Boat

"The boat turned out to be good-sized, well armed with disk launchers, and large enough to accommodate at least a dozen beings."

- Narrator, Federation of Fear

Boats are a common method of water transportation in the Matoran Universe. They come in a great variety of shapes and forms, as well as users.

==History ==

Due to the large bodies of water, such as the Silver Sea, that seperated the islands of the Matoran Universe from one another, Boats were created and achieved widespread use, as it made island travel possible. Most islands have ports for boats, and control the sea traffic in and out.

Metru Nui
On Metru Nui, large boats called Flatboats trolled the Protodermis Canals, transporting supplies, carvings, and various other items too delicate or large to travel through the Chutes or be moved with Cargo Loaders.

Ga-Matoran would also sometimes race boats in the canals during their free time. These boats were smaller versions of regular Ga-Metru vessels, meant to be used solely for entertainment to see which one was the fastest. The Matoran Macku also offered canoe tours of Metru Nui's coast.

During the Order of Mata Nui/Brotherhood of Makuta War, Toa Mahri Jaller, Nuparu and Hahli used a Metru Nui boat to transport the Heart of the Visorak to the volcanic island of Artidax. Upon arriving, Takadox commandeered their boat and stranded them there.

Mata Nui
On the island of Mata Nui, boats were particularly popular in Ga-Wahi. They were mainly used by Ga-Matoran sailors to travel and explore the sea surrounding Mata Nui and the rivers on the island. However, Ga-Matoran also made boat racing a sport on Mata Nui, calling it Ngalawa. Macku owned a canoe which she kept hidden in some bushes near the Naho Falls. She also used a larger boat to flee Ga-Koro during the Tarakava attack and beached near Ta-Koro. After regaining consciousness, Takua used this same boat to reach the village and witness Gali's arrival. Takua later used a third boat, originating from Ga-Koro, to travel to the Ta-Wahi beach and Po-Wahi. When the Chronicler's Company began their journey to Kini-Nui, Macku fetched her boat and the Matoran boarded it to traverse the falls. The population of Po-Koro traveled to Ga-Koro during the invasion of the Bohrok Swarms on a fleet of boats.

After the strike of the Bohrok-Kal, Pelagia the sailor ran the Ga-Koro Ferry Service and took Matoran to a desired location on her Sea Chart in exchange for one Widget. However, the other villages could not be reached on account of the storms.

Recently, a large number of boats were made to carry the entire Matoran population from Mata Nui back to their city, Metru Nui.

Dark Hunters
The Dark Hunters have a large navy, as demonstrated when they laid siege to Xia. Their boats have varied in their size. Some of their boats were just big enough to carry three passengers, while others have been known to hold at least nine.

Three of the future Piraka, Avak, Vezok, and Reidak, used a small boat when they traveled to Metru Nui. Avak guarded the boat, while the other two freed the Kanohi Dragon, which flipped it as soon as the giant Rahi escaped the sea cave. They again used a boat to reach one of Teridax's lairs near the Great Barrier, but this time with the addition of Hakann, Zaktan, and Thok. It was soon destroyed.

The Dark Hunters also used boats to patrol the waters around Zakaz. Most of these boats were destroyed by Zyglak. The surviving Dark Hunters fled inland and were slain by the Skakdi residents.

The Shadowed One later utilized a fleet of ships to plague Xia. He and Ancient occupied one of the flagships in the invasion. The invasion was stopped, however, by the sudden appearance of Helryx, who threatened to destroy the entire fleet. They then continued to lay siege to Xia, and prevented supplies from going to the Brotherhood of Makuta.

===Stelt Boats ===

On the island of Stelt, a team of Brutaka, Roodaka, Spiriah, Vezon, Carapar, and Takadox stole a boat from a local trader of Sidorak's species. This ship was soon mutinied upon by Spiriah and he sailed to the water around Zakaz. Brutaka later took back possession of the ship and sailed it to the Southern Islands, and more specifically to Artidax. When Takadox abandoned his team, he took the ship, but it was soon destroyed.

The original owner of the ship has since found a replacement ship and members of his crew.

Order of Mata Nui
On a destination to Destral, Trinuma and Vezon traveled in a small boat. Upon reaching Destral’s shores, Trinuma dropped the half-Skakdi off on the island and left in the skiff.

Brotherhood of Makuta
The Brotherhood used ships to attack Metru Nui, flying the banner of the Makuta. All these ships were sunk to the bottom of the Silver Sea by a newly awakened Teridax.

Zyglak
Zyglak use boats as well and have at one time created a large navy of boats. When Spiriah left Stelt, he sent a message to the Zyglak he had allied with to follow his ship. The navy had helped Spiriah mutiny against Brutaka successfully, and so the exiled Makuta ordered the Zyglak to attack the island of Zakaz and slay all the Skakdi, believing they were the cause of his failed experiment. They quickly destroyed a small Dark Hunter fleet patrolling the island. However, large numbers of the Zyglak boats were shattered by Ehlek’s species off the coast of Zakaz. Zyglak boats were built from remnants of other boats and wreckage, and were barely capable of sea travel.

Skakdi
Skakdi craft were used to transport Nektann, his Skakdi, and Rahkshi to the Southern Islands.

Toa Empire Alternate Universe
Sea vessels were briefly seen in a different reality. The boats were carrying Matoran, Dark Hunters, and Vortixx to Metru Nui.

Features
A variety of Boats were developed to serve different purposes, such as mass transport, as well as item storage. Boats are often armed with weapons, such as Kanoka Disk launchers, to repel any threats that can appear on the high seas. The level of boat sophistication depends on the crafters and supplies available; boats on Mata Nui were less advanced, due to the materials being salvaged or otherwise derived from natural resources. Zyglak, who avoid civilized society, also have very unsophisticated boats, barely able to traverse the seascape.

Trivia

 * Boats are referred to as "Sea-Craft" in Chutespeak/Treespeak.

Appearances



 * No One Gets Left Behind


 * Through My Own Eyes


 * BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil


 * BIONICLE Adventures 7: Web of the Visorak (Mentioned only)


 * BIONICLE Adventures 10: Time Trap


 * Sanctus Epitaph


 * Double: Day Zero


 * Double: Crime and the City


 * Tentacles by Turakii #1 Lavasurfer


 * Comic 15: Secrets and Shadows (Mentioned Only)


 * BIONICLE Adventures 1: Mystery of Metru Nui


 * Federation of Fear


 * Dark Mirror (In an Alternate Universe)


 * Destiny War


 * Dwellers in Darkness


 * Takanuva's Blog (Mentioned Only)


 * Reign of Shadows (Mentioned Only)


 * BIONICLE: Journey's End


 * BIONICLE: Quest for the Toa


 * Mata Nui Online Game


 * Bohrok Online Animations


 * Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle


 * BIONICLE: The Game


 * BIONICLE Heroes (Non-canonical Appearance)