Paddleboat

Paddleboats are an unscripted, physics-reliant vehicle designed to float and 'sail' on smooth terrain water and was designed to be easier alternatives to script-based boats and ships. Paddleboats were introduced throughout 2012 during the new terrain updates and were moderate in popularity during 2012 to 2014. However, they have since lost their fame due to being outcompeted by various other methods of Roblox water transport.

Player Transport
The most common type of usage for paddleboats was for transportation of players across water-filled maps, particularly lakes or oceans. These tended to be lightweight, fairly manoeuvrable, carried plenty of seats and were typically constructed from Wood or Wooden Planks.

Tankers and Cargo
Although uncommon, some players would construct larger paddleboats for use in cargo transport, materials, other vehicles and other goods. This was a risky move, as physics would play a huge role in keeping everything stable enough for unanchored parts. This is an unreliable type due to physics, weight and speed.

Military
The second most common type of usage was for military groups based on terrain water, especially naval warfare groups. These were equipped with classic weapons such as the button cannon, joint breaking parts, and were built with thicker parts for tougher armour against explosions. However, they were not the most  manoeuvrable and suffered from cannon angle limitations.

Physics
All paddleboat designs relied on physics of some sort. Most notably tankers and cargo ships, this was a massive problem for boats designed to carry other unanchored parts. Paddleboats carrying cargo would often glitch when lag spikes were encountered and were rarely ever stable, tossing and turning at the slightest bump.

Armour
Military paddleboats had limitations of how thick their armour could be. Too thick and the speed would suffer, or the ship would sink. Too light and explosions could make mincemeat of the ship. Areas like weaponry, vehicle seats and paddles would also have to be protected.

Use on land and water
Amphibious paddleboats were almost impossible to make without minor glitches. Multipurpose paddleboats were slow and buggy. This has always been a problem for paddleboats.

Replacements
As script-based boats became more common, paddleboats began to see a decrease in usage from 2014, and modern paddleboats are rarely ever uploaded. From 2016, script-based boats were the norm for a lot of developers in terrain water.



Comparison
On average, script-based boats are less likely to capsize from speed or power. Other alternatives also allow more armour to be placed upon boats for warships, weaponry to have more degrees of freedom, and more manoeuvrability.