Research a blueprint, then build and install it
Spend Torn Pages in Mastery to unlock equipment and boat blueprints, then gather the materials, craft the component, and install it. Prioritize Hull Protection and Upgraded Engine when John requests them; otherwise, choose fishing gear for difficult catches or storage for a hold that keeps filling up.
Earn Torn Pages and follow the Mastery counter
Torn Pages are research points used to unlock equipment and boat blueprints in the Mastery interface. Exploration is a way to find them, while John rewards Scraps of Knowledge after the early Softgrazer task. Check your Mastery counter after receiving that reward to see what you can research.
The dialogue uses the name Scraps of Knowledge, while the research screen uses Torn Pages. Use the counter and requirement shown in Mastery when deciding whether you can afford a blueprint. Check the selected node before spending, especially when you are saving for an upgrade John has requested.
Choose an upgrade for the problem you have
| Upgrade | What It Improves | When to Prioritize It |
|---|---|---|
| Hull Protection | Boat durability and protection for the player. | When John requests it, or when surviving damage is your main concern. |
| Upgraded Engine | Boat speed and maneuverability. | When John requests it, or when boat handling is holding you back. |
| Braided Line | Line strength and tension tolerance during difficult catches. | When managing line tension is the difficult part of landing fish. |
| Reinforced Rod | Your ability to exhaust larger fish. | When wearing down larger fish is your main fishing problem. |
| Baitcasting Reel | Retrieval while bringing a catch closer. | When retrieval is the part of the catch you want to improve. |
| Small Fish Hold | Hold capacity; the upgrade is repeatable. | When limited cargo space is ending your trips early. |
| Heavy-Duty Engine | Boat speed through upgraded engine components. | Consider it when speed is your next priority and you can meet its material requirement. |
Start with the failure that keeps interrupting your trips. A line upgrade addresses a different problem from an engine or a larger hold, so choose the benefit you will actually use next. If John is asking for Hull Protection and Upgraded Engine, make room for those story requirements before spending on optional improvements.
Check research costs and crafting materials separately
Upgraded Engine requires 2 Torn Pages for research and 1 Carburetor for construction. After the Harpooner contract, Gil & Bozar sells a Carburetor for 45 coins. Keep the research cost and the component purchase in your plan so you can finish the upgrade after unlocking it.
Hull Protection lists 2 Torn Pages per plate and allows multiple plates, while Small Fish Hold lists 2 Torn Pages and is repeatable. Heavy-Duty Engine needs 2 Carburetors. Read the blueprint you have selected before buying materials, since the engine recipes ask for different quantities.
Unlock the blueprint in Mastery
- Open Mastery to view the equipment and boat blueprints available for research.
- Choose a node whose benefit addresses your current fishing, handling, protection, or capacity problem.
- Compare the displayed research requirement with your current Mastery counter before spending.
- Research the selected node to unlock its blueprint; crafting and installation still come afterward.
Build and install a boat component
- Gather the materials displayed in your unlocked boat-component recipe.
- Craft the boat component at the lathe to produce the physical part.
- Collect the finished component from the storage locker.
- Carry the component to its corresponding mount in the Dry Dock.
- Install the component on the trawler to complete the physical upgrade.
Fit Braided Line to the rod you use
- Open the Blueprint Book at a workbench using N to find the Braided Line recipe.
- Pin the recipe with V to keep its material requirements visible while collecting supplies.
- Gather the ingredients displayed in the Braided Line recipe.
- Craft Braided Line at the workbench to create the rod component.
- Install the crafted line on your rod at the rigging bench at Betsy & Sons.
- Select the upgraded rod in the tackle menu at a fishing location before casting.
Check installation if an upgrade seems inactive
If you have researched an upgrade but cannot use it, check whether you have actually crafted and installed the component. For Braided Line, use the rigging bench to fit it, then check that the tackle menu has the intended rod selected. Seeing the recipe in the crafting list does not mean the line has been fitted.
After fitting Braided Line, keep watching Line Tension during a fight. Pull against the fish's movement to reduce its Stamina, then reel it closer when it tires. Ease off when tension approaches its limit; the stronger line gives you more room to manage the catch, but technique still matters.