The long boat is the eighth most common still life in Achim Flammenkamp's census, being less common than ship but more common than ship-tie.[2]. It is also the tenth most common object on Adam P. Goucher's Catagolue. It is the second most common 7-bit still life, being less common than the loaf but more common than eater 1.[3]
Long boat can be constructed using only 3 gliders; its first glider synthesis was found by John Abbott.[4] There are multiple ways to synthesize a long boat using three gliders, two of which involve a glider hitting a beehive or loaf in a synchronized way only possible if the beehive or loaf had just formed. This can be useful in soup-based glider syntheses, as the beehive/loaf (predecessor) can sometimes be synthesized together with another object more cheaply than synthesizing the two separately.[5]
