Robert Fulton built the first useful steamboat with a Watt steam engine. In 1807, he tested the Clermont. His steamboat helped speed up industrialization. The Clermont’s success increased interest in canal and river transport. The majority of Americans did not agree of the effectiveness of steam power until 1825, when the Erie Canal opened for boats to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. New York City became an important port. Goods from this port could reach Buffalo, New York, in two fewer weeks and 95 percent less cost than before. The success of the Erie Canal began a wave of canal building. By 1840, the United States was home to 3,326 miles of canals.
The advantage of speedboats were their speed and cost.
At the time, they were the fastest way to travel canals, rivers, even oceans.
Steamboats were also less expensive to use and faster to travel.
Answer:
Their speed and cost