Are Lego Pirate the worst sailors of all time?

[David Thomsen]

Just look at the evidence:

• Rock Island Refuge
  
• Shipwreck Hideout
  
• Shipwreck Island
  
• Forbidden Island
  
• Treasure Island
  
• Soldier's Outpost
  
• Treasure Chest
  
• Loot Island
  
• Volcano Island
  
• Shipwreck Defence
  
• Raft Raiders
  
• Kraken Attackin'
  
• Shipwreck Island
  
• Castaway's Raft
  
• Renegade's Raft
  
• Shipwrecked Pirate
  
• Pirate Survival
  

See my point? The Pirates are constantly building shelters out of their shipwrecks and building rafts out of the flotsam. When did the soldiers ever go to sea in a raft, or live in anything other than a proper building?

Edited April 23, 2015 by David Thomsen

[Mister Phes]

Yes... they're terrible!

[Captain Dee]

Thanks for a good laugh, David. I'd never though of it that way, although I have been thinking about all the shipwreck sets. I strongly suspect the trans-green bottles in the recent sets may have something to do with it. The absence of bottles in the past has me thinking that apparently the classic pirates (led by Captain Redbeard) must have just drunk it up and tossed 'em overboard!

Edited June 15, 2015 by Captain Dee

[Cervantes]

It's because their ships always go into battle with only enough cannons for half the hatches and sometimes they can't even shoot.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Cervantes

[Mister Phes]

See my point? The Pirates are constantly building shelters out of their shipwrecks and building rafts out of the flotsam. When did the soldiers ever go to sea in a raft, or live in anything other than a proper building?

There is definitely a social-economic divide between pirates and soldiers... an interesting twist would a soldiers base that wasn't constructed from bricks and mortar. Like a stockade for example.

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Are Lego Pirate the worst sailors of all time?

I am overwhelmed by the evidence, so: yes...

[dr_spock]

Maybe sailors with the worst luck.

[AFOLguy1970]

Most pirate sailors have only one eye, so their navigators, captains, and gunmen cannot see very well.

[Captain Fortune]

That's a good point. But look at this: are you sure that the wrecked ship always belongs to the Pirates?

An old shipwreck is a very good hideout. In some sets, we can imagine that the Pirates found these places and "fixed" it as a base.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Captain Fortune

[Captain Dee]

Ok, my first post was more than a bit silly. Allow me to consider the matter in serious terms. As a lifelong Pirates-theme fan, the fact that so many of the sets involved shipwrecks or, per this conversation, rafts of some sort didn't escape my notice. So why is this so? The question in the title can't easily be answered, but it's important to consider that being adult critics, we can easily over-analyze just about anything Lego related. I suspect the set designers are tasked with creating sets that will maintain long-term appeal while not venturing too far beyond the established comfort zone. Considering the fact that the theme is only occasionally revived, the target audience could easily be a completely different group of people from one wave to the next. Recycling old ideas may not satisfy AFOLs but it certainly seems to work in the marketplace. If the theme was constantly available I think we'd see a far greater variety of sets and the pirates faction might not seem like such a hapless bunch of washed-up lubbers. But there's one more thing to consider: the rafts add quite a bit of variety to the theme. Without them we would have only the rowboats, and I think most Pirates fans have plenty of those. As a child I thought the large half-barrel in the first Shipwreck Island was really cool compared to the rowboats, even though both were one-piece items. The more elaborate rafts can be built or broken down for parts - just as I've done with the current model from the outpost. Then there's the historic factor: most pirates weren't notorious for being long-term thinkers and weren't likely to build very substantial hideouts unless it was part of a town. The shipwreck sets are unique among official Lego creations and I suspect TLG will keep it that way. So, to answer the question in the title: it depends on what you and I want them to be!

[Mister Phes]

are you sure that the wrecked ship always belongs to the Pirates?

This is a very good point! The pirates could create their bases from any wreckage, although the most of the wrecks tend to have pirate sails and it does seem redundant to deliberately hoist a different sail on a wreck...

[VintageLegoEra]

This is a very good point! The pirates could create their bases from any wreckage, although the most of the wrecks tend to have pirate sails and it does seem redundant to deliberately hoist a different sail on a wreck...

This Explains the random color in set 6286 ( Skull's Eye Schooner ). They ( Crew ) built it Randomly from Wreck parts and pieces....The Pirates can Survive Longer..loool

[Bluecoat officer]

Wow... I never noticed this before. It is so true.

[jodawill]

Most pirate sailors have only one eye, so their navigators, captains, and gunmen cannot see very well.

Actually, historically, sailors wore eyepatches so they didn't have to wait for their eyes to adjust when going above and below deck. Since the lighting was so poor down below, they kept a patch over one eye so that eye would be able to see in the dark right away.

[VintageLegoEra]

Actually, historically, sailors wore eyepatches so they didn't have to wait for their eyes to adjust when going above and below deck. Since the lighting was so poor down below, they kept a patch over one eye so that eye would be able to see in the dark right away.

Plus the purpose of this eye patch is to bring A scary face so they get way they want fast

[Jreacher]

yes it would seem so.... hahaha

[SimonJC]

Plus it can be cold and windy on the open sea...its good to keep at least one eye cosy and protected.

[Robert8]

Their hands are freaking claws They do the best they can

Edited May 15, 2015 by Robert8

[Elephant Knight]

Ah, but one should consider this: all the ships are undermanned. Perhaps they are SUBURB sailors, and often get over confident, so they sail their ships one handed, and try and outdo each other, then end in a situation that is just too much, and crash.

Perhaps I overthought that.....

EKnight

[Redbeards_Rum]

They don't have much luck do they!

[SMC]

Well the box gives the game away "boat does not float" no wonder there are so many wrecks.

[Redbeards_Rum]

Haha. Good point, each time they put out to sea.....

However I would like to know what ever happened to Ironhook and Redbeard (during his absence) which might make for an interesting story. I sneered that Ironhook was taken prisoner by the islanders.