"River/coastal craft and barges" Topic

Ever since reading about "gubbins" in The Wargame Companion I've wanted to scratch build some barges, galleys or other small craft for some creative games. Can anyone direct me to websites or other easily found sources for ideas about basic looks, common types, etc.? I'm a pretty good scratch builder and would be looking primarily for 25mm or 28mm scale, though they couldn't be too detailed since I've got to fit the miniatures in them. Maybe room for a couple of small carriage mounted guns or swivels.

Thanks in advance for any help.

How about a cutter?

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or a mortar vessel?

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or a gunboat?

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Have a look at REDOUBT under their Napoleonic range they have a longboat………..it might inspire you…

Merrimack / old Glory shiphyard has illustrated 'gunboats & galleys' in 25mm

Ships' small boats could be armed

For a change, what about the row galleys / gondolas / gunboats of the Great Lakes?
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Can't find now the link to the scale model of the Philadelphia with her 2 lateens sails on…
Google for 'Battle Lake Champlain'
Googling for images of *gunboats* will provide links to other types, British e.g. – but also of colonial, modern and sci-fi ones!
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You can also try (web or images) 'new york gondola' 'spitfire gondola' 'jefferson gunboat' 'gunboat virginia' 'british gunboat' 'gunboat william' &c…

An entirely tradition is that of the Baltic oared flottillas (Swedish, Russian, Danish..) link
Try googling for cannon-shallop Kanonjolle Kanonslup Kanonskornert Morsarbarkass kanonbarkass

A 3rd 'school' is provided by all the landing boats and fraft of Bonaparte's successive flottillas in Boulogne, but data and images are hard to find, I fear.

All such could be 'armees en flute' i.e. with most of the artillery disembarked, to be used as ('assault'?) troop transports.
Basically oared boats allow you to forget about complicated rules re. the wind's direction, strength &c… if you are mainly interested in amphibious / riverines actions (rather than 'true' naval wargaming).

I suspect raw galleys / gondolas / (large) gunboats -as they were alternatinely called- to be too large for the type of gaming you intend with 6 or 8 guns, a lot of swivels, two masts…)
For me I *ate* the DBX suggestion to have 2mm or 6mm boats on the same table as 25mm minis 'because they are seen from a distance'!
Boats of convenient size would, I guess, fit within the range of the various warship's boats TMP link
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Many manufacturers of 'pirates' and 'FIW' range offer some of the smaller ones, but you'll probably want something slightly larger link

Being not too large but rather wide the boats used by Wolfe against Quebec could provide inspiration for a convenient pattern. Used as gunboats rather than landing craft they would probably mount a light but 'real' naval gun and swivels (1 – 2 on each size of the model up to 6 on each size 'in real life'?). Nothingforbides you to add a mast, most actual types potentially combined sails and oars.

Many ACW / colonial scenarios of the 'raid on the railway' type can be transposed on 18th C. canals and rivers (a sindicatd in the old C.S. Grant's WRG book of scenarios). For such barge / simple pontoons models can be used, but you may draw inspiration from the Canadian 'batteaux' / 'military bateaux' link
Also Late Renaissance Cossaks made intensive use of riverine transport, using types that maybe inspirational picture
And for an ambush scenario you can substitute the Duchess' coach or treasure wagon with a keelboat link

Endless possinilities

93950.com/boats/history.htm

For some reason my message was substituted -while still appearing under my 'handle'- with a 'contemporay warfare' one?? What's the#@~¿¿

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-* Convenient *wargame* models of 18th C. rowboats / gunboats could certainly be converted from children *toys* (the cruder the better, for such use) -not only Lego or Playmobil but very cheap ones from ‘practically unknown' manufacturers. Only the guns and their navy carriages or swivel mounts would have to come from a specialized shop.
In the same vein cheap 54mm plastic boats from from armymen-like toy soldiers ranges could be used as ‘larger' boats in 28mm. Specially convenient since designed to receive toy soldiers.

-* While the models delt with there are generally larger (and often sailed rather than oared) than the ones you endvisage, you would surely get useful suggestions on the TMP ‘Pirates' messages board?

-* My own interest for such riverine / ampibious games came from reading an allusion by Charles Grant to ‘tricorned' (or were they ‘mirlitoned'?) light infantry raiders landing from xebecs. Most ‘viking raid'-type scenarios can indeed be played as 18th C. Petite Guerre ;
Bill ‘BAR rules' Protz is known to have organized such amphibious games set in the FIW, and posted simples rules for a joyful amphibious raid in the ‘Files' of the Old_School_Wargaming Yahoo group.
Hopefully at least one among the emerging Lace Wars Imagi-Nations will feature lots of rivers and lakes interconnected by canals. Maybe you'll design it?
TMP link
TMP link

Please keep use aware of developments.
Jean-Louis

Thank you Abdul666lw and others. Lots of ideas and as you say lots of possibilities. I'm tending at the moment toward a rowed craft that would have four sailors rowing, one up front with a swivel gun, one at the tiller and room for 15 soldiers on 1" bases. Looks like I can do it on about an 8" long frame. Then I'd have to do a couple of sleeker somethings that might have a pair of carriage guns, pair of swivels and room for maybe 6 soldiers/marines. Leaning towards a combo rowed and lanteen rigged single sail.

Semi related, I'm very tempted to start up an imagi-nation since I got started with Charles Grant many winters ago. But I don't have the bankroll to do an army of "big battalions" and since I'm kind of in the midwest (MN) that would be the easiest and most enjoyable format. First though I have to rediscover the joys of steady employment.

Cheers

Oh, and I will keep people posted on developments.

Michael

Best wishes,
Jean-Louis

Was probably already available when you posted your query – sorry: TMP link
Specially now that the London War Room is closed.
Redoubt offers the model with grenadiers or soldiers in tricorn: link yet more generally it's another typical case where sprues of '18th C. heads (as discussed in a general context here: TMP link ) would come handy. Wargames Factory League or Eureka 100?

"crafts and barges" related topic: TMP link

I once downloaded a template from foundary miniature for their pirate ship, it was quite simple to scratch build one mast simple would hold several 28mm miniatures had room for guns seems what you need, however I can not find it on their site you may be able to contact them or someone on TMP might still have it as a download. I will look and see if I still have it.

Excellent info Abdul666, thanks.

Tremendous paintjob on a very nice and useful model TMP link !

Now, some of the museum models picture have a swivel gun at the prow: too bad Redoubt did not (does not as yet?) offer it, at least as an option – they provide this option for their 'ranger whaleboat' link
The conversion is probably not *that* difficult (despite the disappearance of the London War Room I suppose swivel guns are available selsewhere?), through the continuous planking there would complicate it: an 'empty cell' for the gunner would be convenient. As would be a gunner mini, of course.

Which leads to the other limitation of this little jewel: it depicts Wolfe's 'Quebec' landing barge, with passengers in the precise -and rather identifiable- corresponding uniforms. Redoubts offers an alternative with 'infantry' in tricorns link already more 'generic' but certainly still 'British'. 'Generic' infantrymen TMP link having (ideally complemented by sprues of '18th C. heads' with various headgears) to receive their 'nationality' by paintjob would allow to easily use this model in a wider diversity of contexts…