Pirate Ship Parade Float. Theater or Movie Prop. Gorgeous! Award Winner!
Sale price: US $500.00 Make an Offer
| Condition: | Used | Model Year: | 2009 |
| Hitch Type: | Bumper Pull | Carrying Capacity (lbs.): | Yarrrgg |
| Length (feet): | 22 |
Lancaster, California, United States
Vehicle description
This is a love story .
Roger, my husband,spent his childhood summers in a tiny beach town called Cayucos. As an adult, his favorite event was their 4 th of July parade. At first, he was just an appreciative audience, and then one year he brought a bubble machine. He placed himself at the beginning of the parade, positioning himself so the bubbles would drift over the participants. Tiny little gymnasts. Kids with streamers on their bikes. Belly dancers. Mostly sober musicians. All entered the parade route through a flurry of bubbles.
It was a happy and joyful yearly event. I’d never seen Roger happier. The parade participants and crowds interacted with the bubbles. It was Big Fun. In 2009, as a surprise, I entered him in the parade. .without really knowing how that was going to happen. I just knew that Roger had earned the right to be in the parade. .after so many years on the sidelines.
My first attempt was to buy an old fire truck as a parade float. There were several reasonably priced ones on eBay: Vintage models with sexy curves. Sadly, practical issues came up. Particularly regarding insurance. Apparently, in order to insure a fire truck, it has to be garaged. Although I found a family with three small boys (sworn to secrecy!) to store the fire truck on their ranch, none of the outbuildings could house a fire truck. Apparently fire trucks also require expensive accessories and fussy care.
Our local “Rusty Relics” organization convinced me that what I really needed was an antique tractor because they were designed to function in spite of neglect and abuse. Furthermore, the organization would insure the tractor and a trailer in exchange for $26.00 dollars and a covered dish (for the yearly potluck).
In short order, I found a half buried 1946 propane converted Allis Chalmers tractor. As advertised. .it fired right up. So the next plan was to find a trailer to haul the tractor to the parade route and use as a float. I searched for “trailer” on Craigslist and stumbled across this magnificent pirate ship.
A wonderful Hermosa Beach Family theater group just completed “Pirates of Penzance. ”Their showcase prop was this 22 foot pirate ship. Their theater troop participated in transforming a real mahogany boat into this creation that could be the pride of Captain Jack Sparrow or any of his peers. A Hollywood movie artist, Tim Kuehn, wood grained the hull and added some wonderful flourishes. It was gorgeous. They had intended to keep it for a production of Peter Pan, but storage was an issue and they needed to sell the boat.
I, however, had plenty of storage, but first needed to tell three small boys “First the bad news. .there’s NOT going to be a fire truck. .”
My husband was thrilled! It was an hour and a half drive home. Lots of waving and happy honking on the LA freeways. School buses would slowly pass us,and we could see dozens of tiny kids pressing their noses against the school bus windows.
If you ever want to bring the DMV to a complete standstill (I know. How can you tell?), drive a trailer holding a 22 foot pirate ship prop to get registered. Three people with clipboards—and the huge line of the unfortunates- stood gaping and speechless before asking “Do you also want to register your vessel, ma’am?”
For the parade, we rigged out the ship with 6 bubble machines and 4 fog cannons. There"s a roomy space in back where we put a generator to power the fog machines and the speakers.
The“Black Clover” became the “Jolly Roger.” We all dressed up and had a blast. My son and his friend followed behind the ship, and swashbuckled. .much to the delight of the parade audience. The boys had multiple great elaborate hammy “deaths” and encouraged the audience to have competing “arrrrgh” shouts. I was the Bubble Queen, complete with a bubble wand crown.
When the ship went out in public, our emphasis was on education and literacy. We have a Little Free Library and support booksfortreats.org. We donate books to local and international schools and libraries. The Jolly Roger really stimulated people’s imaginations. It was always swarmed where ever it went.
We dedicated our first parade to the Cayucos Friends of the Library. For many years, Local 8 th graders would ride in the Jolly Roger to celebrate completing their Treasure Island unit. It was towed around the school, while they all belted out sea chanties. My students with autism were enchanted by the “real” pirate ship. The marching band swarmed it as it paraded. My son’s Sea Scout troop decked it out and had a great time in a parade.
It has earned a trophy in every parade it has entered.
The three little boys loved having the ship as their background climbing structure. They had many epic battles (and birthday parties) involving the ship.
The Jolly Roger was a fabulous backdrop as a “ghost ship” for a haunted house. We just draped it in assorted skeletons and Halloween décor.
Between the two of us, Roger and I have three and a half jobs, so there were many things we didn’t do with the ship that we could have, if we had the time or inclination.
Originally a theater prop, it’s size was suitable for an indoor stage. It was registered as a movie prop through a company that rented vehicles to film makers. We were asked to modify the trailer so that it could be pushed, rather than pulled. That wasn’t a priority for us.
We were repeatedly approached to set it up for parties or photo opportunities. Lots of little kids (and big ones) really like pirate theme parties. Our local costume shop offered to promote it as a rental. We were just too busy to follow up on that.
We did donate its use for various charities and got some nice tax write offs.
Details about the Jolly Roger :
It has been sitting in storage for the last 6 years. It is stored under a tarp and in an RV shed. The trailer is part of the deal. The trailer and ship tow beautifully either stripped for transport or rigged for parade. We had the ship reinforced and added PVC supports for the ocean skirt.
The tires are probably shot by now, so use at your own risk. There are minimal accessories included. The ship has 6 cannon ports. We used 4 of them to vent homemade fog cannons (not included. instructions are online, using 5 gallon buckets). The hoses we used to load the fog are still in place.
It is no longer suitable as a water vessel. When it was turned into a prop, holes were cut into the hull.
The trailer is currently registered.
So, as much as we loved having the ship, it is time for it to have a new home. It needs to be in a parade and we can"t do that anymore. The Jolly Roger deserves an audience.
We figured that some family would love to trot it out for 4 th of July, or use it for their party business or a photo prop. Or it would be great yard art for the right family.
Sometimes things get weird on eBay, so I’ll spell out the obvious:
We are selling the Jolly Roger at auction.
Please don’t come up with creative alternatives. We aren’t renting it out or giving it away. Thanks for understanding. The reserve price is $2000.00. This is what we paid for it originally. We put in another $2000.00 in upgrades (protective finish, skirt support, structural support, steps, etc.). Buyer assumes all responsibility.
Lowballers are cheerfully ignored.
We"re busy, so we might even overlook the righteous and serious bidders, too. Apologies. We"ll do our best to answer your questions when we can.
It is sold as-is, where is.
It is what it is.
No warranties, No Guarantees, No returns.
Dead men tell no tales.
There are various shipping companies listed on the internet that are available to pick up and deliver items like this. Again, the tires are probably questionable. Plan accordingly. The ship is located in the Antelope Valley, about an hour north of Los Angeles.
This auction for the Jolly Roger has basic parts included (ship, trailer, skirts, masts, ship’s wheel, and some stray odds and ends), but you will have to personalize it with your own accessories and special effects. Other than basic trailer wiring, no other electronic accessories are included (no generator, fog/bubble machines, speakers, etc.).
It has been stored for about 6 years and will need a good cleaning and a safety check. There may be evidence of critters. Aside from a few blemishes, exterior paint is in good condition (currently dusty), but the interior and rails would benefit from new paint or touch up. Some of the wood on the rails and captains wheel is weathered, but that adds to the charm. The skirt rails are made of PVC and might need replacing. The sparkle skirts and ornamental lamps are in great shape, sealed for storage.
The masts, sails,and rigging will probably need replacing. If not now, soon. Masts were simply re-purposed tree stakes. Sails were bed sheets. Rigging was knotted hemp rope. Not rocket science. Most of the spiffing up will be superficial.
ALSO:
We are not selling the Allis Chalmers tractor.
Roger is still the“bubble pirate” but has returned to his original spot at the beginning of the parade, sending flurries of bubbles over belly dancers and tiny gymnasts.
Thank you for looking at my listing. I hope you are as excited to see this as I was when I first decided to enter a parade.