DREADMOOR Boat Upgrades Guide – Dry Dock, Hull Protection & Upgraded Engine

Your trawler is the only thing between you and the water. This guide covers the Dry Dock workflow, the research currency, the two required modules, and the optional upgrades actually worth their materials. The full module list with materials lives in the boat upgrades database.

Research and Torn Pages

Boat upgrades are learned in the Mastery / research interface, then crafted at the Ship Upgrades Table in the Dry Dock. Research consumes Torn Pages — the inventory item is called Scraps of Knowledge. Pages come from quests and exploration, and traders sell them for 200 each.

The ship tree has 29 nodes in the demo data, but most are locked. The required route is short: Standard Engine → Hull Protection → Upgraded Engine. Spend pages on the quest chain first.

The Dry Dock Workflow

The Dry Dock is a physical workshop, not a menu. Before any module work:

1. Repair the Fuse Box with 1 Cable, then flip the separate Power Switch.
2. Bring the boat onto the Boat Lift and raise it.
3. Run the Pressure Pump, then use the Water Cannon to remove the Polyps.
4. Load Bug Slime into the Repair Gun and repair each damaged hull section individually.
5. Craft modules at the Lathe, then install them in the correct mounting position.

If a crafted component seems missing, check the Storage Locker before spending materials on a second copy.

The Two Required Modules

Hull Protection

• Research: Weak Hull Protection (2 Torn Pages)
• Craft: 3× Coral Fibers, 2× Bug Slime, 2× Rope, 2× Rubber
• Install: side-front slot
• Effect: Protection 2, Boat Speed −1

Upgraded Engine

• Research: Upgraded Engine (2 Torn Pages)
• Craft: 10× Metal Plate, 4× Gear, 2× Machine Oil, 1× Carburetor
• Carburetor: bought at Betsy and Sons for 50 after delivering three Harpooners
• Effect: boat speed rises from 2 kn to 4 kn

Remove the Standard Engine and store it before installing the new one.

Engine and Propeller Numbers

Engine	Forward	Backward	Acceleration	Repair
Standard Engine	600	200	120–80	3× Rusty Scrap Metal
Upgraded Engine	750	250	140–100	3× Rusty Scrap Metal
Heavy-Duty Engine	850	250	160–110	3× Rusty Scrap Metal

Propeller	Max angular speed	Notes
Old Propeller	0	Baseline — any upgrade is a real handling gain
Upgraded Propeller	15	2× Impeller + 6× Rubber

Optional Upgrades Worth the Materials

• Small Fish Hold — more capacity on long trips, but it competes with hull work for Chromatic Scales and Coral Fibers.
• Upgraded Propeller — the handling jump from 0 to 15 angular speed is immediately noticeable.
• Spotlight — genuinely useful on night water, but expensive: Cable, Coral Fibers, Bug Slime, Relay Tubes and Chromatic Scales.
• Afterburner — a burst of speed for escapes.
• Fuel Tank — one Metal Plate; cheap insurance against running dry between islands.

Fuel and Repairs

The boat burns fuel, and the Fuel Larva is the production chain: process fish into Fish Meat at the Grinder, feed the larva, then fill the tank with the Fuel Gun. Engine damage is repaired with Rusty Scrap Metal; hull damage is patched at the Dry Dock with Bug Slime. Before any run to Angler's Island or The Throat, check both the tank and the hull.