17th-18th century
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Pirogue / Periagua
The periagua, or pirogue, evolved from simple dugout canoes into larger plank-sided, one- or two-masted open boats capable of carrying up to thirty men. Caribbean buccaneers used periaguas’ shallow draft and stealth to close on and overwhelm much larger Spanish ships through sheer numbers and musketry, as in a notable 1680 action against three Spanish…
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Shallop
The shallop was a small, open, versatile boat propelled by oars and a simple sail rig, widely used for coastal transport, fishing, and smuggling. Its shallow draft made it useful to small-time pirates and smugglers operating along the North American and Caribbean coastlines.
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Pal
The pal was a cannon-armed, three-masted vessel described as the Maratha “man-of-war,” used within Kanhoji Angre’s fleet as a substantial warship alongside the grab and gallivat.
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Longboat
The longboat was the largest ship’s boat carried aboard sailing vessels, rowed by a dozen or more men and sometimes fitted with a small sail. Buccaneers used longboats to land raiding parties, navigate rivers, and attack coastal towns beyond the reach of their main ships.
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Yacht
The yacht, originally a fast Dutch-designed dispatch and pleasure vessel, was occasionally captured or adapted for use as a small, quick raiding craft in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its light build and speed offered advantages similar to the sloop for opportunistic pirate operations.
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Gallivat
The gallivat was a smaller, oar-assisted warship of under 120 tons that operated alongside the larger grab in Maratha naval fleets, providing speed and maneuverability for close engagement and boarding actions against European merchant shipping.
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Grab (Gurab)
The grab, or gurab, was a heavily built, two- or three-masted warship of the western Indian coast, ranging up to 400 tons, used as the principal warship of the Maratha Navy under commanders such as Kanhoji Angre, whose fleet was branded piratical by European trading companies for raiding their shipping.
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Xebec
The xebec was a fast, narrow-hulled vessel with an overhanging bow and stern, combining lateen sails with oars for maneuverability in light winds, making it the signature raiding ship of the Barbary corsairs. Its speed and shallow draft allowed corsair captains, or raïs, to outmaneuver larger European warships along the North African coast.
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Ketch
The ketch was a two-masted, fore-and-aft rigged vessel used widely for coastal trade and fishing, and occasionally seized by pirates for raiding. Its stout hull also made it the preferred design for naval bomb vessels used against pirate strongholds.
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Brigantine
The brigantine carried a square-rigged foremast and a fore-and-aft rigged mainmast, giving it flexibility in varied winds and making it larger and better crewed than a sloop while still fast enough for chase and boarding. It bridged the gap between small raiders and full warships, useful for piracy and trade alike, and was a popular…