It is a similar atrachment to the one you’d get to an old message forum. For me, it is more about the people and the super niche communities than about reddit itself. It is going to take a while to rebuild on Lemmy what was already on Reddit. In that regard, I am a little sad to have let it go, but oh well.
Two fans on a plank with a steering stick are pretty much the most cost-efficient boat you can build. You can try to get creative using a big wheel to make a paddle similar to a steam boat, but in my experience those don’t work very well. Maybe a stabilizer could help.