People and organizations around the world have worked to preserve existing vessels and record their plans. Traditional boat societies and maritime museums, especially, make it possible for people to see and use many of the beautiful and practical boats that are our maritime heritage. Besides preserving the vessels themselves, programs to measure and record the plans of many boats have made reproductions possible. The Mystic Seaport Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and many other organizations make plans available so we can enjoy the boats that have graced our harbors and borne people throughout the world for some thousands of years. Mariners and their boats must face the prevailing conditions.
Conditions change constantly on all the rivers, lakes, and oceans of the world.
Boat lines and construction have developed with these conditions in mind. Entrusting our lives to our boats, boats of all types have always been beautiful as well as strong. Since water follows a fair form without turbulence, the lovely line works for us practically and aesthetically. Turbulence produces pressure and drag, inhibiting the free motion possible in water. We use this pressure in steering, but we appreciate the smooth and easy motion of the most beautiful boats.