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About This File
Boats and & Boat Booms
Ever since Man first devised the means to travel by sea, the “small boat”, and eventually the larger “ship”, have proven to be indispensable to Civilization and commerce. For the most part, ships did not tie-up to a dock unless they were being repaired, taking on stores and provisions, or loading or unloading cargo. Docks were generally owned by shipping companies, and allowing random ships to “park” at your dock was clearly unprofitable. Instead, ships commonly anchored offshore and used a variety of small boats to communicate between ship and shore. “AP” has provided us with a full range of small boats to service your anchored ships and populate your harbors. A small “dinghy” could be used by one or two men to run small errands, while the larger “cutter” could be crewed and used to transport people, mail, and supplies. On large ships, “whaleboats” and even rowed “barges” could move large numbers of sailors between ship and shore.
All ships, and even large pleasure craft, are equipped with small boats for two basic reasons: to communicate with land, and for life-saving needs should the ship sink. These small boats were invariably stored on a weather deck and hoisted over the side by a crane or mast-boom when needed. In Sir Francis Drake’s day, boats returning from shore would be tied to mooring rings along the ship’s hull near the gangway ladder. When preparing to sail, the boats would be hoisted back aboard and secured to the deck – a rather labor-intensive process. With the advent of iron and steel hulled ships, a better method was devised to “park” the boats when not in use – a “boat boom”. This was a long spar temporarily rigged to the side of the ship at a right angle. This provided “parking” space for three to five boats and eliminated the confused clutter of small craft around the gangway. Boat booms can be seen in operation in many photographs of warships during the Victorian and Edwardian Eras.
“AP” has provided us a wide and expertly detailed range of small boats and boat booms – both “ortho” and diagonal – to add realism and variety to your harbors and big ships. As props, they can be added directly to a ship during the “lotting” process – or – with a little careful planning, they can be created as stand-alone lots that can be plopped alongside any ship.
How to use
This pack contains .SC4model-files and props as .SC4desc-files. So, by installing this pack nothing will directly appear in your game. You can use the props on your own lots or convert the SC4models into buildings, as you please. Since most props are to be used on water lots and props naturally align with the surface level, they will sink to the sea floor, if you do not stick to the guidelines on how to use props on water lots. Finally you will need to follow the instructions on how to make a lot transparent. You will find the props in any Lot-Editor under the prefix A_1P_h_
As per request from the community, I have also included a version of the ship without historic flags and crew.
Please visit @Dreadnought's CJ to get detailed descriptions and the historical backgrounds to these prop packs. You will see a wonderful display of the results of our long collaboration there and can get a preview of what might be hidden in the coming prop packs or simply get some inspiration for your own harbour!
What's New 1.0.0 View Changelog
Released
Restored 6/10/2026
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