Boat

A boat is both an item and a vehicle entity.

Obtaining
Boats can be retrieved by repetitively them.

Controls
Press the button on the boat to mount it.

A boat can be exited by pressing the key, the "Leave Boat" button, or the  key. [ Windows 10 Edition only ]  When exiting a boat, the player is placed in the direction the player is facing, or, if facing directly up or down, the player is placed in front of the boat. If possible from the dismounting position, the exiting player will be placed on land.

In the Computer Edition, boats are controlled using the, (turns left),  (turns right), and  keys. Using the key will increase the field of vision, but will not increase speed as if sprinting.

In Pocket Edition, two buttons for steering appear, and in Windows 10, the and  keys are used. The right button or key steers to the left, and the left button or key steers to the right. Pressing both buttons move the boat forward.

Computer and Pocket editions
Boats move according to the player's control or water currents. Boats move significantly faster than a player walking on land or swimming in water, but are slower than minecarts. If on land, a boat may still be controlled but extremely slowly. A boat does not turn with mouse-look. A player cannot both move (row) and use items at the same time.

Boats can be used to safely travel through water, and will not be damaged from collisions or from falling. If a boat runs into a lily pad, the block will be broken.

Boats effectively have just over (exactly 4 damage isn't quite enough to destroy it), and regenerate $1/10$ per tick. When on the ground, they have 0.455 the height of a block.

If a boat is pushed under water, for instance if moved under a waterfall, or if moved up or down into a current, it will sink.

Boats can support two riders, including mobs. Only the player/mob that boarded first can control the boat.

Riding a boat will not deplete hunger.

Boats move extremely fast while on ice. When moving fast enough, there will be "water spray" visual effect representing the bow wake. Being in a boat limits the player's mouse-look to the forward 180 degree arc. A boat will break snow layers that it runs into. Players receive no fall damage if falling in a boat.
 * Computer edition

A sunken boat is sunk forever, unable to be retrieved until it is broken by the player.

To enter a boat, mobs must walk directly on top of it. A mob cannot control the boat.

A sunken boat will float again when it emerges from the current or the waterfall that is keeping it down.
 * Pocket Edition

Mobs can be 'picked up' by riding a boat near them, and a mob can drive the boat without the aid of the player.

Console Edition
Boats are smaller and less resistant to damage. They will break if they hit a block when moving too fast, and are easily pushed around by water currents. They always face the direction they last moved. Boats act like solid blocks in that they can sit on top of mobs, items and players, and entities can stay on top of them. When on the ground, they have 0.6 the height of a block.

Downward flowing water causes boats to be stuck at the bottom. Boats will rise to and bob on the surface of water that is not flowing downward.

If the boat is traveling at high speed through lily pads, it may crash.

If a boat runs slowly into another entity, it will bounce off and change direction. Running into a block will merely stop movement.

If the boat is moving quickly enough that splashes are appearing behind it, running into an entity or block will crash the boat. The boat will also crash if it falls to the ground from a height of more than 3 blocks; falling a shorter distance will not crash the boat regardless of speed.

Drops
When attacked, a boat drops its item form.

When crashed, however, it drops 3 wood planks corresponding to the wood type of the boat, and 2 sticks.

Fuel
In 1.11, a boat can be used as fuel in furnaces, smelting 2 items per boat. In Pocket Edition, they smelt 6 items per boat.

Entity data
Boats have entity data associated with them that contain various properties of the entity. Their entity ID is   in the computer edition, and   in Pocket Edition.

Trivia

 * Crashing into soul sand at water level will often (but not always) slow the boat enough that it won't crash.
 * A chest is short enough that a boat will fall onto it rather than crashing into it.
 * Sand, gravel, anvils and dragon eggs drop when they fall onto a boat that is in water.