Take a boat
The Spanish phrase 'coger un barco' translates directly to 'take a boat' in English. This refers to the action of using a boat as a mode of transportation. Depending on context, it could mean to board a boat for a trip or journey, or to choose a boat from a selection of boats. In many instances, colloquial usage indicates that it may often refer to catching a ferry or other mass transit boat in scheduled services.
Tomorrow, we are going to take a boat to cross the river.
In this sentence, 'coger un barco' is used to express the action of boarding or taking a boat as a means of transportation. It represents a future action which is going to happen tomorrow.
I prefer to take a boat than to fly to the island.
Here, the phrase 'coger un barco' is used in a comparison to indicate a preference for one mode of transportation - in this case, taking a boat, over another - flying to the island.
If we arrive on time, we can catch a boat at dawn.
In this context, 'coger un barco' refers to the possibility of catching or taking a boat at a specific time (dawn), dependent on a conditional premise (arriving on time).