The truth about the boat Gibbs is building on NCIS

Like most of the NCIS crew, Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a quirky dude. He lives by a set of self-made rules, which includes nuggets like "Don't ever accept an apology from someone that just sucker-punched you" and "Never go anywhere without a knife." He likes to hold impromptu meetings in the elevator. He resents modern electronics, sleeps on his couch instead of in his master bedroom, and builds boats in his spare time.

Not just any boats, either. As dedicated NCIS fans know, Gibbs can often be found in his basement working away on full-sized sailboats, sometimes with a baseball game playing in the background. He doesn't use power tools, but instead assembles each wooden craft by hand. He doesn't necessarily sail them. He just likes making them. Gibbs' boat-building habit was part of the very first episode of the show, and it has continued throughout its 17-season run (interestingly, Harmon is also an accomplished woodworker, although he doesn't build boats himself).

Over NCIS' lengthy run,Gibbs has built at least five boats that we know of. According to NCIS, Gibbs made three vessels before the show began, worked on another from seasons one through six, and has worked on at least one more since. In many ways, Gibbs' boats are like extra members of the NCIS cast. No, they don't help Gibbs and the rest of NCIS' star-studded cast solve mysteries, but it wouldn't be NCIS without them.