Thread: Crow's nest prop...

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I decided to add a crow's nest to my Pirate ship yard haunt this year. After looking for a suitable sized wooden bucket or bushel basket for several weeks, I finally found a plastic half sized wine/rum keg at the local Orchard Supply hardware store.

It was the perfect size for my crow's nest! I got it home and mounted to the cat walk of my Pirate ship by zip tying it onto two 1/2" sections of rebar. I then added my most able crewman to the nest to act as a lookout.

He is actually a half torso rubber skeleton that I previously used to man the port side cannon. I had already outfitted him with an eyepatch, bandana and sword. I propped him into place in the crow's nest, using three short sections of bamboo. I then added a small lantern as a final touch.

First-rate! Well done.

q

He looks great! The lantern is a nice touch.

MsM

"It's the crow's nest for you!"..My favorite part of any pirate ship. Looks great.

Very nice use of the porch. Love the display!

Very nice crow's nest. I love how you turned the deck into a pirate ship.

awesome set up love it

Hey Erin,

Thanks! One thing to remember if you want to do a crow's nest like this is to have several drain holes spaced all around in the bottom of it! Mine filled up pretty quickly with water during the first rains.....

I am thinking on wiring the lookout's arms up and having holding a telescope for next years haunt.....!

Nice addition to your haunt. Really nice find on the basket. It helps complete the look and I liked how you rigged it too. Do you remember how much it cost? I have a number of pirates items, don't have a crow's nest and have been keeping an eye out for something to use. Mostly looked for waste baskets that could be modified since half barrels I've seen have been too large. Yours looks like it's made of a plastic resin material which would be great for all weather conditions. We have Orchard Supplys in our area so there's a chance you may have really helped me out in my search. I like that you could use it during the rest of the year to hold a potted plant too.

I've been looking at pictures of your haunt for the past few years and just love how the design of your house works so well with this theme. It's so easy to forget that there's a house there, especially in the nighttime photos.

BTW do you light the lantern at dusk? That would be a nice effect. Doesn't look like there would be an easy way to lower the lantern to turn it on; but I think you could find a battery lit "candle" or modify the lantern itself so that it could be one of those 8 hours on, 16 hours off kind of deals.

GoS,

Thanks! As I recall, the half barrel basket was around $24.00 or so from the Orchard Supply store. It is made out of some sort of resin or plastic, so it will weather any storm!

The lantern is an real oil lamp, so I didn't even think about lighting it, but I do like the idea of battery operated "Flicker" candles. I actually do use them in another lantern that I have hanging from a Shepard's hook next to the row boat wreck set up near the front door. I will give the "Flicker" candles a try and see how they work out.....

My house and deck really do lend themselves to doing this haunt. Several people have said the same thing about how well the house blends in with the props. I have a few more ideas to add for next year, but I will pretty much stay with the same Haunted Pirate ship theme.....

Thanks again for your kind words....!!!!

Mick