Nobody knows exactly when people first started sin! craft to travel on water" bt it #st have been tens of thosands of years a!o$ The first craft were probably extre#ely si#ple %st a lo!" an inflated ani#al skin" or a bndle of reeds tied to!ether$ People discovered that craft like these cold help the# to cross a stretch of water #ore easily$ These craft probably developed into early si#ple boats" sch as d!&ot canoes and skin&covered boats" in which a person cold sit while fishin! or travellin! alon! a river$ The basic desi!ns are still in se in #any areas of the world today and have #any advanta!es over #odern boats$ ' (acts: A d!&ot canoe is #ade by hollowin! ot a thick tree trnk to leave a thin wooden hll$ The hll is s#oothed and shaped so that it #oves easily thro!h the water$ ' )n *+,-" Norwe!ian Thor Heyerdahl bilt a lar!e E!yptian&style reed boat called Ra ))$ He sailed it fro# Africa to the .aribbean$ This proved the E!yptians wold have been able to reach A#erica #ore than /"--- years a!o$ The a!e of sail Sails captre the wind and se it to psh ships and boats alon!$ Sails first appeared on ships on the river Nile in abot 01--2.$ These ships had one si#ple s3are sail on a sin!le #ast$ They were only sefl when the wind was blowin! in the sa#e direction that the crew of the ship wanted to !o$ 4ikin! boats in the A56--s sed s3are sails to sail the coasts of Scandinavia$ )n the 7iddle A!es" the lateen 8trian!lar9 sail allowed ships to be sailed with the wind fro# the side$ This type of sail was invented by the .hinese and Arabs$ (ro# the **--s" Eropean sailors be!an bildin! flly ri!!ed ships with a co#bination of s3are and lateen sails$ This allowed the# to #ake the #axi## se of the wind$ Stea# power The first stea# en!ines were developed in the early *,--s for p#pin! water ot of the #ines$ 2y the end of the centry they had beco#e s#all and en!ineers be!an to se the# in trains and ships$ Stea# power #eant that a ship cold keep !oin! even if the wind was in the wron! direction$ Early stea#ships sed paddles" bt propellers !radally proved to be #ore efficient$ After the *:1-s" shipbilders be!an to se iron instead of wood$ The sperior stren!th of iron #eant that #ch lar!er ships cold be bilt" which cold also be fitted with #ore powerfl stea# en!ines$ ' (acts: The first craft to se stea# power was a s#all river boat called the .harlotte 5ndas" lanched in *:-;$ Ship Power There are #any different ways of propellin! boats and ships thro!h the water$ The #ost basic" sch as rowin! and paddlin!" are h#an&powered$ Today they are only sed in s#all vessels$ Sails harness the natral power of the wind to propel a boat or a ship$ En!ines convert the ener!y stored in fel into the #ove#ent of a propeller$ As the propeller spins" its blades force water to rsh backwards" which thrsts the boat or ship forwards$ 7ost en!ines sed in boats and ships are diesel en!ines$ Other types of #arine en!ine are petrol en!ines" !as trbine en!ines and stea# trbine en!ines$ Other craft" sch as hovercraft" have aircraft&like propellers$ ' (acts: )n *:/1" two ships" one with a propeller and one with paddlewheels" fo!ht a war$ The battle was to find the #ost efficient$ The propeller easily won$ 4O.A2<=AR> .raft ? a#barcatine 2ndle of reeds ? snop de stf Stretch of water ? intindere de apa Hollow ot 8to9 ? a scobi Hll ? corpl" coca navei 5!&ot canoe ? piro!a" lntre din trnchi scobit Sail ? pan@a de corabie" vela 7ast ? catar! Ri!!ed ships ? nava c velatra Stea# ? abr Stea#ship ? vapor c abr Paddle ? @bat" padela Propeller ? elice Harness 8to9 ? a intensifica Spin 8to9 ? a se roti 2lade ? pala de elice"paleta de trbina Thrst 8to9 ? a i#pin!e Hovercraft ? a#barcatine pe perna de aer