Screenshot 1 of 2. A player sits in a wooden boat on blue water with an oar hanging off the side, shown in Better Boat Movement.
What Better Boat Movement works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Fabric, NeoForge, Quilt |
| Minecraft versions | 1.19.3, 1.19.4, 1.20.6, 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2, 26.3 |
| Environment | Client, Server |
Better Boat Movement lets boats jump up blocks instead of stalling against them. It ships for Fabric, Quilt and NeoForge as a mod, and for Paper, Folia and Purpur as a plugin.
Loaders and versions
- Fabric and Quilt: Minecraft 1.19.3 to 26.3. The newest build requires YetAnotherConfigLib (YACL), Fabric Language Kotlin and Fabric API, optionally Mod Menu; some builds for 1.20 to 1.21.3 require Fabric Language Kotlin and Fabric API; builds for 1.19.3 to 1.19.4 require Fabric Language Kotlin and Fabric API.
- NeoForge: Minecraft 1.20.3 to 26.3. The newest build requires YetAnotherConfigLib (YACL) and KotlinLangForge; some builds for 1.20.3 to 1.21.7 require KotlinLangForge; some builds for 1.20.4 to 1.21.1 require YetAnotherConfigLib (YACL) and Kotlin for Forge.
- Forge: Minecraft 1.19.3 to 1.20.2, builds stopped after November 2024. The newest build requires KotlinLangForge; some builds for 1.20 to 1.20.2 require YetAnotherConfigLib (YACL) and Kotlin for Forge; some builds for 1.19.3 to 1.19.4 require Kotlin for Forge.
How boat jumping works
Boats read their actual collision shapes and jump obstacles they can reach, rather than trying to boost over walls that are too tall. A manual jump keybind exists too. It defaults to H and can be reassigned, but it stays off until you enable it in the config.
- Automatic boosts can trigger under water, in water, on land and under flowing water.
- Boosts can be limited to boats carrying a player, or to chosen supporting and colliding blocks.
- A look-ahead range lets the boat boost before it touches the obstacle.
- Manual jumps use a height multiplier and, by default, only work on the ground or in water.
Multiplayer and server plugins
The Paper, Folia and Purpur plugins go in the plugins folder and need no dependencies. Players without the mod still receive automatic boosts on those servers. Installing the matching mod adds smoother client-side prediction, the manual jump keybind and a read-only screen showing the server's synchronized settings. The server stays authoritative either way.
Configuration and installation
Fabric and NeoForge read config/better-boat-movement.json. The plugins read plugins/better-boat-movement/better-boat-movement.json. The same options apply everywhere, with defaults of 0.35 for stepHeight and 0.5 for extraCollisionDetectionRange. Changes in a local or singleplayer screen apply when saved, while dedicated servers need a restart after file edits. New to mods? Follow the Java mod install guide and drop the jar and its dependencies into the mods folder.
Questions about Better Boat Movement.
3 questions
Does Better Boat Movement work on multiplayer servers?
Yes. Fabric, NeoForge, Paper, Folia and Purpur servers validate boat movement and sync their settings to modded players. On Paper-family servers, players without the mod still get automatic jumps, but they lose the manual keybind and the settings screen.
How do I jump a boat manually?
Set allowJumpKeybind to true in the config, then press the jump key once per jump. Manual jumps multiply stepHeight by 1.2 by default and only work on the ground or in water.
Do I need the mod on the server and the client?
For Fabric and NeoForge, yes, both sides need the mod. For Paper, Folia and Purpur, the plugin alone is enough for automatic boosts. The matching client mod is strongly recommended because it makes jumps feel more immediate.
