flatboat

[ flat-boht ]

/ ˈflætˌboʊt /

a large, flat-bottomed boat for use in shallow water, especially on rivers.

Origin of flatboat

First recorded in 1650–60; flat¹ + boat

In the morning, the loading of the flatboat and the getting ready for departure, took all our thought.

In Indian Mexico (1908) |Frederick Starr
Within a minute of reaching the flatboat it seemed that every one of the pioneers was on board.

The Phantom of the River |Edward S. Ellis
When at last he did fall asleep, he dreamed that he was pushing a flatboat along a Louisiana lagoon.

Bobby Blake on a Plantation |Frank A. Warner
Then, in April, he went on his second expedition to New Orleans in a flatboat.

Noted Speeches of Abraham Lincoln |Abraham Lincoln

Night had fallen, the wind blew in violent gusts and the timbers of the flatboat creaked and shuddered.

A Dream of Empire |William Henry Venable

flatboat

/ (ˈflætˌbəʊt) /

any boat with a flat bottom, usually for transporting goods on a canal or river