pirate ship scratch-build WIP

My little guy is on a pirate kick, and his enthusiasm has rubbed off on me. I've been thinking about giving this kind of project a shot for a while, and finally had the spark to get started.

This is the progress I've managed to make today...not bad for a first day of work:










It isn't based on any particular ship, though I did use some reference pictures of the Black Pearl to get me started and orient myself to the basic structures and geometry of a ship like this. It's flat bottomed at what I figured might be the water line, and the captains quarters and forward raised section of the ship will be additional structures that I'll add later. The interior section has been roughed out, and I'll add a panel on top of it with a grate and the housing for the central mast when I get to that point. My plan is to make this playable, and the scale is designed around that basic Star Wars figure/1:18th range (though like I said, there are no exact measurements...I simply want the figures to look like they belong on this thing).

Now...I want to fill in the contoured sections of the hull with some kind of sheet foam...I've seen people use pink styrofoam of some kind. Is that some sort of hardware store insulation product? What I'm thinking is that I could stuff the cavities of the frame and carve the foam to shape, then putty and detail on top of it, or layer a thinner material over it. Does anyone know if this would work? Am I crazy?

Thanks for looking.

Update!

I took a vacation day this week and managed to plough through quite a bit of grunt work, in addition to picking away at it after hours for the past week.

Bristol board templates for cabin and forcastle (or whatever that front part is called) taped in place:


Traced and cut out in styrene, and the planking of the hull begun in earnest:


Starting to build up the aft portion of the ship:


Progress to date thus far:




I'm imagining this as the ultimate pirate ship toy. The aft cabin/captain's quarters will be accessible through removable panel sections on the top, and the main deck will be removable for the hold below. I'll have six full cannons on the main deck (3 for each side), and another six "faux" cannons for each side of the hull (meaning just the port hole opening with the mouth of a barrell poking out). The ship will have three masts, and as much rigging as I can squeeze in. The hull thus far is extremely sturdy, mainly because its made from three or four layers of 060 styeren sheet. The captain's cabin will be fully equipped and accessorized, as will the hold. I'm not sure what I'll do for the figurehead...one idea was to make a Harryhausen-inspired Medusa sculpture and name the ship the "Gorgon". Dunno yet.

Thoughts and feedback are welcome.

First up, reduced size of new figurehead mount:


Attached to ship:


I drilled the holes for the masts to get an idea of how this'll look:



This is great practice for if I ever decide to tackle the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl! I suppose I should try and finish this one first

Thanks for the kind words, fellas.

Another update! I think I have decided on the "Gorgon" for the ship's name. Haven't yet decided on a color scheme though.

Anyway, the progress and additions are pretty obvious:

Hinged and articulated door and hatch:




Interior of the cabin:



Removable floor section to allow access below-deck:



Access to cabin interior through removable floor sections:



Bow:



Figurehead will start out as some kit-bashed action figures, which I will sculpt over and modify:



Made the first of three sets of stairs (one set leading to forward bridge, and one set leading down to hold from hatch):




After a few more structural pieces, I'll start in on the detailing and decorative flourishes. Then...primer!

Feedback is more than appreciated, and thanks for looking.

Thanks so much for the kind words, fellas.

Little update...modified the figure into a Medusa:



Added some scrolley details, cut from thin vinyl with an exacto:



A couple of wide shots:




And a shot with a JAKKS Blackbeard figure!


More to come!

Let me know what you think, and thanks for looking.

I still want to make a boat and a treasure chest, but I’m calling this done for now. I was trying to go for a balance of playability with enough detail to make it look like a model. Its leaning more toward toylike, but that's okay...I did make it for my kid after all. The rigging is made for looks rather than simulating actual functioning rigging.

Let me know what you think!

Shots of the whole ship under full sail:




A peek up into and down on the masts, sails, and rigging:



Wheel and poop deck:


Deck with cannons in place:


Cannons!



Front of cabin:


Hatch below deck, and cabin door from above:


Deck without cannons:



Cabin interior and furniture:



‘Aerial View’:



My son’s favourite jolly roger...that used by Henry Avery (wire sewn into edges to make it poseable):


And some pictures with figures:








My little guy made it clear...nobody captain’s this ship other than Blackbeard!


Below view off masts with figures: