Here you will find some facts about the materials and details that went into building this pirate ship structure.  Over 4,000 board feet of white cedar and more than 150 pounds of stainless steel fasteners went into the ship.  2,500 hours of work by Laib Restoration created a ship structure that weighs about 20,000 pounds.  The craftsmanship that went into the Dreadnought is impressive.  

The stern cabin has two real lead glass windows.  A nice touch.  Just one of many elegant details on the ship structure.

All the masts and spars are of Douglas Fir. All the spars were shaped by hand. The main mast is 63' high off the deck, fore mast is 52' above the deck and the mizzen mast is 37' high above the deck.  Spars range from 35' to 20' long.  Douglas Fir was used as it is one of the strongest woods available.

Detailed and accurate right down to the trestle trees and standing rigging methods.  Over one mile of 3/4", three-strand, black UV resistant polypropylene rope was used on the Dreadnought.

The 44 large and 12 small deadeyes were all hand-made.  We actually take up any slack rope through the eyes once a year.

When we said over one mile of rope we meant it!  Here is some of the standing and the running rigging.  The fore, main and mizzen masts each have a flag line as well.  Two crow's nests measure to be 3' high and 6' in diameter.  Standing on the deck and looking up is jaw-dropping.

This shows the main mast being lifted into place by a crane.  The image also shows the stages in assembly that the Dreadnought was going through at the Bristol Renaissance Faire location.

The overall length of the ship is 95' from tip of the bow sprite to the stern walk.  From the beak to stern is 88'.  The beam is about 15 1/2' on the open deck.  From the deck to the rail top is 4'.  This was done for safety reasons.  Fore castle is 11" wide near the bow by 11' deep by 15' wide on the other wall.  7' of head room.  The stern castle cabin is 7' wide by 26'9" long by 4'5" at the stern with 6'9" of head room.  The open main deck space is about 21'6" long by about 15'6" wide.

Here is the front hull section, actually 1/4 of the ship, being built inside at Laib Restoration in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  You can see the cedar planking and gentle curve that the steamed wood takes.  The screws used were stainless steel with square driver heads.  We used these so that any repairs, or moving the ship, would be that much easier.  A great deal of thought and care went into this project.  

Two stern sections outside in the winter snow at the Oshkosh, Wisconsin Laib Restoration location.  From this image you can see the marvelous curves the hull takes.  The blue tarp covers the stern walk floor.  You can also see the center separation line on the stern.  Each 1/4 section was lifted onto a truck flat bed and moved from Oshkosh to Bristol and placed on footings.  The reverse can take place to move it to your location.

About us:

Mike and Janet Breza, Member/Managers of The Pirate Ship LLC, and proud owners of the Dreadnought ship structure. 

Mike has 20 years of museum experience and has degrees in history and theater studies.  Making history fun and exciting is what he does for a living.  The Dreadnought was a great opportunity to create one of the best and most remarkable Elizabethan Sea Dog (pirate) ships in the entire Midwest.  Mike's love of history can be seen in the highly accurate Dreadnought.

Janet has over 20 years of teaching experience and holds a Masters degree in music education.  Janet's excellent organizational skills and keen business management has allowed the Dreadnought to be built on schedule.  Her management of the Pirate Ship LLC keeps the business running smoothly.  The Dreadnought is well loved by children due to Janet's influences.