Ok folks, sorry for so long since I updated. Been busy with "life."
Anyhoo, what I've done lately is:
1. Cut 6 more cannon ports, bringing the Black Pearl's current 14-gun battery up to 20 guns! (though I need 4 more actual cannons).
2. Made some custom-fit styrofoam inserts that fill the entire hull for use on rough waters to prevent capsizing and sinking. The main problem with the 3286 in its stock form, even with the stock ballast attached, is that it is highly unstable. Any addition of crew or cannon beyond the stripped-down hull by itself will cause the ship to pitch, and then take on water at the gunports, which fills the hull with water and causes the ship to capsize or sink.
What's the point of having a ship that floats only when there is no crew or armament on board? An unmanned ghost ship?
? o_O
So, with added ballast (which also employs the use of water as ballast in the case of rough waters/ high waves),
(this is an older pic before the extra gunports and stern gallery were added) 
and styrofoam inserts, the ship can now take on a full crew and compliment, cargo, longboat, treasure, 20 cannons, (or 6 real cannons and 14 faux cannons),
(old pic not showing updated features yet)
the added mizzen mast, 3-tiers of sails, extra weight of the forecastle at the bow, and added weight of the stern gallery (really heavy plastic), as well as a heavy battery pack for powering the lights (not shown in the video yet).
All together with the crew, cannons, and extra ballast, this ship weighs in at 10 pounds! (about 4.5 Kilos!) And it STILL FLOATS with a waterline below the gunports! (not counting waves).
(old pic not showing updated features yet)
I am truly happy with this float test, as it took many hours of experimenting with weight, foam, crew/cargo compliment/placement, and crouching uncomfortably by the bathtub!
Here is the link to the Float Test Video (note, the ship is not fully assembled for rigging/sails/parts...just enough for the test):
..........................
http://youtu.be/x0yU9e_00RoCurrent Pic of Ship Work in Progress:
You can see a new redesigned keel to match the contours of the new bow. The bow/forecastle feature weathered planks in contrast to the stock 3286 hull which does not use weathered planks. I have yet to score the rest of the playmobil hull to match. I intend to (and then I'll have to repaint again) just to give the whole hull a very weathered ghost piratey ship look. I only painted black preliminarily so I can envision this as the Pearl the whole time. There are many cut and drilled parts that have since lost their painted surface. So I'll have to repaint in the end.
You can see the extra gunports, though the cannons are not installed. For pool or living room use, the original gundeck has been modified to accommodate 12 cannons if you want to play below deck still. For use on the high seas and rough waters, the gundeck is removed and replaced with styrofoam inserts that prevent water from filling the hull. In this case, Faux cannons are used in place of real cannons, just for looks. I know it might bug some of you that they aren't real cannons, but without a gundeck to house the real cannons, I had to come up with something so it would still be armed. It won't make much practical difference anyway because the ship will be sailing in the water away from your ability to actually play with the below-deck features.
I have a lot of work to do still on this ship, including (but not limited to) finishing the mermaid pediment supports below the captain's gallery quarters and adding drawstrings for the gunport hatches (when you pull one string, all the gun port hatches on the gundeck will open in unison).
hopefully more updates to come soon
