Who else thinks we should start pushing for some Very different new vessels?

[Ryan21]

I absolutely love the current ship lineup, but as time goes on I would really like to see some unique vessels that dont fit the standard Royal Navy bill, some of which could easily compete with the brigs and schooners.  We need to get some big Xebec's going on, a few Polacres, certainly a Xebec frigate like El Gamo.  There are so many interesting rigs from the Med especially that were used on fairly large vessels of war and privateers, not to mention merchantmen.  

[maturin]

The devs have suggested that there is a xebec in the works a few times in the past.

 

Personally, I think we could use some smaller vessels, like a lugger, sloop or additional schooner.

 

 

Because Lynx is manifestly NOT your standard starter ship. Making a Baltimore clipper the newby boat is like learning to drive on a drag racer. These were extreme, dangerous vessels. The cutting edge of technology and one of the fastest-moving manmade objects in history up to that point. Historically speaking, Lynx is the endgame small ship.

[Ryan21]

I agree, some large luggers would be excellent.  Gunboats close inshore were always a danger, some of them would have very large caliber guns mounted in the bow and could wreak havoc on a small brig or schooner.  A good general reference is a book called Harbours and High Sea's, it's an accompaniment to the Patrick O Brian novels and has pictures of just about every one of these rigs.

[Brigand]

I agree with @maturin, we are in dire need of more small vessels. At the same time, I don't really think a Xebec or a Venetian polacca would really fit in the Caribbean. So maybe we should leave those for when the open world expands to include the Mediterranean?
 
I'm also in favour of seeing some luggers included into the game. Although I'm not sure how popular they where in the West Indies, they sure where a very popular craft in Northern Europe, especially around the channel and not infrequently employed as the smuggling craft of choice.
 
 
What we could have in the Caribbean, is a nice brigantine. Brigantine were the second most popular type of vessel built in the American colonies before 1775 (source), so it definitely fits the setting:
^{(She was, at one time in a distant past, even named by admin, to be included into the game)}
 
For example (shameless plug):

A brigantine packet of 130 tons burthen.
 

~Brigand

[Tief N Tote]

i think in the future other reagion will open up line the Med and that would then bring them into play along with some older oar/sail powered ships that were still used in the med at the time.

[Arvenski]

1.) I'm all for Xebecs. Just saying.

 

2.) The Swedish Hemmema/Turuma designs might be very nice as well, especially in shallow waters. 

[LeBoiteux]

I agree with maturin, we are in dire need of more small vessels. 

+1.  

What we could have in the Caribbean, is a nice brigantine. Brigantine were the second most popular type of vessel built in the American colonies before 1775 (source), so it definitely fits the setting

+1.

In the Caribbean, we could also have a Barque longue as a small XVIIth-century vessel :

 

 

She seems to have been widely used by french sailors in Martinique in late XVIIth-century.

Once, french pirate François l'Olonnais built one.

George Spurre, an english freebooter, and the dutch buccaneer Laurens de Graff who both participated in the sack of Vera Cruz in May 1683 notably navigated on barques longues.

(source : Exquemelin, History of the Bouccaneers of America)

 

On the other hand, the french explorer Cavelier de la Salle took one for his expedition in the Gulf of Mexico (1684).

 

Advantages : shallow draught and high maneuverability for coastal navigation ; small crew.

 

(source)

Edited April 27, 2015 by LeBoiteux