ModsFinder

Expensive Boats

by clo4

Expensive Boats makes the boat recipe require a netherite ingot, so crossing water costs more than a few planks.

FabricForgeNeoForgeQuiltServer required, client optionalMIT LicenseOpen source1.21 – 1.21.8

What it does

A data pack changes the boat crafting recipe. The basic boat no longer needs only five planks: the bottom layer is wood with a netherite ingot underneath, which acts as the boat's ballast keel. Players who want a boat must reach the Nether, explore it and spend a valuable resource before they can sail far.

In vanilla, a boat can be crafted right after the first tree is punched, and water is no real barrier. With the recipe changed, water travel is something a player earns through progress rather than something received at no cost, and early-game escape by boat becomes a choice that carries a price.

Expensive Boats is open source under the MIT License and is published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, with files for 1.21 – 1.21.8, the latest being 1.0.0+mod for 1.21.8 from 2025-03-30. The server must run it, while players may leave it out. It is also available as a data pack.

Key features

  1. Netherite boat recipe

    The boat recipe requires a netherite ingot in its bottom layer, so the item is tied to late-game resources.

  2. Costly water travel

    Crossing oceans and lakes takes an investment, which gives exploration more significance and stakes.

  3. Slower early escape

    A boat is no longer an instant way to flee hostile mobs at night, so players build shelter and handle the night cycle.

  4. Unchanged vanilla boats

    Only the crafting recipe changes; the boats themselves keep their normal function once they are made.

Compatibility

Latest build for each game version and loader.

1.21.x9 of 9 versions with builds
1.21.81.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.21.71.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.21.61.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.21.51.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.21.41.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.21.31.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.21.21.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.21.11.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
1.211.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod1.0.0+mod
ReleaseBetaAlphaNot available

Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.

How it compares

Full comparison

Boats but long is a client and server mod under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 or later, open source and published for 1.21 – 1.21.3, so both sides must run it. Seaworthy Boats is a client and server mod under All rights reserved, not open source, with files for 1.20.1 – 26.3. Expensive Boats instead changes only the recipe, and players can join a server running it without installing anything.

ModLoadersGame versionsEnvironmentUpdated
Expensive BoatsFabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt1.21 – 1.21.8Server required, client optional2025-03-30
Boats but longFabric, Forge and NeoForge1.21 – 1.21.3Client and server2025-02-25
Seaworthy BoatsFabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt1.20.1 – 26.3Client and server2026-10-02

Questions

Does Expensive Boats require a specific loader?

No. It is published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, and the same file version 1.0.0+mod is listed for each loader for 1.21.8.

Can players join a server running Expensive Boats without installing it?

Yes. Players can join without it, since the server runs the mod and clients may leave it out.

Is Expensive Boats available as a data pack?

Yes. The recipe change is also offered as a data pack, which server owners can use instead of the mod files.

In the catalog

Expensive Boats is one of 3,932 Transportation mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,390 Transportation mods for Fabric. 17,695 mods support Minecraft 1.21.8.

Transportation mods3,932Fabric modsMods for 1.21.817,695

More from clo4

All projects
Detect AFK Players1.18 – 1.21.8Pause Day Cycle1.13 – 1.21.8No Free Deaths: Better keepInventory1.18 – 1.21.8AFK Dim Names1.13 – 1.21.8AFK Sit1.20.3 – 1.21.8AFK Sleep1.17 – 1.21.8

Similar mods

Xaero's Minimap1.7.10 – 26.3Carry On1.12.2 – 26.3Waystones1.16.5 – 26.3InvMove1.16 – 26.3Immersive Aircraft1.16.5 – 26.2Elytra Slot1.13.2 – 1.21.5

What the author says

Boats have been in Minecraft since the early days, and they let you travel vast distances across water from day one with minimal resource investment. These are one of the few features of the game that I actively dislike, and here's why. A basic boat requires just five planks. That's it. You can craft one immediately…
clo4, on the Modrinth page

Official listing

Owner
clo4
Published
2025-03-30
Updated on Modrinth
2025-03-30
Facts verified
2026-10-15

Tags

AdventureGame mechanicsTransportation
Open on ModrinthCompare