For the revolutionary war, the patriots had very few ships for navies, and the ships were mostly converted from merchant ships. Also, the patriot's army were volunteers and untrained, unlike the British, who were well trained and experienced. As I go on, the population for the patriots was about 2.5 million, while there were about 8 million for the British. There are other more disadvantages for the patriots, but these are the most important disadvantages for the patriots in the Revolutionary War.