The recorded demo upgrade chain requires access to John's Dry Dock, working maintenance equipment and the relevant research before a module can be crafted and installed. Hull Protection and the Upgraded Engine belong to the main progression. The Harpooner contract unlocks the Carburetor purchase; completing the contract does not automatically put that part in your inventory.
October 2026 demo; Early Access parity not tested. Research checked November 9, 2026.

Official Steam screenshot · Dream Dock / Digital Vortex Entertainment. Illustrative media; material statement.
Establish Dry Dock access and working equipment
The documented main route reaches the Dry Dock after the settlement introduction and John's repair tasks. Access to that location introduces the maintenance and upgrade work used by the boat progression. It does not mean that every research node or recipe mentioned elsewhere in a database is immediately available.
Check the current journal objective when the station does not offer the action you expect. A task asking for maintenance and one asking for an installed component describe different work. The supplied upgrade guides agree on the required hull-to-engine progression but do not establish a universal order for every optional upgrade.
The developer describes the starting trawler as worn and limited, with upgrades giving it a larger role in exploration. That supports treating vessel progression as part of preparing for further journeys. It does not support assigning unverified speed, durability or carrying-capacity values to an individual module.
Keep research, crafting and installation distinct
An unlock allows progress toward a module, but it is not the finished module itself. Crafting then produces the part, while installation places that part on the vessel. The collected material specifically warns that these stages can be confused when an objective appears not to have advanced.
Use the station's current recipe to check materials after confirming the relevant research. If a crafted module seems missing, inspect module storage before assuming that another set must be produced. That check follows the documented difference between production and placement rather than inventing a hidden crafting requirement.
Once you locate the part, confirm the installation interaction requested by the objective. Possession of a module and completion of a ship objective are not necessarily the same state. Reading those steps in order provides a clearer diagnosis than repeatedly gathering materials without establishing what remains unfinished.
Prepare the recorded Hull Protection recipe
Two references agree on the demo Hull Protection formula shown below. They describe the Ship Upgrades Table or lathe as its station, with research requirements separate from the ingredient list. Confirm the recipe displayed in your version before spending the materials.
| Component | Documented demo ingredients | Station |
|---|---|---|
| Hull Protection | 3 Coral Fibers, 2 Bug Slime, 2 Rope, 2 Rubber | Ship Upgrades Table / lathe |
| Upgraded Engine | 10 Metal Plate, 4 Gear, 2 Machine Oil, 1 Carburetor | Ship Upgrades Table / lathe |
Hull Protection appears before the upgraded engine in the documented main progression. That ordering identifies supported quest prerequisites rather than an optimization result from testing every build. The crafting recipes page provides the same formulas with the ingredient and station checks kept together.
Complete the Harpooner link in the engine chain
The engine route includes a Harpooner contract because it unlocks access to the Carburetor purchase. An unlocked shop item still needs to be acquired before it can satisfy the recipe. If the contract is complete but the engine remains unavailable, check that the Carburetor was actually purchased and is available for crafting.
Harpooner is a predatory fish rather than the harpoon weapon. The recorded catch uses Rainbow Fin and controlled lure retrieval through active water before the hooked-fish struggle. The Harpooner guide separates an unsuccessful lure chase from a catch lost under line tension.
Once the recipe is available, crafting the engine still does not establish that it is fitted to the boat. Return to the distinction between research, production, storage and installation. The journal and the active station prompt should identify which of those states the objective still expects.
Understand the scope of other upgrade mentions
Official development material names hull, engine, storage and lighting improvements. Those descriptions establish that vessel progression includes more than the two main components discussed here. They do not establish that every item from a research tree or data extract is playable in the installed version.
The supplied research excludes the Afterburner formula because recipe references disagree about its ingredients. It also does not identify one optimal upgrade order beyond the documented quest prerequisites. This page therefore concentrates on the supported main chain and avoids turning incomplete optional entries into shopping instructions.
Check the boat before the next departure
Installing a new part is one preparation task, while fuel and condition remain separate checks. The fuel page explains why producing fuel at a station does not automatically fill the tank. Review those interactions alongside the next journal objective before leaving the Dry Dock area.
The recorded recipes and progression come from October demo material. They should not be labelled as a tested Early Access build or a complete release upgrade database. When your version shows a changed requirement, use its actual recipe and objective wording rather than forcing an older checklist onto it.
Sources and research scope
This article synthesizes the supplied research document dated November 9, 2026. Demo instructions are attributed to the recorded builds; no hands-on Early Access playthrough is claimed.
- Dreadmoor Field Guide — Boat upgrades (October 31, 2026)
- 2UpSkill — Boat upgrades (November 2026)
- Dream Dock — Dev Diary #6: The Trawler as a Lifeline
- Dream Dock — Secret Sauce Showcase and Demo News (July 16, 2026)
Found a build-specific difference? Send a correction with the objective wording and game version.