If you already know everything we noted in our Atlas Beginner Guide (especially how to get certain resources section) and you're at least character level 6 then you should be ready to start planning and building a Ship. The first thing you are going to need in order to build a Ship (Small Boat, Sloop or Schooner) in Atlas is a small Shipyard or a dock so you first goal is to collect resources and materials for it. After that, focus on gathering enough resources for Ship interior (you can start building the first parts of the ship-- interior frame at your dock or shipyard).
In order to start the second part of Ship building, you will need to acquire the Loom and Smithy. The Smithy will allow you to craft metal tools which will be used to gather resources and materials for the Ship, you will not be able to get these materials with the primitive Stone tools. Both Smithy and Loom are also used in Ship crafting, the Plank Floor is made in Smithy and Sails can be crafted in the Loom.
The Smithy can be crafted with 40 Fibers, 5 Flint, 65 Hide, 20 Metal, 125 Stone and 20 Wood. Metal is the rarest resource of them all, you can gather Metal by harvesting Rocks with a Stone Pickaxe-- the fastest way to get Metal is to just focus on getting it and hit all Rocks you come in contact with!