up into the forests to cut down trees for wood and then tie them all together to float down the river to their city.

It was a really cheap way to transport the much needed wood, but it was not the safest way to transport it. They would need several men to help get the big rafts down the river safely and keep the logs from getting stuck on anything.

Today, this technique is hardly used anymore because it is so dangerous. They now have better ways of transporting the logs and no longer need to do this.

Rafting has gone from being a functional thing to a recreational activity. Mostly because of advances in technology and the fact that we have more time to play than those who lived in the early 20th century.

Modern rafts are used for recreational purposes and are inflatable boats. People like to use them to go down whitewater.

When you go whitewater rafting, you need to make sure that you have the correct safety gear on. This includes a life vest and helmet which will help protect you.

If you decide to go whitewater rafting, make sure that you look at the rivers that have a rating that you are comfortable with. Each river has a different rating depending on how harsh the river is to go down.

Some rivers have lots of rapids while others do not have any. Whatever you choose to do, be safe and have fun on the trip down.
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About The Author:
Jack R. Landry is a resident of California and has written hundreds of articles relating to tourism and
Discovery Bay real estate. He has been involved in local travel and tourism for over 20 years. Contact Info: Jack R. Landry JackRLandry@gmail.com DiscoverDiscoveryBay.com