This guide credits to bhendar ( Original Page )

I'm sure most people want to use a boat - and do. I just wanted to explain a bit of what I've discovered since I started, because it's been invaluable to me. First off - Woodcutting. Cutting Wood can make you a lot of money, if you can avoid/kill the treants that guard the Wood places. (Explorer kiting wins :p) But most importantly - Wood can be used to repair your ship, while at sea! First, get the Woodcutting lifeskill, and an Axe. The axe is sold at the blacksmith, for the lifeskill, there are other guides explaining it - but in short, you need to get lifeskill points from the Story quests and then buy the skill book from the Grocer. Then cut down some Wood (big surprise there eh? ^^ ). You need a lot - because one half stack of 10 gets turned into 1 Bundle in your ship's cargo hold... Then find a Freight handler, there are usually some near the Wood areas, and ask him to load your Wood to your ship. Well done, you now have the basics to repair your ship! Once you're at sea, open up your Inventory, and right-click the Deed to your ship. There is a big button to the right, labelled "Cargo" - clicking this button toggles between your Cargo and your ship's Stats. Click it once to bring up the Cargo, then double-click the Wood to repair your ship! It works the same way as Cake for your character! Secondly - Fishing. Same again, fishing is primarily a money-maker, as you can sell the Sashimi for 200-400, or even more depending on the market. But the benefits of Fishing are even more important - Fish Meat, which you also get from fishing, can refuel your ship while at sea! Again, you'll need the Fishing skill, and a boat equipped with a Net. It's very straightforward to get Fish Meat - it drops while you fish, just like the Sashimi! The Fish Meat goes directly into your Cargo hold, not in your Inventory. To use the Fish Meat, open up your ship's cargo, and double-click it to regain some Fuel! ------------------------------------------------------ *As noted by silverash014 - remember that if you sink, you lose your cargo! So make sure you use that Wood as soon as you start losing structure... ------------------------------------------------------ *Inspired by shamgc : Plan your trips. If you sink, you have to salvage from the last port you docked at - so don't try to go directly from Argent to Icicle City for example. Instead, stop over in Shaitan to dock, even if you don't have to repair/refuel - that way if you get sunk you only have to start from Shaitan! ------------------------------------------------------ *As explained by Valarauka : You can trade cargo from ship to ship. So if you're changing ships and you can find a friendly and trustworthy person to help you transfer your stuff, you don't have to lose your Fish Meat. Apparently works for Wood/Ore - don't know about Trade stuff you buy off the Traders. Does NOT work with Salvage items. (Would love a confirmation on these ) ------------------------------------------------------ Voila, you can now sustain your ship at sea indefinitely - provided your Wood or Meat don't run out of course Good Luck!