Longboat

A longboat was an open boat used on-board ships during the age of the sailing ships. Its original name was "shallop", but that was changed to "longboat" in the 18th century.^[1] A ship or vessel would carry several ships' boats for various uses. The most important would be a longboat, an open boat to be rowed by up to eight or ten oarsmen. The longboat had rowing benches designed for up to two men to an oar. A longboat was designed for use in rough water and could be rigged for sails.

Two longboats with crews

One of its main uses was as a pulling boat. Another was to weigh anchor.^[2] When a ship was at anchor, longboats carried people and supplies between ship and shore.^[2]