You buy stuff at the lowest cost in one port and sell it for the highest in another. Here are some tips to get rich.
Buy the max. Also look for shipwrecks for money and cargo.
I recommend you copy down the prices on each island and decide on how to trade.
BTW it is The Phoenix Warbird.
You will need 1,000,000 doubloons to buy the final, largest ship. But you are supposed to buy a larger ship whenever you can afford it, starting with the Jimmy Rigger for 3000 doubloons. As you get larger ships, you can earn doubloons faster. If you pay off all your loans, you only need 500,000 doubloons, because you can borrow an equal amount from the Golden Harbor Bank.
You just have to keep picking up salvage and trading until you can afford it. You begin with the raft, and when you have enough doubloons, you can buy an actual ship at Dragon Cove. Then, as you earn more doubloons, you can buy the next larger ship, which will have more cargo space and more cannons. By trading up, you earn doubloons faster. When you have saved up 500,000 doubloons, you can borrow another 500,000 from the Golden Harbor Bank and quickly get to the shipbuilder to buy the Phoenix Warbird (the only ship that can beat Captain Crawfish). Along with the Phoenix, you must also hire the Shipwright and the Cannoneer, to increase your fighting ability.
You buy all of the larger ships, including the Warbird, at the Shipbuilders on Dragon Cove. You will want to buy other ships as you can afford them, to get doubloons faster. Larger ships mean larger salvage and more cargo space.
All you do there is to hire the Cargo Master, when you can afford him (salary 15,000 doubloons).
The answer to both questions is the same: he has a Phoenix Warbird, and you need one just like it to beat him. The problem is that it costs 1,000,000 doubloons, and you are only earning a few dozen doubloons on the raft. You will need to buy a larger ship when you can afford it, and then another even larger one, until you have 500,000 doubloons of net worth. You can borrow the other 500,000 from the Golden Harbor Bank. But you will also need to hire the Shipwright and Cannoneer to improve your ability to fight.
All of the ships larger than the raft have cannons, but you need the biggest ship, the Phoenix Warbird, to beat Captain Crawfish. As you can afford each larger ship, trade up to get cargo and doubloons faster.
It costs 1,000,000 doubloons. That sounds like a lot considering you start salvaging from the raft for only a few dozen doubloons. But the way to proceed is to collect enough doubloons to buy a smaller ship first, then as you get more and more doubloons with the bigger ship, you can buy the next size up, until you are making thousands of doubloons on each trip. The first ship is the Jimmy Rigger for 1500 doubloons. Once you have more than 750, you can borrow the difference at Golden Harbor Bank (subject to paying it back with an interest charge). Go to the shipbuilder at Dragon Cove and buy the boat, which you can use to trade between the five islands. Once you can afford a ship with cannons, you can hunt sea creatures above and left of Dragon Cove, for even more salvage,
You need to buy larger ships as you can afford them, and accumulate enough doubloons to buy a Phoenix Warbird (500,000 and you can borrow another 500,000 from the Golden Harbor bank. You should also hire the Shipwright (Dragon Cove) and Cannoneer (Pirate Outpost). When you have assembled the 5 map pieces, and have your Phoenix Warbird, you can sail near the Pirate Outpost and Captain Crawfish will eventually show up.
Earning doubloons involves salvage and trading among the five islands. Once you buy larger ships, you can collect and earn more, especially through the risky business of sinking sea monsters and pirates for their salvage. By the time you have your third ship (usually the Carabelle), you can afford to hire skilled crewmen, who improve the performance of any ship you have.The skilled crewpersons (you pay them a salary only once) :Shipwright (Ship-Shape at Dragon Cove) : 20,000 doubloons to hire -- slowly fixes damage without dockingCargo Master (Willard's Warehouse at Bouffant Bay) : 15,000 doubloons -- increases cargo space of any ship by 50%Navigator (Petey's Pub at Parrot Port) : 12,000 doubloons -- increases ship speedCannoneer (Cannonry atop the Pirate Outpost) : 20,000 doubloons -- increases firing rate of your cannon*You should almost always buy a larger ship when you can afford it. You can skip one or two if you are already earning doubloons at a fast rate. Larger ships are faster, stronger, hold more cargo, and have more cannons.
He is sailing at the lower right of the map, near the Pirate Outpost, and will occasionally attack you there. Once you have the 5 pieces of the map, the small island Skullduggery appears, and he will challenge you whenever you sail near there. You can only sink him with a Phoenix warbird, so buy a new larger ship whenever you can afford one, so you can quickly earn more doubloons. (see the related question)
You will buy other ships before you can afford the Phoenix Warbird. Each larger ship lets you sail faster, recover more salvage, sink more pirates and sea monsters, and carry more cargo to trade. Once you have the Koi or the Steaming Fury, save up 500,000 doubloons and borrow the rest from the Goden Harbor bank. (This final loan does not have to be paid back.)
You buy larger ships as you can afford them. Larger ships have more cannons, and can carry more salvage and cargo. You actually only need half of the 1,000,000 doubloons, because the Gorden Harbor bank will loan you the rest.