Taking to the Water with Moar Boats
Minecraft’s oceans and rivers have always been a scenic way to travel, but the humble vanilla boat has never been particularly clever. It gets you from shore to shore, sure, but what if you want to move your animals, automate fishing, or even create a self-navigating shipping fleet? That is exactly the kind of gameplay Moar Boats introduces. This mod completely rethinks aquatic transport by adding modular, upgradeable vessels that can be customized with dozens of functional attachments.
What Makes Moar Boats Special
At its core, Moar Boats takes inspiration from the vanilla minecart system and applies that same modular logic to watercraft. Instead of a single boat recipe, you craft a base boat and then bolt on modules to tailor its behaviour. The result is a flexible platform that can haul items, ferry mobs, fish automatically, or follow a plotted course across the map. The mod works across multiple Minecraft versions, with different dependencies depending on your game build. For 1.16.3 and above, you will need Kotlin for Forge, while older versions require ShadowMC’s Forgelin or Alex_wells’ Kottle. The installation process is straightforward, and many players find it convenient to use a modern launcher that handles mod dependencies automatically. If you want to skip the manual file management, you can grab the mod directly from the foxygame.net launcher menu, which bundles everything you need into one clean download and keeps your mods updated without fuss.
New Boat Types and Utility Vessels
The mod adds several entirely new boat types beyond the standard wooden dinghy. The Animal Boat is a larger vessel designed specifically for transporting entities across water. If a mob fits inside, you can load it up and sail away, making livestock relocation far less painful. Then there is the Modular Boat, the true star of the show. This craft accepts a wide range of modules that transform it from a simple rowboat into an automated machine.
Utility boats offer yet another layer of creativity. By combining a regular wood boat with a functional block, you can bring your base with you on the water. Supported blocks include the crafting table, loom, cartography table, grindstone, stonecutter, chest, ender chest, shulker boxes, furnace, smoker, blast furnace, and jukebox. Each utility boat retains the block’s original functionality, so you can smelt ores, craft gear, or play music discs while drifting across a lake.
Boat Trains
Linking multiple boats together is possible with the Rope item. Right-click the boat you want to follow, then click the leading boat to form a chain. Only the lead vessel needs to navigate and consume fuel, letting you pull a whole convoy of storage or utility boats behind a single engine. This feature makes bulk transport and floating bases much more manageable.
Modules: The Heart of Customization
Installing a module is as simple as right-clicking the boat with the corresponding item. You can then access the modules menu by right-clicking the boat with an empty hand. The available upgrades are divided into four categories: Storage, Navigation, Engine, and Miscellaneous.
Storage Modules
- Chest module – Adds a chest that can be filled and emptied using hoppers.
- Boat Fluid Tank – Stores any fluid registered via Forge. Use a Fluid (Un)Loader to fill or drain it.
- Boat Battery – Holds RF/FE energy, configurable in capacity, and works with Energy (Dis)Charger blocks.
- Dispenser/Dropper modules – Can dispense or drop items in a set direction, with a three-block-high column output. The dispenser variant can also place blocks.
Navigation and Miscellaneous Modules
- Fishing module – Attach any fishing rod to make the boat fish automatically. Requires a storage module to collect the loot.
- Seat module – Allows you to sit in the boat, which is necessary for using the rudder.
- Rudder module – Gives you direct control over the boat’s movement when combined with a seat. Can be set to non-blocking mode for engine use.
- Anchor module – Sets your spawn point to the anchor’s location and can also lock the boat in place.
- Ice breaker – Automatically shatters ice in front of the boat, perfect for frozen ocean travel.
- Diving module – Provides Respiration to any player within 20 blocks.
- Chunk loading module – Keeps a 3x3 chunk area around the boat loaded, configurable server-side.
- Sonar module – Built from note blocks, it attempts to follow rivers. It is experimental and not always reliable, but it adds a quirky navigation option.
Engine Modules and Automation
Engine modules propel the modular boat in a straight line. Once installed, you need to unlock them via the top-right button in their menu before they will run. Speed can be adjusted slightly. Three engine types exist:
- Solar engine – Runs only when the sun is out, using a daylight sensor block.
- Furnace engine – Burns any fuel accepted by a vanilla furnace, plus torches and magma blocks.
- Creative engine – A creative-only module that never stops.
All engine modules can be blocked with a redstone signal, for instance using Waterborne Redstone Conductors, giving you precise on/off control.
Advanced Navigation with the Helm and Mapping Table
The Helm module is arguably the most powerful tool in the mod. Insert a filled map (even a zoomed-out one) and you can plan an itinerary for the boat to follow autonomously. Because paths cannot be saved directly to a normal map, Moar Boats introduces two special items: the Map with Path, crafted from a regular map or converted inside the Helm menu, and Golden Tickets. All copies of a single Golden Ticket are linked, so editing the path on one updates every ticket in circulation. This is incredibly useful for commanding a synchronized fleet.
When drawing a path on the map feels imprecise, the Mapping Table block provides finer control. You can add, insert, remove, edit, and reorder waypoints by entering exact X and Z coordinates. If you have the JourneyMap mod installed, Moar Boats will even suggest waypoints created by that mod, streamlining the process.
Integration and Community
For players on version 1.12.2, Moar Boats offers OpenComputers integration, allowing you to embed a full computer inside your boat. While the mod does not yet retain data from pre-configured components, you can assemble an OpenComputers Module using a tier 3 CPU, HDD, RAM, a floppy with an OS, and a boot EEPROM. The resulting computer runs without external power, making it a costly but powerful addition for tech-savvy sailors.
The mod’s Discord server is the place to share designs, get help, and watch tutorial videos by community members like Duncan Webb, who has created in-depth guides covering everything from Golden Tickets to cargo stations and sea ports. Whether you are designing a fully automated shipping lane or just want a boat that can craft on the go, Moar Boats opens up a sea of possibilities.
Conclusion
Moar Boats transforms Minecraft’s waterways from simple travel routes into dynamic, programmable transport networks. With animal boats, utility vessels, modular upgrades, and a robust pathfinding system, you can build anything from a floating workshop to a self-navigating cargo fleet. The mod’s deep customization and compatibility with other tech mods make it a standout addition for builders, engineers, and explorers alike. If you have ever wished boats were more than just wooden shells, it is time to set sail with Moar Boats.