Need help with making a ship.

[Yzalirk]

So, I want to make a ship from parts on BrickLink but I don't know what to get. I also want to resue the ship for a Steampunk Airship. Should I get this part and, I assume that this goes with it? Also, if I want to add length to it, would this be used?

The type(s) of ship(s) I want to make kind of vary. Mainly though, I want to make a military ship with British soldiers and a merchant or cargo ship. I could also do a regular old pirate ship as well.

Can you guys help me with this, I'm ordering things today and I need to know soon.

[Slegengr]

Those are great parts for simple ships. They are not scaled properly to a minifigure for a large battleship, but the only option I see for properly scaled warships is to build the hull from bricks, which becomes quite a challenge. These hull pieces work well for a start.

The three pieces you are asking about are meant to fit together with as many midsections as you want. Make sure that you are ordering the 'large' variant (the specific ones you reference), as there are also narrower 'small' variants of each one that will not match with the large ones (but are great for smaller ships).

[Yzalirk]

Okay, thanks Slegengr.

As for the bowsprit, rudder, and quarters, what should I use? For the part leading to the bowsprit, should I use these? I'm not sure what to do for the rudder and quarters part of the ship, can you help me on that?

[Capn Frank]

Goliath,

You may want to check out instructions for actual sets to see how they're built. My personal favorite is the Black Seas Barracuda, but the types of bricks you have available could dictate your vessel type and style.

So, I want to make a ship from parts on BrickLink but I don't know what to get. I also want to resue the ship for a Steampunk Airship. Should I get this part and, I assume that this goes with it? Also, if I want to add length to it, would this be used?

Those three types of bricks will get you this far. There are a large variety of ways to build up the vessel beyond that.

As for the bowsprit, rudder, and quarters, what should I use? For the part leading to the bowsprit, should I use these?

Yes, that is typically what is done on the bow.

I'm not sure what to do for the rudder and quarters part of the ship, can you help me on that?

The rudder can look a lot like the Black Seas Barracuda's rudder.

Now for the captain's cabin, there is a whole list of things you could do that depend upon what type of vessel it is and what era of sailing vessels.

[clm]

One thing you could do is play around a bit in the Lego Digital Designer, while it is not perfect you could try out some designs from the official ship instructions and find out the techniques you like the most.

The one big downside to LDD is the lack of the older pirate ship hull pieces, I have taken a design a fellow member did for a small hulled ship and made some mock-up parts for the larger ships as well... I have actually built all the classic ships in LDD for the heck of it ;)

While it is not as "tactile" or "fun" as a bucket of bricks.. it can save money on bricks you don't really need :)

old LEGO pirate ship hull pieces

Chris

[LegoGunInstructions]

One thing you could do is play around a bit in the Lego Digital Designer, while it is not perfect you could try out some designs from the official ship instructions and find out the techniques you like the most.

The one big downside to LDD is the lack of the older pirate ship hull pieces, I have taken a design a fellow member did for a small hulled ship and made some mock-up parts for the larger ships as well... I have actually built all the classic ships in LDD for the heck of it ;)

While it is not as "tactile" or "fun" as a bucket of bricks.. it can save money on bricks you don't really need :)

old LEGO pirate ship hull pieces

Chris

I agree with Chris. Lego Digital Designer gives you the freedom to experiment without buying the real pieces and an expensive trial & failure experience.