EB in America...

[Maeran]

You have to remember that these ships are built using a mortise and tennon joint, which is rather flimsy. If the ship is shaking about in rough seas, the water is going to come in and cause catastrophic flooding. There was also no waterproofing, nor was the hull coppered or in some other way treated to prevent rot and the shipworm Teredo navalis from slowly ruining their hull.

Really? I'd always assumed that Homer's regular reference to 'black ships' referred to the use of bitumen as a sealant.

If the Phoenician (without doubt an excellent seafaring people) sailors didn't use any kind of ocean worthy ships, what were the traders along the Atlantic coast using, and why wouldn't the Phoenicians use such vessels?

[Tellos Athenaios]

Well, the black ships probably refer to tar.

What exactly would be the problem with using cheaply made vessels designed for carrying lots of cargo quickly from A to B if the distance from A to B isn't all that much and if such voyages mostly, if not only, occured during the quiet times of year? I imagine that people back then would've regarded it as not too much of a risk - one worth taking at least. Even if you did get stuck in a storm you could save yourself by getting rid of the cargo couldn't you?

[Larkaan]

Really? I'd always assumed that Homer's regular reference to 'black ships' referred to the use of bitumen as a sealant.

If the Phoenician (without doubt an excellent seafaring people) sailors didn't use any kind of ocean worthy ships, what were the traders along the Atlantic coast using, and why wouldn't the Phoenicians use such vessels?

They'd use Bitumen, sure. But the wood is not treated, the Bitumen slowly washes away in water (and could not be reapplied to the hull while underway), and because of the mortise and tennon joins water can come in between the planks. Any spot that was not sealed would provide a point for rot to start spreading, and since the ship is underway for two to three weeks straight at one point without a chance to dry out, the rot can progress pretty rapidly. Those were thin planks of wood, after all. Water could easily come in from over the deck of the vessel, and then settle in the hold.

As for the ships along the Atlantic Coast, who are you referring to? The Pheonicians traded all the way up to England (for tin), but they would stay along the coast and pull up to the shore often. If you mean the Gallic and Celtic peoples, they would use clinker-built boats, similar to Viking longboats. They'd be used in the same way as a Phoenician galley, but in further Northern waters they didn't have to worry about Teredo navalis and other barnacly things due to the cold water.

As for your question, Tellos Athenaios, cheap vessels would be more likely to suffer in a crossing... poor fitting joints would quickly flood a vessel, and flimsy construction could snap it in two. A well built Phoenician galley is a very light vessel to begin with. As for the calm times of the year... well, if its too calm, then the trip to South America is slower, prolonging the time that the ship is subjected to all the conditions I've described.

I'm not saying that those ships would fall about after 48 hours in the ocean, but 2 to 3 weeks with no overhaul, no drying out, while being tossed on the open ocean would be very hard on the vessel and the crew.

[Tellos Athenaios]

As for your question, Tellos Athenaios, cheap vessels would be more likely to suffer in a crossing... poor fitting joints would quickly flood a vessel, and flimsy construction could snap it in two. A well built Phoenician galley is a very light vessel to begin with. As for the calm times of the year... well, if its too calm, then the trip to South America is slower, prolonging the time that the ship is subjected to all the conditions I've described.

I'm not saying that those ships would fall about after 48 hours in the ocean, but 2 to 3 weeks with no overhaul, no drying out, while being tossed on the open ocean would be very hard on the vessel and the crew.

Nah, my question was aiming at showing why cheap & cheerful vessels wouldn't have seemed such a bad choice to people back then. Relatively short distances, at the quiet times of year...