You can’t mention pirates without bringing up one perhaps the most notorious and feared pirate of all time – Blackbeard. Little is known about his early life, or if Edward Teach was even his real name, but we know that he was born in 1680, likely in Bristol, England.

Blackbeard started his journey on ships when he served on a British privateer. Throughout the Queen Anne’s War, or the second series of the French and Indian Wars, privateers protected England by attacking mostly French vessels and stealing their goods. The honest civilian life wasn’t enough for Blackbeard and he decided to take his superb looting skills elsewhere.

Blackbeard soon worked his way up to became the captain of one of the French sloops he helped capture, which was renamed Queen Anne’s Revenge. He and his crew dominated the Atlantic from 1716 to 1718, looting boats and selling the goods in various places, including America. Because pirate goods were cheap, people bought them without much question.

Blackbeard liked to maintain a threatening appearance (one of his trademarks was placing burning fuses under his hat) and he liked to keep an excessive number of weapons stashed across his chest. His long, black beard is where he got his nickname, of course. It was speculated that he dabbled in black arts and voodoo and would zombify his crew members. In any event, he was an intelligent and calculating man that could read and write, and he relied on his fearsome image and reputation to keep himself in power. Although some say there are no records of Blackbeard ever harming or killing any captive individuals, other reports say he was prone to violence, especially against his own crew. Either way, the man liked power. Below is the flag Blackbeard used, which was supposed to intimidate rival ships.

Eventually, Alexander Spotswood, the Governor of Virginia, sent a group of soldiers commanded by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of HMS Pearl to try and capture Blackbeard. During a vicious battle with Maynard’s men, Blackbeard was killed in the midst, and his head was cut off and hung from his ship. Even after Blackbeard’s death, many speculated that it was just a legend and that he actually escaped from death and recaptured his ship.

If you’re looking for more information about Blackbeard, the Blackbeard: Terror at Sea documentary can be found in full here on YouTube. We’ve also included it below.

Pirate Flag

You probably guessed it – the first thing you need is a good ‘ol Jolly Roger. Pirates used Jolly Roger flags to appear threatening to other boaters.

Sails

We know a pontoon boat is not a sail boat, but putting up some mock sails is sure to draw attention to your vessel. Even if your sail is just a blanket on a wooden pole, if it looks authentic, it works.

Crow’s Nest

Where else is your lookout going to stand? Because a homemade crow’s nest isn’t the safest place for a person, having one for just looks doesn’t hurt.

Parrot

You’re not a captain if you don’t have a faithful squawking companion.  If a real parrot is out of the question, why not pick up an inflatable one or one of the talking parrots found at Cracker Barrel?

Telescope

How can you survey the surrounding land without a handheld telescope? Their collapsible design allows for easy storage in a pocket or coin wallet. If you’re looking for a prop, try making your own out of toilet/wrapping paper tubes. Here’s a handy DIY guide for that.

Wheel

There’s no way you can feel like a tyrant of the water without a steering wheel that fits the part. Ditch the bland metallic steering device for a faux wooden one that looks more like a traditional ship’s wheel. If you’re savvy with power tools, here’s another DIY guide for a wooden pirate ship wheel.

Costumes

No pirate ship is truly complete without actual pirates on board. Put together some costumes with your crew and sail away!

If you’d like to make your own wear, the DIY Network offers a pirate costume tutorial.

Pirates of the Caribbean

The Pirates of the Caribbean series is arguably the most popular contemporary set of pirate movies. In fact, Millennials would likely name Pirates of the Caribbean if someone asked what their favorite pirate movie was. With its PG-13 rating and big stars including Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley, it’s a great pirate movie choice for the whole family.

While Captain Jack Sparrow certainly is a fan favorite, the theme song also is quite memorable. Although there are four films at the present time, rumor is that films five and six are in the making. It was announced in August that Johnny Depp signed on for a fifth film.

Hook

Hook is a Steven Spielberg classic and introduces Captain Hook as a villain who has kidnapped Peter Pan’s children. Although Peter Pan has grown up, he must return to Neverland and revisit childhood to save his children. The stellar cast includes Duston Hoffman, Robin Williams, and Julia Robers. Although the movie is rated PG, it’s enjoyable to adults as well as children.

If you’re looking for an easy way to view it, the full movie can be found on YouTube.

Treasure Island

The Treasure Island movie is a Walt Disney classic based off of the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. A young boy named Jim Hawkins finds himself in the company of Long John Silver, a pirate looking for Captain Flint’s buried treasure.

The full video can be found here.

If you’re looking for something a bit more modern, a Treasure Island television movie was released in 1990 starring Christian Bale and Charlton Heston. It has a 7.2 rating on IMDB. For something even a bit more recent, another Treasure Island TV movie was released this year and stars Eddie Izzard and Elijah Wood. That title has a 6.2 rating on IMDB.

Long John Silver

If you’re a Treasure Island fan, this sequel is about Long John Silver’s return trip to Treasure Island to rescue his friend Jim from an enemy pirate and search for more treasure.

Although it’s an unofficial sequel, it’s free on YouTube and great to check out if you need a movie to watch on a lazy afternoon. The quality isn’t the greatest, but it is from 1954. There is no remake at this time. Although it didn’t get the best ratings, the TV series was quite successful.

The Princess Bride

Although it’s not a movie strictly about pirates, it contains pirate themes and is worth mentioning because it is such a classic. If you’ve seen the movie, it’s hard to forget that Wesley returns after his disappearance with the title of Dread Pirate Roberts. As you can see in the following clip, the pirate theme is brought out in the swordfight between him and Inigo Montoya.

If you’re still looking for more pirate movies, a lot of old full-length films can be viewed for free on YouTube. What movies would you add to our list?