What makes cannon blow up in my face?

[LittleMorgan]

During longer battles I more often than not have problems with my own cannons - they blow up without me getting hit or something. Overheating perhaps? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

At first I thought having some replacements in the cargo hold would help but apparently I cant install new/remove broken cannons during battle at all...
Is there anything else that can be done to prevent it?

 

[Fred Bob]

Ye prolly need ye a good officer wid high Gunnery skills! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_mrgreen1.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="icon_mrgreen1.gif" />

 

[LittleMorgan]

That one I have... well, he's around 72 or so cant look it up atm.
Does high cannon skill prevent this?

 

[CapnSunk]

<!--quoteo(post=324368:date=Jun 2 2009, 02:33 AM:name=LittleMorgan)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LittleMorgan @ Jun 2 2009, 02:33 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=324368"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->That one I have... well, he's around 72 or so cant look it up atm.
Does high cannon skill prevent this?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Better gunner, not enough crew or your sailing a ship too high of a level for your captain. Noticed I had a lot of cannons exploding when I tried sailing the frigate from the start.

 

[LittleMorgan]

That's strange; I am still sailing a fully upgraded caravel, always with full crew and I personally have enough skill for class 3 while my navigator already could sail a class 2.
It usually happens if a battle takes very long (I even go after warships with my mighty caravel; that bugger turns a little slow but with 30 24lbs cannons she delivers an impressive punch for a class 5, I really like her at lot)
Maybe indeed the 72 gunner is not enough...

 

[Sordid]

Heh, that's the complete opposite of my tactics. I have a brigantine, very fast and maneuverable while still packing a quasi-decent punch with its 24 pounders.

 

[CapnSunk]

First time around I had a corvette, this time on harder difficulty the exp is coming in slower so still sailing the bluebird now.

To actually take the bluebird I "borrowed" a heavy galleon and took her sails out and still had to take a beating before I could get close enough to board. During that time I had several cannons blow up, which was my presumption on not having enough skill for the ship.

Only other time I experienced it is when trying to finish off ships after I've already took heavy losses from a boarding, which is why I also presumed low crew may effect it as well.