Nautical Expert / Wooden Ship Model Builder / Etc

I know sweet fa about ships, but husband does. He says your best bet is a caravel/carrack - but you could be exotic and use a Xebec, which is Moorish in origin, but was used by the Spanish and Portuguese - and which looked like a cross between a caravel and a dhow. (Though they were a bit later, round about the 1600s)

http://website.lineone.net/~dee.ord/Tudors.htm

http://www.tallshipmodels.com/Xebec.htm

Bartholomew said:

I'd love to talk to someone with naval or nautical experience and ask them a few questions, especially if they've ever been on an obsolete wooden vessel with riggings, masts, etc.

Also, if anyone has ever made model ships, I'd love to have a chance to gab with you...

My new novel centers around a pirate ship circa 1500, and I'm doing some initial research so that I can capture a feel for sea life.

Click to expand...

Where is the novel taking place? If it is anywhere but the Mediterranean a Xebec won't work.

The Xebec was lanteen rigged, a large spar with a triangular sail on each mast. To takc one had to swing the spar up, down and around the mast.

The Xebec's were also pierced for oars, The North African Moorish states used them heavily, the Spanish had a few.

The Mediterranean was more tranquil than the Caribbean, storm-wise. A xebec would never surive a strong storm in the Atlantic or Pacific.

Regars,
Scott

Yes, husband did say that too. Forgot to put it in. Sorry.

Husband still says a caravel or carrack is your best bet for those waters. (Apparently the Spanish are still using caravels as fishing boats - or at least building caravel hulls on the Guadalquivir.*)

He suggests you check out Drake and the circumnavigation of the world in 1577.

http://sirfrancisdrakehistory.net/link/link_page.htm

(Btw. I hope you appreciate the amount of ear-bashing I've had to put up with in order to supply this information. I suspect that he and Popeye are kindred spirits. I'll be sitting there, happily watching some old b/w film where the dashing pirate is about to take the quivering maiden in his arms - and this voice pipes up with: 'You know. They've got that rigging wrong.')

* He even made me edit this! Pedantic bugger!

Portuguese in Japan c. 1500 might be a little anachronistic, depending on how close you are. The first official voyage there was 1543.

Wait--you said Spanish? I don't think the Spanish made it to Japan until 1600 (although they were in the Phillipines before that)

Caravel or nao (a 3 or 4-masted carrack) is your best bet. Nao have square sails on the main & foremast and lateen mizzens. Caravels can be square or lateen-rigged. The nao is preferred for long ocean voyages (which is seems like what you want it for).