The Small Ships mod transforms Minecraft’s maritime experience by introducing detailed, functional vessels that go far beyond the simple boats players are familiar with. This comprehensive modification brings medieval-era ships to life, complete with customizable 
sails, storage systems, and naval combat capabilities.
Players can choose from multiple ship types, each designed for specific purposes ranging from trade expeditions to maritime warfare, making ocean exploration more engaging and strategic than ever before.
This mod stands out for its attention to detail and authentic sailing mechanics, featuring realistic ship physics, weather effects, and biome-specific performance bonuses. The mod’s vanilla-friendly approach ensures it integrates seamlessly with existing gameplay while adding substantial depth to ocean-based activities.
Available Ship Types
The Small Ships mod features four distinct vessel types, each engineered for specific maritime purposes and biome conditions. Understanding the characteristics of each ship type helps players make informed decisions about which vessel best suits their intended activities and sailing environments. All of which require a new block added by the mod: The Sail.
The color of the Wool used determines the color of the Sail. The Ship can be crafted from different types of wood, and the resulting Ship will take on the color of the wood used.
Cog Ships
The Cog serves as the quintessential medieval trading vessel, designed primarily for cold water biomes. This medium-sized ship boasts 300 health points and can accommodate up to five crew members, including the captain. With 108 storage slots arranged across multiple inventory pages, the Cog provides substantial cargo capacity for extended trading expeditions.
The vessel supports up to four 
cannons for defensive purposes and achieves maximum speeds of approximately 40 kilometers per hour when properly sailed. While lacking oars for manual propulsion, the Cog excels as an all-around vessel with balanced capabilities.
Galley Ships
The Galley represents a distinct approach to ship design, optimized for warm-water biomes with hybrid propulsion systems. This vessel combines both sail and oar propulsion, allowing players to achieve base speeds of 33 kilometers per hour with sails alone, plus an additional 20 kilometers per hour boost when rowing.
The Galley accommodates up to nine crew members but sacrifices storage capacity with only 54 inventory slots. Its defensive capabilities include mounting positions for two cannons, and the ship maintains 200 health points with enhanced maneuverability for quick tactical movements.
Brig Ships
The Brig stands as the largest and most formidable vessel in the Small Ships arsenal. This impressive two-masted warship excels in both combat and cargo capacity, boasting 400 health points and accommodating up to eleven crew members.
The Brig offers extensive storage with 162 inventory slots and can mount up to six cannons for superior firepower. Designed for cold-water biomes, this vessel achieves remarkable speeds of 45 kilometers per hour through sail power alone, although its size results in reduced maneuverability compared to smaller ships.
Drakkar Ships
The Drakkar features a unique Viking-inspired design with specialized capabilities that distinguish it from other vessels. This ship accommodates eleven crew members and features 54 storage slots, comparable in capacity to the galley. What makes the Drakkar special is its 
shield mounting system, allowing players to attach up to ten shields for damage reduction of up to 30 percent.
The vessel features 
ice-breaking capabilities, allowing it to pass through frozen waterways by automatically breaking ice blocks at water level. With hybrid propulsion providing a base speed of 27 kilometers per hour, plus an additional 13 kilometers per hour from rowing, the Drakkar excels in harsh northern environments.
Ship Placement and Basic Controls
Once deployed, players can board ships by right-clicking on the vessel. The ship’s control scheme uses familiar WASD movement keys, though with nautical modifications. The W key activates oars on ships equipped with rowing capabilities, while the R key controls sail deployment. Players can adjust sail positions incrementally using W to lower sails for increased speed and S to raise them for reduced speed. However, these adjustments include cooldown periods, and so rapid toggling isn’t possible.
Cargo loading affects ship performance in realistic ways. Fully loaded vessels experience up to 10 percent speed reduction, encouraging players to balance cargo capacity with mobility requirements. The visual representation of cargo becomes apparent on heavily loaded ships, with storage containers visible on deck as inventory fills up.
Naval Combat and Weaponry
The Small Ships mod introduces naval combat through craftable cannons that can be mounted on compatible vessels.
2Cannons require three 
iron blocks, one string, and two logs of any wood type. Players can mount cannons by right-clicking on ships while holding cannon items, up to each vessel’s maximum cannon capacity.
Cannon operation requires Round Shot ammunition, crafted from 
Iron nuggets and gunpowder. Players must stock their ship’s inventory with ammunition before engaging in combat. To fire cannons, players must be seated in the captain’s position and look in the desired direction of the cannon. The space bar triggers cannon fire, with shots directed based on the player’s viewing angle.
Each mounted cannon reduces ship speed by 2.5 percent, creating strategic decisions between firepower and mobility. Heavily armed vessels become slower but more formidable in combat, while lightly armed ships maintain speed advantages for hit-and-run tactics. Cannon accuracy depends on proper aiming, with shots spreading randomly around the targeted area rather than hitting precise points.
Ship Customization and Aesthetics
Players can extensively customize their vessels through various aesthetic modifications. Sail colors can be changed by right-clicking on ships while holding dye items, instantly transforming all sails and rigging to the selected color. This system is compatible with all standard Minecraft dyes, enabling diverse color schemes and fleet identification systems.
Banner placement adds personalization and faction identification to vessels. Players can attach banners to ships by right-clicking with banner items, creating flags that display sideways from the vessel’s structure. Custom banner patterns enable unique designs, guild symbols, or territorial markings that enhance the role-playing potential of naval expeditions.
Ship naming provides another layer of customization using name tags. Right-clicking on vessels with named tags applies the custom name, which appears in ship information displays and identification systems. Named ships become more memorable and help players manage larger fleets or distinguish between different vessels in harbors.
Wood type variations allow players to match ships with their building themes or personal preferences. Each wood type maintains its characteristic appearance while preserving the ship’s functional capabilities, creating visual variety without affecting performance statistics.
Maintenance and Repair Systems
Ships require regular maintenance to maintain optimal performance and prevent total loss. Combat damage, collision impacts, and environmental hazards gradually reduce ship health over time. Players can monitor vessel condition through health percentages displayed while seated in the captain’s position.
Repair operations require iron nuggets and wooden planks of any type. Players must hold iron nuggets while having planks in their inventory, then right-click on damaged vessels to initiate repairs. Multiple repair cycles may be necessary for severely damaged ships, with each repair session consuming materials and restoring partial health.
Sunken ships represent total loss situations, though players can still access cargo holds to salvage valuable items. Sunken vessels remain accessible for cargo recovery but cannot be repaired or refloated. After 15 minutes, sunken ships despawn completely, dropping any remaining cargo items into the water where they follow standard item despawn mechanics.
Environmental hazards pose ongoing threats to ship integrity. Magma blocks can cause ships to sink if encountered at sea level, though removing the magma blocks allows damaged vessels to refloat if they retain sufficient health. Storm conditions create realistic rolling and pitching motions that add atmospheric effects without causing damage.
Biome-Specific Performance
The Small Ships mod implements realistic biome-based performance variations that affect sailing efficiency. Cold water ships, including the Cog, Brig, and Drakkar, receive 10 percent speed bonuses when sailing in cold water biomes, while suffering 10 percent speed penalties in warm water environments. This system rewards strategic vessel selection based on intended sailing routes.
The Galley operates as the sole warm water specialist, gaining speed bonuses in warm biomes while experiencing reduced performance in cold waters. This specialization creates interesting fleet composition decisions for players operating across diverse oceanic regions. Mixed fleets might require different ship types to maintain optimal performance across various biomes.
Biome recognition affects all oceanic environments, including standard oceans, lukewarm oceans, warm oceans, cold oceans, and frozen oceans. Players must consider their typical sailing routes when selecting vessels, as the wrong ship type for the environment significantly impacts travel times and fuel efficiency.
Future Development
Planned ship types include caravels, dhows, and junks, expanding the medieval maritime roster with vessels from different cultural traditions. Additional customization options will consist of nameplate systems, banner patterns on sails, and decorative figures that enhance ship personalization and identification systems.
Block placement systems will enable players to add functional blocks, such as beds, 
furnaces, and 
crafting tables, to their vessels, creating mobile bases capable of extended ocean voyages. These additions will transform ships from simple transportation methods into comprehensive maritime platforms for extended exploration and settlement activities.
