I Need a Bigger Boat is a main tutorial quest in Windrose, given by Doctor Galen Skelton after the player completes Rescuing the Crew. The quest requires the player to investigate three shipwrecks on the second island and repair the one that can be salvaged into a seaworthy vessel.
Objective
Locate three shipwrecks on the second island. Two of the three are beyond repair; the central wreck can be restored. Repairing the wreck requires the seven crewmates rescued in the prior quest, plus a significant material investment.
Status | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
Northwestern wreck | Beyond repair | One of the beyond-repair wrecks contains a Decrepit Chest loot pool that can include the Executioner halberd (Rare tier). Which specific wreck holds the chest is not consistently documented across guides, so loot every wreck you pass. |
Central wreck | Repairable | Heavily guarded by Blackbeard pirate sailors; this is the quest objective |
Third wreck | Beyond repair | May contain additional loot; not the quest target |
Repair Cost
Repairing the central shipwreck requires a one-time material cost paid at the wreck itself. Gather these before starting the final repair interaction:
Image | Material | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | |
| 20 | |
| 20 | |
| 10 |
Nails are primarily obtained by breaking shipwreck wreckage with an axe, which drops Planks and Nails. Coarse Fabric is crafted at the Workbench (3 Plant Fiber = 1 Coarse Fabric). Rope is also crafted at the Workbench from Plant Fiber. Wood is abundant from trees. The seven rescued crewmates are automatically assigned to the repair once the materials are delivered.
Combat Approach
The central shipwreck is guarded by Blackbeard pirate sailors.
Rewards
A repaired mid-size ship used to continue the main story
Quest completion XP
Access to the Seafarer Quest (naval tutorial) that follows
Loot from the combat encounters
Tips
Break shipwreck wreckage with an axe to drop Planks and Nails, which accelerates repair material gathering
Loot every beyond-repair wreck's Decrepit Chest on the way past; one of them can contain the Executioner halberd even though the wreck itself cannot be repaired
Place a Fast Travel Bell on the second island near the shipwreck to avoid repeated sailing trips
Stock Coarse Fabric from Plant Fiber runs on the starting island before arriving
Quest Path
Stage-by-stage progression as recorded in the in-game quest log for I Need a Bigger Boat in Windrose version 0.10.0. The quest runs 4 tracked objectives from start to completion. Stage-level Required Items are objective-gated items the player must bring to progress; Rewards are items granted the moment each stage is closed out.
Completion Text
Narrative journal line the game writes once the final stage closes out:
"My time on the island wasn't wasted. I have a ship and a crew. At last, we can weigh anchor, catch the wind in our sails, and set off on a new voyage."
Stages
The numbered flow below mirrors the objective list in the quest log. Each entry shows the in-game objective title, the journal description the player sees when the stage becomes active, and any stage-bound Required Items or Rewards.
Stage | Objective |
|---|---|
1 | Check the shipwreck sites |
2 | Repair the ship |
3 | Finish the repairs and get the ship afloat |
4 | Talk to Doctor Galen |
Stage 1: Check the Shipwreck Sites
Doctor Galen told me he'd seen several ships that had run aground. Maybe we can get one of them afloat again.
Stage 2: Repair the Ship
I managed to find a ship. It's intact, though a bit battered. All that's left is to gather 100 wood, 20 nails, 20 pieces of coarse fabric, and 10 ropes, and maybe this little beauty will sail the seas again.
Stage 3: Finish the Repairs and Get the Ship Afloat
We can't finish the repairs and get the ship back to sea with just the two of us. To sail her, we'll need a crew. Seven people should be enough for this little thing.
Stage 4: Talk to Doctor Galen
The crew is assembled, and the ship is ready to set sail. Time to tell Doctor Galen we can get out of here.
See Also
Rescuing the Crew - prerequisite quest
Seafarer Quest - follow-up quest
Ship Types - ship progression
Executioner - loot weapon from northwestern wreck
Doctor Galen - quest-giver
Full Five-Phase Walkthrough
Phase 1 - Wreck Exploration: Follow Galen's ship-wreckage lead. Loot the site for early crafting materials and identify the ship hull that will become the player's first vessel.
Phase 2 - Ship Repairs: Gather Wood and Steel Nails and complete the ship repair interactions. This is the first multi-stage construction objective in the game.
Phase 3 - Crew Rescue: Free 7 captured crewmates (the exact count per guides) across three pirate camps. See the companion Rescuing the Crew quest for the detailed camp clear-out order.
Phase 4 - Launch: Return to the Wharf, interact with the ship, and launch it. The player gains mobility for the first time since the crash.
Phase 5 - Report to Galen: Return to base and speak with Doctor Galen to hand in the quest. He immediately hooks the player into the next chain: the shipwright and cannon expansion of How My Sea Adventure Began.
Common Pitfalls
Do not engage pirate patrols with broken stamina. Complete the Shovel and basic weapons before camp clears.
The rescue phase requires freeing all 7 crewmates; partial camp clears do not progress the quest.
Keep 3-4 Healing Potions in inventory; melee damage spikes in the third camp.
Repair Materials Breakdown
The central wreck repair requires a specific shipment of materials. Launch-week guides document the cost as:
100 Wood
20 Nails
10 Rope (roughly 30 Plant Fiber processed at the Workbench)
20 Coarse Fabric (roughly 60 Plant Fiber)
Preparation Recommendation
Most guides recommend reaching level 2 and crafting a full copper tool and armor set before starting the repair run. Rescuing the seven crew members scattered across the island involves the final camp fight, which is the first real multi-enemy encounter of the playthrough. Bring Bandages or an early Healing Potion (Doctor Galen also hands out one for free after the quest starts).
Placing a Fast Travel Bell at the base before the run saves a long swim-back after the wreck repair completes.
Shipwreck-by-Shipwreck Cost Table
Doctor Galen marks three shipwrecks on the map, but only the second (and optionally the third) can actually be repaired. The first is storyboarded as unrepairable and only exists to guide the player onto the next waypoint. The two repairable wrecks share the same recipe, so the materials gathered for the second shipwreck can be reused for the third if both are repaired.
Status | Repair Cost | |
|---|---|---|
First (northwest marker) | Unrepairable, quest advances you onward | None |
Second (central island) | Primary repair target; Thorn Fiddlers and Drowners patrol | 100x Wood, 20x Nails, 20x Coarse Fabric, 20x Rope |
Third (final marker) | Optional; same cost as second if repaired as backup | 100x Wood, 20x Nails, 20x Coarse Fabric, 20x Rope |
Crew of seven requirement: Repairing the ship also requires a full crew of seven. Completing the Rescuing the Crew quest before turning in I Need a Bigger Boat is the usual order because otherwise the repair step completes but the ship cannot sail. Treat Rescuing the Crew as a soft prerequisite even though the quest log does not enforce it.