How would I go about building a Pirate Ship

[Rumba Rue]

I know that boat and it's builder!  :)

So do I!!!!!

In fact Louie Lambie (standing, dark hair and beard, green waistcoat) and Gail Selinger (sitting in boat, orange shirt) can be seen.

[Captain Jim]

OK, serioulsy. If you want a pyrate ship and you don't want to spend forever and a million dollars on it, go with a sloop. Most pyrates used small ships anyway. Go with something 40 feet on deck, overall maybe 50-55 with sprit. Simple rig, handled by a few people. Leave the foredeck flush, no cabin. This will give you more room for cannon, crew and paying customers (is this for charter?) Something like this, but remove the forward deckhouse (pyrates would have.) Something like this, at 56 feet on deck:

More about this boat and the builder can be found here:

Friend's Good Will

And here:

Michigan Maritime Museum

For your own personal use, go with the same design, but smaller, about 40' on deck.

[Cap'n Crunk]

OK, serioulsy. If you want a pyrate ship and you don't want to spend forever and a million dollars on it, go with a sloop. Most pyrates used small ships anyway. Go with something 40 feet on deck, overall maybe 50-55 with sprit.

If going with a boat in the 40 to 60 ft size, why not make it a schooner? With just one more mast there shouldn't be that much cost difference (if any) between a sloop and a schooner.

Not only does a schooner make for a more "pirate" looking vessel, but with the sail area split between two masts, it makes for much easier sail handling on a vessel of that size. I sailed on a 54' (overall) schooner a couple years ago and was amazed at how easy it was to handle by a crew of three. Not a modern winch in sight either. All 18th century hardware. That particular boat was a charter built by a yard in the Florida panhandle. Fast too. Top speed of about 11 knots as I recall.

There are build plans for schooners available all over the place.

-Cap'n Crunk

[Captain Jim]

Oh, I agree that a schooner is the way to go if above the 40' level. Smaller sail chunks are always better for balance and handling. But the cost difference between a 40' sloop and a 50' schooner would amaze you. Also, one could easily shorten the boom on the sloop, thus making the main smaller, eliminating the running backstays and shortening the sprit to balance. On a 40' boat this would make it manageable single-handedly by and experienced sailor.

And let us not forget, all three ships involved in Blackbeard's last stand were sloops.

[Cap'n Crunk]

But while we're on the subject . . . and especially if you're building it yourself, why not a scaled down replica of a galleon? People do it with airplanes all the time. Classic warbirds in half or one third scale are very popular homebuilts. I'd venture to say, if they can work out scaling/stability issues with an airframe, it'd be much easier to do so with a boat.

Seems as long as you took your time, did plenty of research, designed it right, and aren't expecting a safe, blue water boat, then I think it would make for a delightful coastal cruiser. It wouldn't go to wind worth a damn , but that's what motors are for these days. I'm talking half or one third scale, maybe even quarter scale - something that would end up putting you in the 30' to 40' LOA range, with maybe a 20 something LWL.

Has it been done? Anyone seen pictures or know of a link? I'd love to hear a naval architect chime in on this.

-Cap'n Crunk

[Capn_Enigma]

Well, it isn't exactly scaled down, but here goes anyway:

Meet the galleon "Neptune" of "Pirates!" fame.

[Captain Bob]

Well, it isn't exactly scaled down, but here goes anyway:

Meet the galleon "Neptune" of "Pirates!" fame.

Er... Capn? I think that first link don't go where ya think it does. When I clicked on it I got a map of Genua, Italy.

I second the quarter-scale pyrate vessel idea. To-scale guns'll cost less and if anyone asks if real pyrate vessels were that small you can answer: "No. We washed it in hot water by mistake and she shrunk."

[Capn_Enigma]

Er... Capn? I think that first link don't go where ya think it does. When I clicked on it I got a map of Genua, Italy.

That's perfectly OK. If you switch to "satellite" and look closely, you will see the deck of the "Neptune" in the middle of the picture.

[Captain Jim]

If you look at the picture there is a tall ship tied up to the dock.

[Captain Bob]

My access to the web is viá WebTV. All I can get is a map with no option to switch to a satellite view. WebTV isn't just lame, it's feeble-minded. It fully lives up to the description: "dumb terminal".