BoatControl Guide | Markiii-Rust PVE

1

What Is BoatControl?

BoatControl completely overhauls how you interact with tugboats and motorboats. When you sit at the helm, a custom GUI panel appears giving you one-click control over sails, anchors, engines, cannons, lights, and more — all without leaving the driver's seat.

On top of the controls, the plugin adds upgradeable sails and engines, an automatic repair system, the ability to edit your boat anywhere, view authorised players, and control cannons with your mouse. It turns the basic Rust boat experience into something genuinely fun.

2

The Helm GUI

When you take the helm of any boat, a control panel appears at the bottom of your screen. From here you can manage everything without dismounting:

⛵

Sails Raise and lower sails with a single click. Upgraded sails even change size visually.

⚓

Anchor Drop or raise the anchor instantly. Blocked inside safe zones to prevent griefing.

🔧

Engines Start and stop engines. Refuel directly from your inventory through the GUI.

🔄

Direction Switch between forward and reverse. Both engines and sails change direction accordingly.

💡

Lights Toggle all torches, lanterns, and candles on your boat on or off — no fuel required.

💥

Cannons Reload and fire your cannons from the helm. Aim adjustment and cooldown managed through the GUI.

3

Keyboard Controls

While seated at the helm, these keyboard shortcuts give you quick control without clicking the GUI:

W

Forward Set navigation direction to forward

S

Reverse Set navigation direction to backward

R

Lights Toggle all lights on/off

LMB

Fire Cannons Fire loaded cannons (cooldown applies)

💡 Cannons auto-reload if you have ammunition in your inventory. The GUI shows reload status and aim angle adjustments so you can dial in your shots.

4

Sail & Engine Upgrades

Both sails and engines can be upgraded through 4 tiers using resources. Upgrades are accessed via the config menus in the helm GUI — look at a sail or engine and open its upgrade panel.

⛵ Sail Upgrades — Increased Thrust

Tier 1 1.5× thrust — costs scrap + cloth. Sails visually grow larger.

Tier 2 2× thrust — adds leather to the cost. Noticeably faster under wind.

Tier 3 2.5× thrust — requires metal fragments. Real speed on the open water.

Tier 4 3× thrust — max size sails. Your boat cuts through waves.

🔧 Engine Upgrades — More Power, Less Fuel

Tier 1 2× power, 10% less fuel consumption.

Tier 2 4× power, 20% less fuel consumption.

Tier 3 8× power, 35% less fuel consumption.

Tier 4 16× power, max fuel efficiency. Absolute beast.

⚠️ Upgrade costs are paid in resources from your inventory (scrap, cloth, leather, metal fragments, etc). Make sure you have the materials before opening the upgrade panel. Costs increase significantly at higher tiers.

5

Other Features

🔨

Auto Repair Start repairs from the GUI. Uses wood and low-grade from your inventory. Stops automatically if you take damage, run out of mats, or disconnect.

✏️

Edit Anywhere Enter boat edit mode outside of safe zones to customise your build at sea or on the shore.

👥

Auth List View who is authorised on your boat. Remove individual players from the auth list if needed.

💡

Free Lights All torches and lanterns run without fuel. Light up your boat for night sailing at no cost.

6

Tips & FAQ

Just sit at the helm of any tugboat. The GUI appears automatically — no commands needed. All controls are clickable from the panel that shows at the bottom of your screen.

No — all torches, lanterns, and candles on your boat work without fuel. Toggle them on with the GUI button or press R while at the helm.

You need ammunition in your inventory for cannons to reload. The system auto-reloads when you have ammo available. Fire with left mouse click from the helm.

From the helm GUI, open the Sail Configuration or Engine Configuration panel. Each sail/engine is listed with its current tier and health. Click the upgrade button and pay the resource cost to move to the next tier.

Anchoring and editing are blocked inside safe zones to prevent griefing and boat obstruction. Move your boat outside the safe zone first, then you can anchor and edit freely.

Start repairs from the GUI. It uses wood and low-grade fuel from your inventory. Repairs stop automatically if you take damage, run out of materials, or disconnect. There's also a cooldown after receiving damage before repairs can resume.