Pirates carried many different weapons during a boarding action. Boarding Axes have lots of weight at the head which can't be stopped by any cutlass. Tomahawks are a much better secondary weapon, when compared with a dagger it can block a cutlass much better and throws much easier. Belay pins arrrr always a handy improvised weapon when you lose all yars in battle. Whips be flexible devices designed to "Flog" or whip a human body for the purpose of corporal punishment.
