NEWTON — The pirate ship appears to sail through the night sky, with a towering mast and sturdy anchor, its deck populated by a crew of spooky sailors.
It’s not a carnival ride. It’s docked in 13-year-old Ted Lahey’s front yard, his latest creation to scare up some Halloween fun in his Waban neighborhood.
Adorned with skull flags and equipped with fog-machine cannons, the ship measures an astounding 35 feet long, 8 feet high, and 12 feet wide, and is topped by a 25-foot mast that weighs nearly 200 pounds.
Ted dreamed up the idea last year, after years of decorating his front yard with a graveyard, a giant witch, and skeletons that appeared to climb up onto the roof.
“Every year, I try to outdo myself and do it better than the last,’’ the eighth-grader said. “My friends have come by and they’ve seen it, and they think it’s pretty cool.’’
Ted said he saw online posts about others building pirate ships but “knew it would be cool if I built [a bigger one] myself.’’
He spent several hours a day building the ship and its accessories in his backyard. It has been a “big hit’’ since its completion, he said.
The display, lit up at night, draws a constant flow of people, including preschoolers whose classes stop by while out for a walk.
“I think I’ve seen how much fun that everyone has around us coming to it every year,’’ his mother, Kirsten, said, recalling her son’s earlier Halloween creations.
The pirate ship is Ted’s most ambitious.
Skeletons, some wearing pirate hats and looking out through telescopes, can be seen by visitors who pass the haunting spectacle.
A massive werewolf animatronic clutches a skeleton torn in half, a blow-up bat looks out from the front of the home, and another skeleton emerges from the roof. An inflatable cat and gremlin statues add to the creepy aura.
Ted built the display in the backyard, took it apart, and reassembled the heavy pieces in the front yard over several months, with some help from his father, Ed.
“He really had it all mapped out in his head,’’ he said.
Ed Lahey said he wondered if all the pieces would come together. “There’s times I didn’t trust him,’’ he said.
Ted was persistent, but even he was surprised by the outcome.
“Once I built it, it was much bigger than I thought,’’ he said. “My parents were certain it wouldn’t fit in the front yard, but I was pretty sure it would, and it does, which I’m very happy about,’’ he said.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Part of the ship fell over while the family was on vacation. Ted quickly found a solution.
“Part of it fell, and I just realized I needed some more bracing on it and fixed it, didn’t let it stop me,’’ he said.
Ed Lahey said his son has always loved to build things. As a youngster, Ted tagged along on a trip to Home Depot, where he bought his very first Halloween decoration, a tiny pumpkin head.
“This clearly is his strong suit, what he likes …’’ Ed said of Ted. “I mean, we’re both really proud of him for it.’’
Ted’s sister, Eliza, one of his biggest supporters, will be dressing up as a pirate this Halloween.
The family plans to pass out king-sized candy bars, play plenty of music, and welcome all.
And what’s he eyeing for next Halloween? Ted plans to go even bigger, possibly adding a second ship.
“It’s amazing how many people, and all the little kids that love it … get joy from it,’’ Ted said.
Kiera McDonald can be reached at kiera.mcdonald@globe.com.