Boats, also known as ships or sea vessels, are a form of transportation, mostly in use between Allianceharbors, but also used between certain neutral harbors. The Horde equivalent is the zeppelin airship, although some docked Forsaken ships have appeared in Northrend.
Boats stay docked for exactly 60 seconds, then depart.
In patch 2.3.0, transport ships were crewed by NPCs. Unfortunately, the vendors did not work as intended and the crews were eventually removed in a hotfix on 12/06/07.[1] The crew and guards returned in the Wrath of the Lich King beta, and with patch 3.0.2 on live realms.
Five orc destroyers and 3 Darnassian transport ships can be found near Zoram'gar Docks, one of the destroyers is being built, about half-way finished, one of the destroyers is sunken, and the third one is wrecked. The wrecked ship, the two floating destroyers, and the transport ships are all burning.
The pair of ships in the distance off the eastern coast. They appear to be a pirate ship and an Alliance ship in service to the Goblins firing cannons at each other. Both are on fire.
Scattered along the coast are several human ships, damaged beyond repair. They are most likely the remains of the boats used in Arthas' pursuit of Mal'ganis.
This section contains information that needs to be cleaned up. Reason: Note that this section attempts to describe boats and ships appearing in World of Warcraft using real-world standards and terminology. This may not be the proper thing to do.
Sailing ships
Name
Description
Alliance Transport Ship
Seen extensively throughout Azeroth, transport ships are employed by both the Alliance and the Steamwheedle Cartel (and various pirate entities). They employ a barque sail plan (three masts with square sails) with jibs and gaffs and have no prominent weaponry. Their sails would make them suited to open ocean sailing along many points, but at the cost of requiring more crew to man the square sails.
These frigates are the warship mainly used by the pirates of Azeroth, although there are a few to be found in the service of the Alliance. These ships employ brig sail plans, but appear to lack jibs or gaff sails, both of which would contribute greatly to the maneuvering and speed of these craft without increasing the crew requirements to man the sails. With just square sails, these ships would have poor performance sailing against the wind or maneuvering in battle. In realistic terms, these ships would only qualify as brig sloops because of their small armament.
Pirate Destroyer
A new warship based on the mesh of the Transport with a gun deck. One can be found patrolling near Scalawag Point.
These are ships dredged up from the bottom of the ocean, most of which were once among Lordaeron's fleets.[3] They are based on the same design as the Pirate Destroyer.
Employed principally by the night elves of Darnassus, these caravel ships are similar in size and capacity to transports. Built around a lateen sail, they can be seen frequently plying the waters of the west coast of Kalimdor. Their sail plan does not require an extensive crew but can be a liability on the high seas and dangerous in storms, a problem that would be exaggerated by its high sterncastle.
Blood Elven Destroyer
A mainstay of the Second War, the trimaran destroyers of Silvermoon continue to be a common sight in the northern waters. While they do not mount heavy weaponry, their ramming prows and versatile junk rigging make them fierce opponents at sea. Their rigging would put them at a disadvantage for raw speed (partially offset by their hull configuration) but at a significant advantage for maneuvering in most wind conditions.
A relatively new invention, icebreakers appeared with the resurgence of Alliance activity in Northrend. Equipped with sturdy armored prows for icebreaking and backup brig rigging, they represent the resurgence of Alliance naval supremacy in the aftermath of the third war. Like frigates, their incomplete sail plan would put them at a disadvantage were it not for their steam powered paddlewheels.
Once the centerpiece of the Horde's naval power, juggernaughts today are but a fading memory. Only one surviving ship of the type is known to exist, hidden away in a secret dock in the mines south of Moonbrook. Having basically no significant sails to speak of these ships were dependent on steam power to move.
High Elven Destroyer
Time has not been kind to the ships of this class. Built during the days of the high elves, and featuring the prominent unicorn sails commonly employed by ships of Silvermoon before their downfall, these were at one time a common sight in the waters of Azeroth. No longer. No surviving member of this ship type has yet been found, and those wrecks that exist to be found are typically mangled so that no conclusive information can be drawn about their full sail plan. All that can be said for sure was that they were reasonably small craft with armored prows suitable for ramming.
There is a wreckage of a distinct Kul Tiran ship in the Siege of Boralus dungeon.[4] A version of this ship has since been seen intact and operational being used by the Alliance during an Faction Assault on Nazmir, until it was destroyed by the Horde.[5]
The boat from Stormwind now sails to Rut'theran Village following Deathwing's destruction of Auberdine.
Introduced a mercenary ship from Stormwind (same dock as the Northrend ship) with the quest [30-35] Call of Duty.
Patch 3.0.2 (2008-10-14): The crews have returned.
Hotfix (2007-12-06):The vendors on the Boats and Zeppelins throughout Azeroth have run out stock and shut up shop, they are no longer able to service you with their wares.
Patch 2.3.0 (2007-11-13): Boats that carry players are now populated with NPC crews, some of which are vendors. The boats also now rock side-to-side while moving.
Patch 1.7.0 (2005-09-13): Some of the ship paths have been modified.
Hotfix (2005-04-22):The boat between Menethil and Auberdine has returned to normal operation.
Hotfix (2005-01-21):Today's maintenance removed the boat that traveled from Menethil Harbor to Auberdine from the realms listed below. Two new NPCs, Captain Placeholder in Menethil Harbor and Captain Noteo in Auberdine, have been placed on the docks where players used to board this boat. Both NPCs are marked with a yellow exclamation point over hovering over their heads (the same exclamation point used to let players know that an NPC has an available quest for them). Opening a dialog with these NPCs will allow players to travel between the two cities.