Small boats

[skip.knox]

I need a small boat for three characters. They don't know how to sail. They don't need to get very far, a few miles, and the water is calm (an inlet).

I know, a rowboat. But this is ancient Rome, specifically eastern Mediterranean. A coracle is a bit small and awfully tippy and anyway it's Welsh. Most anyone living by the sea would have known how to sail, and you can put a sail on quite a small vessel, so all the historical examples I can find are sailing craft of one sort or another.

A canoe would serve, but if I use that word it's going to sound out of context and jarring.

Any ideas? References?

 

[Noma Galway]

Just call it a boat and have them row. No name would really be required, would it? Failing that, poling a raft may work. I don't know the depth you're going for. Just keep it simple, would be my advice.

 

[ThinkerX]

Rowboat. Any sort of harbor / fishing area will have scads of them.

But elementary level sailing, especially under the conditions you describe, is not that difficult. Case in point:

When I was in my pre-teen years (yikes, that was a long time ago), Dad acquired a very small (11 foot) promotional sailboat made out of Styrofoam. It had a removable keel-board, a step down mast all of about six feet high, a lateen sail, and the only rigging was the cord used to set the sails position. Without any instruction whatsoever, I was sailing on the lake in that thing within minutes. Later I sailed it all over the lake.

 

[CupofJoe]

Coracles and its variants are found all over the world... Wiki.
But I'd still go with a more generic "Boat" [not ever "Rowboat" as that sounds juvenile to me..] unless there is a reason for naming a specific type of water-craft.
Or if you are looking for something a little unusual - a Reed boat...

 

[ThinkerX]

Fishing boat, longboat (ship's boat), skiff, pram, gig, jolly boat.

Something to keep in mind with wooden boats - they leak, especially if they've been out of the water for a while. The planks dry and contract. Put it back in the water, and the boat will leak until the planks swell together.

Also, wooden boats can be on the heavy side.

 

[Graylorne]

I tried to see what I could find. First of all this website:

The Ship Model Forum • View topic - Reconstruction of Ancient Ships (Roman Era)


Simple fishing boat 1st Cent. BCE. The thing in the middle is a seawater-filled fish box.

 

[skip.knox]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I'm still not sure quite what they're going to use, or if they'll just splash into the water and get picked up by someone. Goblins are chasing them, so there won't be a whole lot of time.

@Graylorne, thanks for that, and I'm jealous. I consider myself a good Net searcher but completely missed that. It's going in the file.