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Help us keep this glorious Viking beast alive for many more epic rides through the dust.
We are Blazing Death Ship , a Mutant Vehicle Theme Camp forged in the fires of poor decisions and great friendships stretching back to the halcyon playa days of 2003. Our ship, the Smage, was born in 2013 when a crew of brave, foolhardy souls with limitless optimism taught themselves to weld and built a Viking vessel out of blood, bones, and Craigslist steel.
Since then, she’s crossed dimensions, survived sandstorms, and faced Werewolf Margaret Thatcher in single combat. This year, we hope to continue to ferry thousands of dusty wanderers across the deep playa of Burning Man, luring them with the dulcet tunes of Laura Branigan and offerings of legendary buttery grilled cheeses.
But our Smage is in trouble.
After 13 years (and the devastation of 2023’s Mudpocalypse), our battered, bruised Smage is showing her age. Many things have broken, corroded, or are just plain destroyed. We must attend to her, if she is to sail again.
What We Need
We’re raising money to make critical repairs and upgrades that will keep the ship rolling, glowing, and booming for years to come. Your donation is critical to help us address the following urgent needs:
- Fuel line elevation and battery system overhaul: Dust, mud, and rain demand a complete internal overhaul.
- Replace the worn-out tires: They’ve seen some sh*t and jacking up a 10,000lb steel ship ain’t easy.
- Rebuild the wooden upper deck: Time to make her a touch less “life-threatening, maybe even “comfortable-crow’s-nest-chic.”
- Repair and rewire electronics: Sound is premium, and we’re still recovering from thousands of dollars of Mudpocalypse damage.
- Upgrade the lighting: Let’s replace those Home Depot-grade LED strips and make her dazzle across the dark playa.
- Replace our baby generator: The beating heart of our sound, light, and late-night chaos needs more than 2000 watts!
- A myriad of mysterious mechanical issues: She may be temperamental, but we should strive to keep her happy.
- Stretch goal: Upgrade the sound system: so we can keep blasting Branigan and other bangers
These critical repairs are vital towards keeping our hand-built, battle-tested, and legendary Burning Man mutant vehicle running for at least another year. And let’s be real: the cost of steel, wood, and parts just keeps going up. What used to be a quick run to the hardware store is now a multi-stop, budgeting nightmare. Every year it gets harder to support The Smage on grit, duct tape, and group text chaos alone.
Who We Are
Camp Blazing Death Ship is a motley band of mostly-broke artists, makers, musicians, cooks, and dust-covered chaos agents who value inclusion, participation, and a healthy amount of self-deprecating humor. We’ve spent our summers welding in backyards, scavenging at scrap yards, irresponsibly spending rent money on lumber and steel, then lying to friends about how “the ship won’t take over their entire garage.” We’ve ripped our clothes, severed our legs with angle grinders, and spent a few too many nights in the ER; all in service of building one of the most beloved Viking-themed mutant vehicles on playa. In 2025, we’ll return once more as a 20 person crew; feeding the masses roasted sparkle pony from our Meat Hall and keeping Black Rock’s fire burning.
Why Help?
Because the Death Ship is a moving, glowing, rumbling piece of playa history—a throwback to when rust, steel, and tetanus were critical elements of Burning Man.
Because she's a vessel for dusty passengers, the host of midnight meat feasts, and a beacon of Branigan into the abyss. Our Smage turns weirdos into legends [for a night].
Because if you've ever danced aboard the ship, devoured a grilled cheese in Deep Playa, or just smiled as a Viking ship rolled by… this one’s for you.
Think of the satisfaction of knowing you helped keep this beautiful beast alive, and that somewhere out there, in a swirl of dust and light, she sails on because of you.
Donate now. Keep the legend afloat.
Organizer
