How did boats made of wood cross the oceans?

Question

Why didn’t the wood rot or eventually absorb water and allow water to enter the boat?

In: 9

Answer 1

Wood rots in oxygen, so submerged wood will not rot — as evidence of this, we find sunken ships from thousands of years ago that remain intact. There were some areas that were vulnerable, and ships would require periodic repairs to replace damaged wood.

In terms of waterproofing, there are a variety of materials that were used over the years, with pine tar and oils being common options.