Having just finished building his new boat, the aptly named Damfino, Buster, his wife, and two boys trail the vessel to be launched at sea, dismantling their house and sinking their car in the process. While out on the open waters (after raising the sunken ship) a major storm hits causing Buster and his family to abandon ship and high tail in back to shore. "The Boat", an early Buster Keaton short, contains some fine sequences including a desperate SOS call to a confused radio operator and an incredible scene where Buster tries to maintain his balance on the rolling ship.