What are facts about Ancient Egyptian boats?

Answer 1

• The earliest form of boat built in ancient Egypt was a simple flat raft made of bundles of papyrus, lashed together with ropes. These rafts were blunt at the rear and pointed at the front. Similar rafts continued to be made for hunting birds and other animals among the reeds of the river.
• The construction of wooden boats reflects the lack of suitable quality timber in Egypt - only short pieces could be used, jointed to many others to create long sections of timber. It was much like making a model out of matchsticks.
• Egyptian boats had no keel, so they would have been useless at sea. Since they were almost entirely used on the Nile, the absence of a keel was not a problem.
• Both sails and oars were fitted. When rowing, the entire mast and sail could be collapsed and stored along the length of the boat.
• Steering was by means of one or two "steering oars" at the stern of the boat.
• The prevailing wind in Egypt is from the north, so travelling upstream would be done using sails. Travelling north (downstream) depended on oars.
• The most elegant boats (including royal barges) had their bows and stern high out of the water, with covered booths to provide shade for passengers. The crew worked in the centre of the boat, except for the steersman at the stern.