How versatile are the parts in a lego pirate ship set? I am looking at buying one of the pirate ship sets, such as 6285-1: Black Seas Barracuda,
however, I am concerned the parts in the set are too specialized, and could not be easily adapted to make custom creations. The three main parts are: the pieces of the ship's hull, the masts, and the sails. Are there any uses for these parts outside of making other pirate ships?
ALL parts can be used for something other than the original theme.

Here's an example of a use for the boat hull by Flickr user 2 Much Caffeine: 

There's also a rather humorous saying that goes: "All parts are space parts".  It's equally applicable to any other theme.