Question Regarding Shipbuilding

[Scorponok]

Hi Giants,

I'm trying to find information about shipbuilding during medieval times, but although there is a lot of facts and conjecture about the process and costs itself, I can't find anything on just how long it would take.

Also, how much would it take to build a shipyard? This is assuming the ship will be the same size as a D&D Sailing Ship. I'm also guessing building a shipyard will cost as much as a sailing ship.

[Gildedragon]

A shipyard would be masterwork tools for Craft (Shipbuilding); masterwork tools cost 50gp...
What? Not serious enough? Well you could check Stormwrack, it has a fair bit of information about ship costs... Not sure about craft dcs or time... (Been afb for days)

[BowStreetRunner]

Craft (boatbuilding) is in Stormwrack on page 84. Applying Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) to the shipwright's trade is covered on page 85.

Stronghold Builder's Guidebook has Docks and Drydocks on page 22-23. Construction particulars including pricing and build time are in the first chapter.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Scorponok
I'm trying to find information about shipbuilding during medieval times, but although there is a lot of facts and conjecture about the process and costs itself, I can't find anything on just how long it would take.

The best example I can find from medieval times is the massive construction effort on a five-hundred ship fleet undertaken by Venice at the start of the Fourth Crusade. According to Queller & Madden's The Fourth Crusade, the Venetians committed to all-out construction in March 1201, and had their fleet ready in June 1202, roughly fifteen months.

A little later in maritime history, Susan Constant was one of the three ships which brought English settlers to Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. According to A Goodly Ship: The Building of the Susan Constant, a full-scale sailing replica of the Susan Constant took a solid year to build. Her keel was laid on Dec. 11, 1989 and she was launched on Dec. 14, 1990. (I visited her a couple of years ago and took a lot of photos--a really beautiful ship.)

By way of comparison from pre-Napoleonic times, HMS Pandora was designed in 1776, with her keel laid on March 2, 1778 and launched on May 17, 1779, which is about fourteen months. This was considered to be a fast-track, wartime construction schedule.

So, a good rough estimate is twelve to fifteen months--and that's not counting the seasoning of timbers ahead of time, which could take years.

If you want to research this further, I recommend starting with The Ships of Christopher Columbus: Santa Maria, Niña, Pinta, which is from the outstanding Anatomy of the Ship series. If you have access to a good library, you can order it on Inter-Library Loan for just a few dollars.

[Bullet06320]

http://library.mysticseaport.org/ere/ib6711.cfm

Charles W. Morgan whaling ship


It will be noted that the earliest entry below is dated December 23, 1840. This cash payment for 109 feet of timber probably represents the purchase of the keel timbers. Thus it may be assumed that the keel was laid in late December, 1840, or early January, 1841. By mid-February between fifteen and twenty men were at work on the ship. On or about February 24, 1841, the workmen began to raise the frames. Work was suspended for several days in April because of a dispute between workmen and employers over the length of the work day. This dispute affected all work in New Bedford not just the work on Morgan's ship. The workmen wanted the day reduced to ten hours, whereas the employers wanted to continue the old system--probably sunrise to sunset. They eventually compromised upon a work day of ten and one half hours. Construction of the ship was pushed along, and she was launched on July 21, 1841, with a large crowd in attendance. Shortly after the launching, the vessel was given the name Charles W. Morgan by Morgan's nephew, Samuel Griffitts Morgan, who apparently was supervising the outfitting of the vessel during his uncle's absence in Pennsylvania. She sailed on her maiden voyage on September 6, 1841, under the command of Captain Thomas A. Norton of Edgartown, Massachusetts.

I live not far from the mystic seaport, when it comes to colonial era and whaling ships that's the place for research. So going through thos records may find some real world shipbuilding answers for you. http://www.mysticseaport.org/