Preventing return of boat from protected waters?

I learned to my embarrassment when I moved my Viking longship from my beach out into Linden protected ocean that the boat disappeared after 5 minutes. Someone told me that if you STAND on a boat, it's returned to Inventory, but if you SIT on the boat, it can remain in the protected ocean.

Question: Would reclining of Pillow Talk pillows on the deck qualify as "sitting"? Would lying in a bed on the boat qualify as "sitting"?

Thank you!

No to both, unless the pillow or the bed was a linked part of the boat.

check your lost and found folder and also your trash.

Yes, anything that makes "Stand Up" appear in your toolbar counts as sitting. But there is another catch, you have to be sitting on the object you don't want autoreturned, so it has to be linked to your ship.

So I must link a pillow or bed to the ship in order for it to qualify as "sitting" when in use.

I really appreciate your clear answers. Thank you.

Correct, linking a pose of some type to the boat will qualify as sitting.

Keep in mind however that a vehicle can only have 31 prims, minus one for each person who you want sitting. If you boat is not a vehicle and just a prop that's fine, but if it's scripted to act like a vehicle, you probably want to be careful what you link to it.

Your replies enlightened me, but I have 54 prims in the boat, so I suppose it will never sail unless I get rid of a lot of prims.

Thanks!