Buster Keaton
The Boat Builder
Subtitles off by default
Wikimedia Commons · Buster Keaton / Edward F. Cline · 1921 · Public domain
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Synopsis
A father finishes building a family boat and discovers that getting it out of the house is already a dangerous undertaking. Launching the vessel brings fresh disasters, and a voyage with his wife and children tests every improvised repair. The boat promises freedom but behaves like an expanding collection of mechanical problems.
Cast
Historical context
Like One Week, The Boat makes a family's own construction project the engine of disaster. Keaton's character trusts practical solutions even when they create a new leak or imbalance. The recurring struggle between a person and an uncooperative object gives the short a clear shape beyond its individual gags.
Behind the scenes
The vessel's name, Damfino, supplies a joke that becomes important when help is needed. It later inspired the informal name of the International Buster Keaton Society. The preserved copy shown here lasts approximately 23 minutes and presents the story through English intertitles.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.
Availability checked on September 11, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- Buster Keaton — Unknown author · Public domain
- Sybil Seely — Metro Pictures, Convict 13 lobby card (1920); Heritage Auctions / Wikimedia Commons. Detail showing Sybil Seely. · Public domain in the United States (PD-US-expired)
