Thanks for the comments guys! I did take ideas from the IFS, and from QAR (masts). I added some things that I thought were good from both, plus ideas of my own, like the bow, decking area, the small boat at the back of the boat and the set of stairs leading from the upper deck area to the deck below. The best part of the build though was watching how excited my kiddos were, seeing it come together. Their interest in Lego has grown and having my son ask about the boat and want to put his skeleton from Ninjago at the helm was great!
Keep the comments coming guys, cause I hope to do another build soon and of course want it to out do this one!