How to build a brick pirate ship
To build a brick pirate ship, lay long black bricks for a pointed hull, add black walls with yellow cannon holes and a tan deck, stack a dark red captain's castle at the back, then raise a tan mast with white sails and a black pirate flag, plus a smaller front mast. 51 pieces, 5 steps, ages 7–9.
The pirate ship build at a glance
| Pieces | 51 (20 kinds) |
|---|---|
| Steps | 5 |
| Ages | 7–9 |
| Colors | black, tan, yellow, white, dark red, clear, red |
| Finished size | 18 × 8 studs, about 9.3 cm (3.7 in) tall |
| Special pieces | None: plain bricks and plates |
Parts you need
6× black 1×2 brick
5× black 1×4 brick
5× tan 2×2 brick
4× black 2×6 brick
4× black 1×6 brick
4× yellow 1×1 brick
3× white 2×6 brick
2× black 2×10 brick
2× white 2×8 brick
2× dark red 2×6 brick
2× black 2×4 brick
2× dark red 2×4 brick
2× black 2×2 brick
2× clear 1×1 brick
1× tan 4×8 plate
1× tan 2×6 plate
1× tan 2×4 plate
1× red 2×2 plate
1× tan 2×2 plate
1× white 1×2 plate
Step-by-step instructions
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1 The black hull
Lay long black bricks with one poking out front, then stack wide black bricks across. Make the nose pointy!
Find: 4 black 2×6 bricks, 4 black 1×6 bricks, 3 black 1×2 bricks, 2 black 2×10 bricks, 2 black 2×4 bricks, 1 black 2×2 brick
Did you know? Pirates coated their ships' bottoms with tar to keep water and worms out of the wood.
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2 Walls, cannons and deck
Build black side walls with yellow cannon holes, then lay the big tan deck in the middle. Ahoy!
Find: 4 black 1×4 bricks, 4 yellow 1×1 bricks, 3 black 1×2 bricks, 1 tan 4×8 plate, 1 black 2×2 brick, 1 tan 2×2 plate
Did you know? Blackbeard's ship Queen Anne's Revenge carried about 40 cannons.
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3 Captain's castle and bowsprit
Stack dark red bricks at the back for the captain's castle, add two clear lanterns, and a tan pole up front!
Find: 2 dark red 2×6 bricks, 2 dark red 2×4 bricks, 2 clear 1×1 bricks, 1 tan 2×6 plate, 1 tan 2×4 plate
Did you know? The captain lived in a cabin at the back of the ship, called the stern.
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4 Main mast and Jolly Roger
Stack a tan mast with two extra-wide white sails and one smaller sail, then fly the black pirate flag on top!
Find: 3 tan 2×2 bricks, 2 white 2×8 bricks, 1 white 2×6 brick, 1 black 1×4 brick, 1 white 1×2 plate
Did you know? The pirate flag with a skull and crossbones is called the Jolly Roger.
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5 The front mast
Build a smaller front mast with two wide white sails and a red lookout on top. Set sail, pirate!
Find: 2 white 2×6 bricks, 2 tan 2×2 bricks, 1 red 2×2 plate
Did you know? Sailors climbed to the top of the mast to watch for ships and land far away.
Questions parents ask
How many pieces do you need for a brick pirate ship?
51: 6 black 1×2 bricks, 5 black 1×4 bricks, 5 tan 2×2 bricks and 17 more kinds. The full list is in “Parts you need”.
Are these pirate ship instructions free?
Yes. Every step is on this page.
What if I’m missing a color?
Use a brick of the same size in another color. The shapes hold the model together; the colors are only for looks.
