Boat panel
| Boat panel | |
|---|---|
| |
| First appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) |
| Latest appearance | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch) (2024) |
| Effect | Allows Mario to enter Boat Mode. |
Boat panels (also capitalized as Boat Panels) are objects that appear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They are square-shaped wooden dock-like structures with an imprint depicting a compass rose surrounding a paper boat, and are always placed at the edge of bodies of water. At the start of the game, Mario cannot interact with boat panels, but once he is "cursed" by the Black Chest Demon in Pirate's Grotto, they glow yellow when Mario steps on them, signaling that the player can press 
to have Mario transform into Boat Mode. Mario must also return to a boat panel, the same as the one that transformed him or otherwise, in order to exit Boat Mode. They appear in Rogueport, Rogueport Underground, Pirate's Grotto, and the Palace of Shadow.
Boat panels have a close counterpart in plane panels, which allow Mario to transform into Plane Mode and similarly glow yellow if Mario stands on them after receiving their associated transformation. They also closely resemble the wooden docks that appear in Paper Mario in both appearance and function, being square wooden platforms that allow Mario to safely cross large bodies of water.
