Creaking boat sounds are a staple of sound design for wooden ships, drawn from the real noise of timber hulls, masts and rigging moving under pressure. This recording has spread online as a ready made effect for creators who need an aged vessel without recording on water themselves. It is now used in short horror stories, roleplay videos, game edits and Halloween scenes, where a few seconds of groaning wood can suggest a ghost ship, a sinking boat or a long abandoned ferry.