Sailing is Old School RuneScape’s newest skill, and ships are the core mechanic that defines how you train, explore, and progress. Choosing the right ship — and upgrading it correctly — can dramatically improve your efficiency, while building the wrong ship at the wrong time can cost you millions of OSRS gold and hours of wasted progress.

Every ship type in OSRS Sailing serves a specific purpose. Some excel at speed and exploration, others are designed for cargo delivery, salvaging, combat, or deep-sea fishing. Understanding when to build each ship and how to specialise it is essential for smooth progression from level 1 all the way to endgame Sailing.

In this guide, we will break down every ship type, explain its ideal builds at different stages, and show you how to avoid common mistakes. If you are looking for a full progression walkthrough, be sure to check out our 1–99 Sailing Guide as well.

Raft – The Fastest Early-Game Ship

Required Sailing Level: 1

Primary Use: Exploration, charting, early cargo missions

The raft is the first ship every player starts with, and while it may look unimpressive, it remains useful throughout your entire Sailing journey. Unlike larger ships, rafts are cheap to upgrade and incredibly fast, making them ideal for exploration and charting.

Advantages of the Raft

  • Extremely fast travel speed

  • Can access tight charting locations that larger ships cannot reach

  • Cheapest upgrades of any ship type

  • Very low recovery cost (700 gold from any port)

Disadvantages

  • Cannot equip a keel

  • Unable to travel through rough waters

Despite its limitations, the raft is one of the most gold-efficient ships in the game and should never be overlooked.

Early-Game Raft Setup

During early Sailing levels, your raft should be simple and functional:

  • Build a cargo hold

  • Continuously upgrade the hull and sails as levels allow

At this stage, rafts are mainly used for cargo missions and charting nearby seas.

Late-Game Raft Setup

Later in the skill, the raft becomes a specialised travel tool:

  • Upgrade to rosewood hull and sails

  • Replace the cargo hold with a Teleport Focus

This transforms the raft into a rapid-travel vessel for charting remote locations, especially docks without ship recovery services.

Skiff – The Core Progression Ship

Required Sailing Level: 15

Primary Use: Barracuda trials, cargo delivery, general progression

The skiff is a medium-sized ship and will be your primary vessel for a large portion of your Sailing journey. While it is not ideal for combat or heavy salvaging, it excels at Barracuda Trials and late-game cargo delivery. Because of its importance, upgrading the skiff should be your top priority once unlocked.

Early-Game Skiff Setup

Focus exclusively on core ship components:

  • Hull

  • Keel

  • Sails

  • Helm

Avoid adding facilities until at least level 33 Sailing.

Mid-Game Skiff Setup (Level 30+)

Once you reach level 30 Sailing and complete your first Barracuda Trial, begin adding facilities in the following order:

1. Keg (33 Sailing, 25 Construction)

  • Store drinks that provide passive buffs

  • Chart 70 oceans to unlock Horizon’s Lure

  • Store 25 drinks for a permanent 2.5% Sailing XP boost

2. Inoculation Station (40 Sailing, 37 Construction)

  • Allows safe travel through fetid waters

3. Salvaging Hook (Optional)

  • Only recommended if you want a break from Barracuda Trials

  • Requires upgrading the cargo hold as well

Late-Game Skiff Setup (Level 53+)

At higher levels, the skiff becomes heavily specialised for trials and charting:

  • Wind Catcher (53 Sailing, 47 Construction)

    Stores wind charges for speed boosts; mandatory for later Barracuda Trials

  • Crystal Extractor (73 Sailing, 67 Construction)

    Must be built near the helm

    Generates wind charges and grants 250 Sailing XP per harvest

  • Eternal Brazier (78 Sailing, 72 Construction)

    Enables travel through icy oceans

    Required for high-level charting

Sloop – The Endgame Workhorse

Required Sailing Level: 50

Primary Use: Ship combat, salvaging, deep-sea trawling

The sloop is the most complex and expensive ship in OSRS Sailing. It is designed for high-risk, high-reward content, including ship combat, shipwreck salvaging, and deep-sea fishing. Most players build two sloops to cover all content efficiently, while min-maxers often build three specialised sloops.

Salvage & Combat Sloop

This is the most common sloop configuration, combining both salvaging and combat capabilities.

Mid-Game Salvage & Combat Build

Combat is weak until late game, so focus on salvaging first:

  • 2 Adamant Salvaging Hooks (59 Sailing, 52 Construction)

    Skip lower-tier hooks to save gold

  • Camphor Cargo Hold (60 Sailing, 53 Construction)

    Increased salvage capacity

  • Inoculation Station

    Required for fetid waters

  • Salvaging Station (52 Sailing, 34 Construction)

    Salvage without returning to docks

    Improves XP and loot efficiency

  • Teleport Focus (55 Sailing, 49 Construction)

  • Wind Catcher (53 Sailing, 47 Construction)

  • Keg

    Fill with Horizon’s Lure or Whirlpool Surprise

    Switch to Perildance Bitter when using cannons

Late-Game Salvage & Combat Build

Upgrade your ship for maximum efficiency and profit:

  • Crystal Extractor (73 Sailing, 67 Construction)

    Place near the salvaging stations

  • Eternal Brazier

    Required for frozen seas and high-profit krakens

  • Dragon Salvaging Hooks (86 Sailing, 78 Construction)

    Best-in-slot, but expensive

  • Rosewood Cargo Hold (89 Sailing, 84 Construction)

  • Double Dragon Cannon (92 Sailing, 84 Construction)

  • Greater Teleport Focus (75 Sailing, 69 Construction)

Separate Combat and Salvage Ships

If you prefer separate ships:

  • Add extra kegs for multiple buffs

  • Sacrifice either cannon slots or salvaging hooks

Deep-Sea Trawling Sloop

Deep-sea trawling is the highest-level Fishing content in Sailing, offering access to the best fish in the game. For a full breakdown, check out our Deep Sea Trawling Guide.

Mid-Game Trawling Setup

  • Double Linen Trawling Net (68 Sailing, 61 Construction)

  • Advanced Chum Station (68 Sailing, 61 Construction)

  • Fathom Stone (70 Sailing, 62 Construction)

  • Inoculation Station

  • Camphor Cargo Hold

  • Teleport Focus

  • Wind Catcher

  • Double Keg

    • Trawler’s Trust for fish

    • Horizon’s Lure for Sailing XP

Late-Game Trawling Setup

  • Crystal Extractor

  • Eternal Brazier

  • Double Cotton Trawling Net (84 Sailing, 73 Construction)

  • Rosewood Cargo Hold

  • Greater Teleport Focus

  • Fathom Pearl (91 Sailing, 83 Construction)

  • Chum Spreader (82 Sailing, 74 Construction)

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right ship — and upgrading it with a clear purpose — is the key to efficient Sailing progression in OSRS. Each ship excels at specific tasks, and trying to force a single setup to do everything will only waste time and gold.

Plan your builds, upgrade at the right levels, and specialize your ships based on what content you are actively training. If you do, Sailing becomes one of the most rewarding and flexible skills in the game.

If you need additional help, you can also explore our Sailing Services for safe and efficient Sailing assistance. Now it’s time to set sail and make the most of every voyage.

RSorder Team