diff --git a/packages/ludic.vehicles/call.ludic b/packages/ludic.vehicles/call.ludic
index 168d0c92..12ed5764 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.vehicles/call.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.vehicles/call.ludic
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 # call.ludic - a player's boat or horse brought to a place: made there the first time, fetched there
 # after; gone when its player leaves
-function ve_add(vehicles_st: VehiclesState, kind: int, x: float, z: float, yaw: float) -> Vehicle {
+function ve_add(vehicles_st: VehiclesState, kind: int, owner: int, x: float, z: float, yaw: float) -> Vehicle {
   if kind != VEHICLE_HORSE and kind != VEHICLE_BOAT { return null }
   let v = new Vehicle
   v.nid = VehicleWorld.next_id()
   v.kind = kind
+  v.owner = owner
   v.yaw = yaw
   if kind == VEHICLE_HORSE {
     v.seat_h = 1.35
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ function ve_add(vehicles_st: VehiclesState, kind: int, x: float, z: float, yaw:
     v.seat_h = 0.30
   }
   ve_put(v, x, z)
-  push(ve_all(vehicles_st), v)
+  ve_file(vehicles_st.ve, v)
   ve_settle(v)
   VehicleWorld.made(v)
   return v
@@ -51,9 +52,8 @@ export function vehicle_call_for(vehicles_st: VehiclesState, pid: int, kind: int
   var yaw = vehicles_st.ve_dock_yaw
   if kind == VEHICLE_HORSE { yaw = vehicles_st.ve_rail_yaw }
   if v == null {
-    let made = ve_add(vehicles_st, kind, vehicle_place_x(vehicles_st, kind, k), vehicle_place_z(vehicles_st, kind, k), yaw)
+    let made = ve_add(vehicles_st, kind, pid, vehicle_place_x(vehicles_st, kind, k), vehicle_place_z(vehicles_st, kind, k), yaw)
     if made == null { return false }
-    made.owner = pid
     if pid == 0 { ve_apply_kept(vehicles_st, made) }
     return true
   }
@@ -68,10 +68,10 @@ export function vehicle_call_for(vehicles_st: VehiclesState, pid: int, kind: int
 # a player left: their boat and horse go with them, and their places are free
 export function vehicles_release(vehicles_st: mut VehiclesState, pid: int) -> void {
   if pid == 0 { return }
-  let keep = new []Vehicle
-  let l = ve_all(vehicles_st)
-  for i in 0 .. len(l) {
-    if l[i].owner != pid { push(keep, l[i]) } else { ve_gone(l[i]) }
+  let rows = ix_rows(vehicles_st.ve.owners, pid)
+  while len(rows) > 0 {
+    let v = ve_all(vehicles_st)[rows[len(rows) - 1]]
+    ve_gone(v)
+    ve_unfile(vehicles_st.ve, v)
   }
-  vehicles_st.ve_list = keep
 }
diff --git a/packages/ludic.vehicles/index.ludic b/packages/ludic.vehicles/index.ludic
index ab502dd3..087da740 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.vehicles/index.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.vehicles/index.ludic
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ module ludic_vehicles uses ludic_base
 numbers float
 import "ludic.base"
 import "kinds.ludic"
+import "table.ludic"
 import "ports.ludic"
 import "state.ludic"
 import "places.ludic"
diff --git a/packages/ludic.vehicles/kinds.ludic b/packages/ludic.vehicles/kinds.ludic
index 9b78a6d4..0d469d65 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.vehicles/kinds.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.vehicles/kinds.ludic
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ export property Vehicle {
   rider: int = -1         # the player on it, -1 nobody
   home_x: float = 0.0     # a horse is tied where its home is
   home_z: float = 0.0
+  ent: int = -1           # its handle in the table
+  tab: Table<Vehicle> = null
 }
 
 export const VEHICLE_MOUNTED: int = 0
diff --git a/packages/ludic.vehicles/ports.ludic b/packages/ludic.vehicles/ports.ludic
index 690eccca..3add3590 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.vehicles/ports.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.vehicles/ports.ludic
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ export state VehiclesState {
   ve_ids: int = 0
   ve_sx: float = 0.0
   ve_sz: float = 0.0
-  ve_list: []Vehicle = new []Vehicle
+  ve: VehicleTable = ve__new()
   ve_cur: Vehicle = null
   ve_dock_x: float = 0.0
   ve_dock_z: float = 0.0
diff --git a/packages/ludic.vehicles/state.ludic b/packages/ludic.vehicles/state.ludic
index 03b826f7..dfbb3559 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.vehicles/state.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.vehicles/state.ludic
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ function ve_say(vehicles_st: VehiclesState, what: int, v: Vehicle, n: float) ->
   q_push(vehicle_facts(vehicles_st), f)
 }
 
-function ve_all(vehicles_st: VehiclesState) -> []Vehicle { return vehicles_st.ve_list }
+function ve_all(vehicles_st: VehiclesState) -> []Vehicle { return vehicles_st.ve.tab.rec }
 
 # every vehicle in the valley, to draw and to aim at (change one only through the verbs)
 export function vehicles_all(vehicles_st: VehiclesState) -> []Vehicle { return ve_all(vehicles_st) }
@@ -32,8 +32,9 @@ export function vehicle_ride_kind(vehicles_st: VehiclesState) -> int {
 export function vehicle_current(vehicles_st: VehiclesState) -> Vehicle { return vehicles_st.ve_cur }
 
 export function vehicle_of(vehicles_st: VehiclesState, pid: int, kind: int) -> Vehicle {
+  let rows = ix_rows(vehicles_st.ve.owners, pid)
   let l = ve_all(vehicles_st)
-  for i in 0 .. len(l) { if l[i].kind == kind and l[i].owner == pid { return l[i] } }
+  for k in 0 .. len(rows) { if l[rows[k]].kind == kind { return l[rows[k]] } }
   return null
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/ludic.vehicles/system.ludic b/packages/ludic.vehicles/system.ludic
index fb6712f0..619ef7ab 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.vehicles/system.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.vehicles/system.ludic
@@ -2,13 +2,14 @@
 # and the horse's hay); where they lie is not saved - they are called again. The boats' hulls are
 # read back and pushed by the wind in vehicles_tick, which the game calls where the world is run
 export function vehicles_reset(vehicles_st: mut VehiclesState) -> void {
-  if vehicles_st.ve_list != null {
-    for i in 0 .. len(vehicles_st.ve_list) {
-      let v = vehicles_st.ve_list[i]
-      if v.kind == VEHICLE_BOAT { VehicleHull.gone(v.nid) } else { VehicleLegs.gone(v.nid) }
-    }
+  let l = ve_all(vehicles_st)
+  for i in 0 .. len(l) {
+    let v = l[i]
+    if v.kind == VEHICLE_BOAT { VehicleHull.gone(v.nid) } else { VehicleLegs.gone(v.nid) }
+    v.ent = -1
   }
-  vehicles_st.ve_list = new []Vehicle
+  tb_clear(vehicles_st.ve.tab)
+  imap_clear(vehicles_st.ve.nids)
   vehicles_st.ve_cur = null
   vehicles_st.ve_have_dock = false
   vehicles_st.ve_swell_said = 0.0
diff --git a/packages/ludic.vehicles/table.ludic b/packages/ludic.vehicles/table.ludic
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..96183951
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ludic.vehicles/table.ludic
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# table.ludic - the vehicles, rows of a ludic.base Table: kind and owner as columns, each player's
+# own by index, and a nid to its handle. Where one is stays on its record: a boat moves every frame
+# and there are never more than two a player to search.
+export const VE_KIND: int = 0       # int columns
+export const VE_OWNER: int = 1
+
+export property VehicleTable {
+  tab: Table<Vehicle> = null
+  owners: IntIndex = null           # every vehicle by the player it belongs to
+  nids: IntMap = null
+}
+
+function ve__new() -> VehicleTable {
+  let w = new VehicleTable
+  let tb: Table<Vehicle> = table_new(0, 2)
+  w.tab = tb
+  w.owners = tb_index(tb, VE_OWNER, -1)
+  w.nids = imap_new()
+  return w
+}
+
+# a new row for v, its kind and owner from its record
+function ve_file(w: VehicleTable, v: Vehicle) -> void {
+  v.tab = w.tab
+  v.ent = tb_add(w.tab, v)
+  let r = tb_row(w.tab, v.ent)
+  w.tab.i[VE_KIND][r] = v.kind
+  w.tab.i[VE_OWNER][r] = v.owner
+  tb_refile(w.tab, r)
+  imap_put(w.nids, v.nid, v.ent)
+}
+
+function ve_unfile(w: VehicleTable, v: Vehicle) -> void {
+  imap_del(w.nids, v.nid)
+  tb_remove(w.tab, v.ent)
+  v.ent = -1
+}
+
+# the vehicle a message names, or null
+export function vehicle_by_nid(vehicles_st: VehiclesState, nid: int) -> Vehicle {
+  let tb = vehicles_st.ve.tab
+  let r = tb_row(tb, imap_get(vehicles_st.ve.nids, nid, -1))
+  if r < 0 or tb.rec[r].nid != nid { return null }
+  return tb.rec[r]
+}
diff --git a/packages/ludic.vehicles/tests/vehicles_test.ludic b/packages/ludic.vehicles/tests/vehicles_test.ludic
index 62b2c790..653caf78 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.vehicles/tests/vehicles_test.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.vehicles/tests/vehicles_test.ludic
@@ -344,4 +344,23 @@ program VehiclesTest {
     expect_near(vehicle_find(vehicles_st, VEHICLE_HORSE).food, 77.0, 0.01)
     expect(not vehicle_find(vehicles_st, VEHICLE_BOAT).owned)
   }
+
+  test "the table: a nid finds its vehicle, each player's own by the owner index, and a release takes both" (vehicles_st: mut VehiclesState, vehicles_test_st: mut VehiclesTestState) {
+    fresh(vehicles_st, vehicles_test_st)
+    vehicle_call_for(vehicles_st, 5, VEHICLE_HORSE, 0)
+    vehicle_call_for(vehicles_st, 5, VEHICLE_BOAT, 0)
+    vehicle_call_for(vehicles_st, 6, VEHICLE_BOAT, 1)
+    let b = vehicle_of(vehicles_st, 6, VEHICLE_BOAT)
+    expect(b != null)
+    expect(vehicle_by_nid(vehicles_st, b.nid) == b)
+    expect(vehicle_of(vehicles_st, 6, VEHICLE_HORSE) == null)
+    let h = vehicle_of(vehicles_st, 5, VEHICLE_HORSE)
+    vehicles_release(vehicles_st, 5)
+    expect_eq(len(vehicles_all(vehicles_st)), 1)
+    expect(vehicle_by_nid(vehicles_st, h.nid) == null)
+    expect(vehicle_of(vehicles_st, 6, VEHICLE_BOAT) == b)
+    vehicles_reset(vehicles_st)
+    expect_eq(len(vehicles_all(vehicles_st)), 0)
+    expect(vehicle_by_nid(vehicles_st, b.nid) == null)
+  }
 }