We humans may be land-dwelling creatures, but the world is 70% water. It’s about time we conquered it. Well, we as individuals that is. I’m talking about boats. Whether it’s for bugging out, wilderness survival, or simply enjoying yourself, there’s value to be had in understanding the various watercrafts available to you. Here are four different types of boats, and how they can apply to a prepper lifestyle.
Canoes
The summer camp king of watercrafts, the canoe offers a reliable way to transport yourself down rivers and across lakes with relative ease. If you’re determined, you can even build one yourself! Canoes are relatively inexpensive, lightweight, easy to operate, and will allow passengers safe passage. You can fish from a canoe, with enough storage capacity to hold all of your fishing gear and capture cooler. If you have a bug out location near a lake, or just are a frequent camper, perhaps you need a canoe. We wrote about them in depth in our past article, The Usefulness of Canoes, How to Use Them.
Rafts
Much like the canoe, the raft is a popular campsite commodity. It’s buoyancy and size make it easy to transport all of your gear. A raft can transport far more than a canoe can, however, and at a significantly smaller risk of tipping over. A group of people could travel by raft, if built well. The only downside is that rafts aren’t as capable of shallow waters and narrow streams as a canoe will be.
Sailboats
While rafts and canoes are great wilderness swimmers, there’s still the open waters to think about. A sailboat offers livable accommodations, plenty of space. And assuming you have the training to operate it, it requires no power. Often times, sailboat owners sail for the fresh breeze and ocean air, but it has a fair bit of bugging out potential. The biggest limitation is food supplies. You’ll have to return to land at some point.
Houseboats
What a better way to live off the grid than off of land entirely! The houseboat combines the freedom and solitude of bugging out with the efficiency and comfort of a small house. Their extra size would potentially allow for starting up your own garden. All you need is a barrel to have more than enough potatoes! Combine that with the meat from fishing, and you have a self-sufficient food supply. If you have a fully electric home, you can equip solar panels to the roof. Throw in a desalinator, and you’ll have an entirely efficient, ocean-faring home to bug out to.