
Small Ships
Vanilla friendly Ships for Minecraft. Now with cannons!
Screenshots

About this Mod
Small Ships
Medieval-inspired ships for exploration, trade, and naval battles!
Play with Friends!
Want to play together with your friends? Check out DatHost for the best performance and easy setup!
How to Get Started
- Go to DatHost using my Link
- Register your account.
- Once registered, choose the plan that fits your needs
- The 30% discount will be applied automatically at checkout.
Important: The discount only works if you order your server using this ** my Link** !
Showcase
My Other Mods
Villager Recruits:
Command your own Villager Army into war! Now with Diplomacy and Factions!
Villager Workers:
Hire Villagers and let them work for you!
Small Ships:
Explore the oceans in your own sailable ships!
Siege Weapons:
Prepare for war. Build your siege weapon. Dominate the battlefield.**!
Explanation
- Place the ship far away into water – they need space to spawn.
- Right-click to sit in the ship.
- While sitting in the Ship:
- Press R to open/close the sail.
- W / S to increase or decrease sail speed.
- Third Person View (F5) + Mousewheel = Adjust camera distance.
- Right-click an entity to dismount it from the ship.
- To open inventory outside of the ship: crouch + right-click.
Cannons
- Add a cannon with right-click while holding one.
- Shoot cannons with Space while looking in their direction (requires cannonballs in ship inventory).
- Remove a cannon with a pickaxe.
- Key-binds can be changed in options.
Detailed Features
Ship Performance
- Cold-water ships → 10% faster in cold biomes, 10% slower in warm.
- Warm-water ships → 10% faster in warm biomes, 10% slower in cold.
- Each cannon decreases speed by 2.5%.
- Cargo can decrease speed by up to 10%.
Sail Coloring
- Right-click with dye to color sails.
Ship Repairing
- Repair with iron nuggets and planks.
Ship Naming
- Use a nametag to name your ship.
Leashing (1.18.2 – 1.20.6)
- Tether ships (only if no player is controlling them).
Ships
Cog
- Medieval trade ship (cold water).
- 108 slots, up to 4 cannons, 5 passengers.
- Speed: 40 km/h, Hull: 300 HP.
Brigg
- Two-masted medieval trade ship (cold water).
- 162 slots, up to 6 cannons, 11 passengers.
- Speed: 45 km/h, Hull: 400 HP.
Galley
- Naval warfare ship (warm water).
- 54 slots, 9 passengers.
- Speed: 40 km/h, Hull: 200 HP.
Drakkar
- Viking-style ship (cold water).
- 54 slots, 11 passengers, ice-breaker ability.
- Shields with banner patterns for defense.
- Speed: 30 km/h, Hull: 200 HP.
Crafting
Sail
Cannon
Cannon Ball
Cog
Brigg
Galley
Drakkar
Small Ships Wiki
👉 Visit the Wiki for a full overview
Modpack Permissions
You are allowed to use the Small Ships Mod in any modpack,
as long as you link back to this page and don’t make money off of it.
Available Versions
How to Install Small Ships on Your Server
Order Server
Order a Minecraft Java server with at least 3 GB RAM (4 GB recommended).
Set fabric Loader
In the panel under "Egg", select the fabric loader and matching Minecraft version (1.21.4).
Install Mod
Open the mod browser in the dashboard and search for "Small Ships". Click "Install" – done! Alternatively, upload the .jar via SFTP to the /mods folder.
Compatibility
Mod Loaders
Minecraft Versions
1.21.4, 1.21.1, 1.21 (+7 more)
Server-side
✓ RequiredRecommended RAM
4 GB(min. 3 GB)Frequently Asked Questions
Small Ships server crashes on startup – what to do?
Most common cause: wrong fabric version or insufficient RAM. Check the server log (latest.log) for "OutOfMemoryError" or "Mixin" errors. With Mado Hosting: ensure at least 3 GB RAM is allocated and the loader matches the mod version (1.21.4). You can switch loaders with one click in the panel.
Is Small Ships compatible with fabric and forge and neoforge?
Small Ships officially supports fabric, forge, neoforge for Minecraft 1.21.4, 1.21.1, 1.21. Note: Forge and Fabric mods are NOT cross-compatible – pick one loader and stick with it. The Mado dashboard automatically detects incompatible loader combinations.
Server lagging with Small Ships – how to optimize performance?
Recommended RAM: 4 GB (per 8 players). Use /spark profiler to check if Small Ships consumes the most tick time. Common fixes: reduce server view-distance to 8-10, install "performant" or "starlight" as supplementary mods on Forge. With Mado Hosting, your server runs on NVMe SSDs with dedicated CPU cores for minimal latency.
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Rent Modded Server
Install Small Ships with just one click on your server.