Alter Aeon Online Help

Keywords are:  'boats carried'

A boat item is something you carry with you, be it as big as a canoe or
as small as the fabled magical clam shell.  Having a boat with you, either
in your inventory or worn, will allow you to cross streams and other
bodies of water.  If you lack a boat and are a mage, the 'fly' spell will
have a similar effect.

Note that carried boats are usually little more than floatation devices.
For information on ships and seafaring boats, see 'help seafaring boats'.

Near places that you will need a boat, something is usually available,
even if it be a poor substitute such as a piece of driftwood.

Some characters opt to get the swimming skill, which eliminates the need
for a boat item.  Good swimmers are also able to move faster than people
in big clunky boats, but mages with the 'fly' spell can still outpace
all others.