Overview

The cog is a mid-sized ship, with faster than average speed and good maneuvering. It is the second fastest, losing only to the Frigate in that regard. It is often used by your average player to carry cargo around, as it has plenty of space in its deck. In terms of crafting, players usually opt to craft the extra sail and window for a frigate instead, as it is faster and has nearly the same space for cargo if the masts are removed.

Naval Combat Tips

• When chasing players with a boat, you have to take into account the speed of their boat and of your own. If they are in a frigate, you have no hope of outmaneuvering them with anything less than another frigate. If your boat isn't fast enough, disengage and stalk them instead until they dock.
• If speeds are the same, you should always try your best to get the most distance in BEFORE the chase actually starts. If they hold W permanently, you will not be able to reach them either as the speeds will obviously never change.
• When being chased by someone with a boat of the same speed as yours, the most effective strategy to escape or force them to commit to it for however long you want is to just hold W the moment you see them. They will not be able to do anything to counter this, unless they were already close enough to at least have your boat in range of a jump, grenade or similar.
• If they do not follow the W strategy and decide to go around islands trying to do something else, always pay attention for opportunities to cut them off and gain distance. Every inch gained through smart maneuvering around obstacles is one second less that you'll have to spend chasing them.
• When close enough to your enemy, if you are the chaser, there is an opportunity that may work: hammering the enemy's ship. If their ship is stolen or otherwise made by some player who has already left the server, you may be able to claim and deconstruct it mid-chase as long as you are within range to click at least once on it. Once the deconstructing progress bar is underway, you can leave your enemy alone and their ship will disappear from under them.
• Getting chased by an enemy is a great opportunity to destroy their boat if you have grenades, especially if you are slower than they are. Once they get close, you have free reign to throw grenades inside their ship, destroying it and making your getaway all but guaranteed. Keep in mind that you may be attacked by other enemies inside the chaser's boat as you do so, as well as the lag they may be experiencing which may result in you having to throw more grenades inside to ensure they don't clip through or hit invisible objects.
• The above tip also works if the ship isn't fireproofed and you have a flint. Torching their ship may get them to stop chasing you, but be careful as the fire is likely to spread to your ship instead if they keep tailing too close. If your enemy has multiple people inside their ship, this is unlikely to work as they will be putting out the fire regardless of your efforts to flint them.
• If you have a glider and someone else to drive the ship, you can head up to the mast (if you have one) and glide towards the chasing ship, causing chaos once you land and forcing them to stop chasing your boat to deal with the immediate threat. Try to do this when they are closer, as experienced players are likely to not fall for this and back up as you try to glide, resulting in you falling head first into the water. Moreover, if this tactic is successful, you should not expect to come alive out of it unless you can force them to get off the boat and steal it - or, if you're skilled enough (or have better gear), kill them all.

Uses

Apart from being a ship you can use to travel around, it has a few uses, most notably the fact you can make it work on land just as well as if on water. The following video shows how to make a 'land cog', which involves burning specific parts of it and connecting both controlling parts so you are able to drive it while the relevant parts float in the air, allowing it to go above the baseline terrain:

Once this is done, it will be able to float above terrain. Cacti and other blocks can be attached to the cog in this state, giving you a lot of room for creating all sorts of land vehicles like tanks, trains, and much more.