Why the Rowboat was the best Pirate Ship

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Usually when we think "pirate boat", we think big sails, big cannons... but as I've shown in previous videos, these large vessels were quite uncommon. They were hard to acquire, difficult to handle, and needed a large crew. Most pirates used the sloop, a one-masted sailboat.

But what if I told you that a lot of pirates used something even smaller? Something along the size of a rowboat. In this video we'll be primarily be discussing two small colonial crafts powered by oar and sometimes sail, the canoe and its larger cousin, the piragua, and how pirates used these unremarkable tubs to great effect.

Featuring footage from the film Devil's Treasure

Sources:
A New Voyage Around the World - William Dampier
The Sea Rover's Practice - Benerson Little
The Buccaneer's Realm - Benerson Little
The Buccaneers of America - Alexandre Exquemelin + Basil Ringrose
Pitman's Account - Henry Pitman
A Cruising Voyage Around the World - Woodes Rogers
The Republic of Pirates - Colin Woodard

0:00 Introduction
2:11 Canoe and Piragua
6:22 Usage
9:19 Life in a Rowboat
11:27 Launches and Ship's Boats
12:49 Conclusion
13:42 Outro

#pirates #ships #history