Swashbucklers turns the ocean into a proper pirate playground. Where vanilla gives you a tiny wooden boat that cracks the moment a husk sneezes at it, this mod hands you real ships you can sail, load with cargo, and even arm with cannons. Five vessels plus a hand cannon cover everything from quick coastal hops to all-out naval brawls on survival worlds and multiplayer servers alike.

The Five Ships You Can Sail

Each ship fills a different role, so you pick the one that matches what you are doing out on the water.

The Swashbuckler: This is the basic pirate ship. It is small and fast, but not very powerful.

The Upgraded Swashbuckler: This ship is a more powerful version of the Swashbuckler. It has a cannon that can be used to fire cannonballs. (Press H to fire when you have cannonballs in your inventory)

The Raft: This is a small, unarmed ship that is good for exploring with good storage.

The Cutter: This is a medium-sized ship that is good for exploration with a lot of storage.

**The War Cutter: **This is a powerful ship that is armed with a cannon. It is good for taking on other ships. (Press H to fire when you have cannonballs in your inventory)

The cutters in Swashbucklers! Mod enters a damaged stage when hit. If they take more damage, they will enter a stage where they get destroyed and sink to the bottom. The other ships can also be damaged, but they will not enter a damaged stage. They will sink straight away.

Storage, Cannons, and Sinking Ships

The Swashbucklers! Mod adds storage to the ships.

In addition to the ships, the mod also adds the ability to use the hand cannon yourself.

Cannons run on craftable cannonballs, with each recipe batch yielding sixteen shots, so a little iron and gunpowder goes a long way. Aim with the hand cannon on foot, or climb into the Upgraded Swashbuckler or War Cutter and press H to fire the deck gun at rival players. The larger cutters are the real prize for combat, because they pass through a visible damaged state before finally sinking, which gives you a window to disengage or finish the fight.

How to Install the Mod

Swashbucklers is a Forge and NeoForge mod, so you need a matching loader installed before anything else. Our guides for Forge and NeoForge walk through setting that up cleanly, and the general how to install Minecraft mods primer covers the rest.

Once your loader is ready, drop the mod JAR into your mods folder and launch the game. Grab the file that matches your Minecraft version, since a mismatched build will refuse to load. From there you can craft a ship, set sail, and start raiding.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I fire the cannon?

Stock cannonballs in your inventory, then press H while piloting the Upgraded Swashbuckler or War Cutter. The hand cannon works the same way when you are holding it on foot.

Do the ships carry cargo?

Yes. Every vessel has its own storage, and the Raft and Cutter in particular hold a lot, which makes them strong picks for moving supplies between bases or hauling loot home from a raid.

Can ships be destroyed in combat?

They can. The Cutter and War Cutter show a damaged model after taking hits, then sink once they take enough punishment. Smaller ships skip the damaged stage and go straight down, so do not bring a Swashbuckler to a cannon fight.

Is Swashbucklers still being updated?

The current version of the mod last released in April 2026 and has effectively reached the end of its development. The author has confirmed that work is now going into a full remake built on a new vehicle framework, with plans for bigger ships, modular damage, and enemy pirates. Check the project page for current status before building a long-term world around it.