Talk to me about boats....

Only boat is the loop you know about. You can pick a boat up from the Contemporary to WL .

you would have to take the boat to the magic kingdom first and then get on the boat to fw

A bunch of boats take off from MK and go to GF, Poly, Contemporary, FW and WL.

There is no boat that goes directly to the MK from the Contemporary. The boats that leave from the MK ar as follow;

Launch from MK to GF & Poly- This route carries guests from the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, continues to Disney's Polynesian resort, and back to the Magic Kingdom. This route goes in reverse of the resort monorail. This route operates 30 minutes before park opening including Extra Magic Hours until 1.5 hours after park close and typically has two launches on the route. This route can not accommodate ECVs. Guests in Wheelchairs can board if they can transfer out of the wheelchair and step down 2 feet into the boat. Travel time on this route is about 20 minutes around the lake, so it's about 7 minutes between stops. Wait time between boats is typically 10-15 minutes. (but usually less)

Launch from MK to FWR & Campground: This route carries guests from the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. This is a heavily traveled route due to the Hoop De Doo Revue and Mickey's Backyard BBQ being at this resort, along with the fact that guests staying at the resort can only get to the Magic Kingdom by boat. This route typically runs two cruisers which are both capable of accommodating ECVs and wheelchairs without a required transfer. Travel time from Magic Kingdom to Ft. Wilderness is approximately 13 minutes once underway. Wait time between boats is typically 10-20 minutes.

MK to WL & Villas Launch: This route transports guests from the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Wilderness Lodge. This route typically runs one cruiser and one launch, which means if you have an ECV, you'll have to wait for the cruiser to be taken to the resort. Travel time from the Magic Kingdom to the resort is approximately 8 minutes with wait time between boats typically 8-12 minutes.

Contemporary/ WL & Villas / Fort Wilderness Launches ; This route consists of two launches transporting guests around Bay Lake between Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, and Contemporary Resort. The two launches operate in opposite direction, meeting at the Contemporary.

Ferry boats:
Open: The ferries begin operating 30 minutes prior to park opening including Extra Magic Hours. For example, if there are Morning Extra Magic Hours beginning at 8:00am, ferries take their first trip from the TTC to MK at 7:30am.

Closing: The ferries operate until 1.5 hours after park closing, including Extra Magic Hours.

Capacity and Schedule: The capacity of each ferryboat is 600 guests and 3 crew members. During opening and closing, all 3 ferries operate. During daytime and late night operation, 2 ferries operate with wait times between 10 and 20 minutes in most cases.

Source

Does anyone know if boats will be running for the 24 hour event?

Thats a good question, but I imagine so.