I really hate the Surprise

[Cossack]

Straighten your sails when the wind is behind them from the side and you'll level out pretty fast. Don't even need to depower most of the time. You'll get the hang of it. 

[Luke3549]

I can't express how much I hate the Surprise.  

 

It has many good characteristics (bow chasers, decent speed when sailing close to the wind.)

 

However, it heels over like a wobbling weeble.   I can't count the times that I was unable to bring my guns to bear because they are pointing at the sky and won't depress far enough to hit the target.  

Depowering sails helps a little, as does manual positioning of the yards, but every time I find a broadside ruined by the ship heeling so much, I curse the Surprise.  

 

Wishing I had never bought the 2 that I have.  I am much happier when sailing my Cerberus.  

the Surprise is a good ship but it is no Renommée. are you running cannonades ?? if not you are playing the Surprise wrong and should change to them.

[Prater]

the Surprise is a good ship but it is no Renommée. are you running cannonades ?? if not you are playing the Surprise wrong and should change to them.

 

carronades in pvp are a fickle beast.  When I run them, I curse that I have them when the enemy is fleeing.  When I don't run them and get close, I curse that I don't have them. 

[Nash]

carronades in pvp are a fickle beast.  When I run them, I curse that I have them when the enemy is fleeing.  When I don't run them and get close, I curse that I don't have them. 

 

then why not both

Edited February 19, 2016 by Nash

[Kaskeria]

Sad to hear OP, I love mine.

Build one Surprise with live oak and building strength.

Put permanent upgrades: copper plating and optimized rudder. Regular: powder monkeys, sights, swordfighting books and extra pump.

The thing can take a huge beating and deliver a punch with a combination of medium 9-ers and 18-nades while being still agile.

It was a huge improvement from the Renomee and you just have to take more attention to your sails to reduce heeling. Depowering and manual sail management its your friend.

Kask

[Radom]

Depower your sails.

 

If you prefer Cerberus over Surprise, the problem is YOU

I have a Cerberus and can't wait to get out if it. Guess a lot depends on playstyle but to me so far Cerb is the worst ship I have tried.

[Capt Jubal Early]

Yeah OP suprise is a beast in the right hands. The roll is awful i'll give you that but like with everything cleaver planning and forward thinking will bring every broadside on target. 
I find she preforms best with a compliment of 32pd and 18pd carros getting in dirty and close. While longs on both stern and bow chasers for slowing down those fleeing targets.
When coming in to bring a broad side to bare you have to depower well in advance or utilize battle sails depending on what size target your fighting. Anything frig size is no problamo as long as your close a quick depower and let rip.

Cant speak for using cannons as i prefer dirty fighting.
As with everything in life nothing is perfect and  the draw back of the surprises big carronade compliment and good maneuverability is its roll. A good captain learns the traits of his ship and uses them against the enemy. 

[Walwin]

I once, as fate willed, lost to a Brig and a Snow in a Plounderer mission because I didn't immerse. You need to pay attention, its armour can go down quicker than you reckon.

[Capt Jubal Early]

You guys don't know how real heel looks like

Perhaps we should add it to all ships

And that was in light winds. If the cutters and yacht's in the game performed like that you'd never get a cannon ball off.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Capt Jubal Early

[maturin]

 

 

And that was in light winds. If the cutters and yacht's in the game performed like that you'd never get a cannon ball off.

The cutter is warship, not a frail pleasure boat.

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

Yes. Please stop posting pilot cutters once and for all.

 

This is a slice of the cutter as we have in game, pretty much the HMS Alert.

 

 

or another similar size

 

[maturin]

What are those two cutters?

 

I can't read the name. Aleutian? Alevtur-?

[Chandler Latham]

I can't express how much I hate the Surprise.  

 

It has many good characteristics (bow chasers, decent speed when sailing close to the wind.)

 

However, it heels over like a wobbling weeble.   I can't count the times that I was unable to bring my guns to bear because they are pointing at the sky and won't depress far enough to hit the target.  

Depowering sails helps a little, as does manual positioning of the yards, but every time I find a broadside ruined by the ship heeling so much, I curse the Surprise.  

 

Wishing I had never bought the 2 that I have.  I am much happier when sailing my Cerberus.  

Wave action seems to have quite the effect on the Surprise, which was something of a nasty awakening after the Cerberus. I've found myself more than once timing broadsides for when the broadside is either in the trough between waves or stable for those few seconds I need to crank out some manual fire - which usually involves cannonballs skimming whitecaps.

[Capt Jubal Early]

The cutter is warship, not a frail pleasure boat.

I'll have you know dear sir that is Falmouth working boat. Used souley for the purpose of dredging oysters since the late 1800's. The boat in the picture is 110 years old and was painstakingly rebuilt by my father.

Regardless the point still stands were lucky the game doesn't include the roll like we see in the picture. 

 

[Chustler]

Surprise is a great ship, and the heel is not nearly as rough as the trinc.

[Capt. Rice]

Oh the trinc every day i shoot  to the stars in hope that one day i will see the sea....

[Ghroznak]

I have the Live Oak gold Reno from redeemables.

 

Equipped it with Copper plate for speed, reinforced rudder, imp mag access, powder monkeys, lightweight yards, gunnery handbooks, pellews sights.

 

She sails fast, shoots straight, turns like a charm, plus looks great. Very graceful ship.

 

Then I tried a Surprise. What a disgusting excuse for a ship. I felt like I was sailing in a rotten barrel, wobbling worse on the waves than a pissdrunk pigeon sitting on a wire in a typhoon. The guns were more successful as anti air artillery, despite airplanes are not even invented yet, than at hitting enemy ships.

 

Even with a mastercrafted optimized ballast she was heeling and rolling like a fat pig in mud.

 

Yes, she has nice firepower, but that is all she brings to the table. She is ugly, clumsy to sail, struggles to sail straight even downwind  in a breeze and just feels overall like getting into a badly designed trashcan.

 

Maybe I am just spoiled by the Reno, but honestly, Surprise was a huge letdown.

[walleye]

Has the surprise changed much since the combat trials? I loved that ship! It was by far my favorite ship in the trials.

[Bleakbeard]

Has the surprise changed much since the combat trials? I loved that ship! It was by far my favorite ship in the trials.

It's a good ship but not as stable a gun platform as the Reno. Surprise heels a fair bit, bit it's manageable and the broadside is much less awkward. Plan on crafting and keeping exceptionals of both as soon as I get the Reno BP and level 24.

I do expect the Reno to last longer though (dat armor slope, dat speed, the wonderfully detailed ornamentation).

Edited February 25, 2016 by Bleakbeard

[Ghroznak]

The Renommee!

 

 

The Surprise!

 

[Goodblue]

The Renommee!

 

 

The Surprise!

 

lol is the renommee some kind of futuristic ship? Is that what you are trying to say?

 

I like the Surprise more then the Renommee but that's my opinion. The armament of the Renommee just feels weak compared to a Surprise because there are only 2 cannons on each side of the Renommee's top deck. The heel of the Surprise can be tricky but not impossible control.

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

There is no discussion, at 120 yards musket range, which one will win the cannonade duel.

 

Hell, even at long range rigging shots there is no discussion.

[walleye]

Just curious, did the devs ever say WHICH Surprise and WHICH Renommee that are in the game? Prior to the 1800's there were 4 different Surprises built and none say that they had 38 guns (one was a captured French ship). And the Renommee was built 4 times and all were captured. Twice renamed the HMS renown. I think the British love rubbing things in when it comes to the French...lol.  

 

 Just wonder what ones we are sailing.

Edited February 25, 2016 by walleye

[maturin]

Just curious, did the devs ever say WHICH Surprise and WHICH Renommee that are in the game? Prior to the 1800's there were 4 different Surprises built and none say that they had 38 guns (one was a captured French ship). And the Renommee was built 4 times and all were captured. Twice renamed the HMS renown. I think the British love rubbing things in when it comes to the French...lol.  

 

 Just wonder what ones we are sailing.

Surprise: L'Unite 1796 (carried around 38 guns, but rated as 28-gun ship)

Renomme (1747)

[walleye]

Surprise: L'Unite 1796 (carried around 38 guns, but rated as 28-gun ship)

Renomme (1747)

Thanks Maturin!