C-evo players can build their first naval units very early in the game, but there's no point designing any if there's no water in sight.
The pre-designed naval unit, Longboats, can be built as soon as you discover Map Making, which requires only Alphabet as a prerequisite. At that point you can also design your own naval units, but unless you see vast amounts of water near your cities, that is probably a waste of precious research time. Longboats carry troops and explore, which is all that you need at the start.
See also[]
- C-evo advances affecting naval units
- Naval unit in other games