To make a good starter ship, it is important to know exactly what needs to be a part of it.

the first critical thing to ensure you have space for is a your bed. this can go wherever.

you will next want a place to put your storage. this is very useful early game.

next to the storage area, i recommend placing your workstations, simply for convenience.

don't forget room to actually put the ship stuff (anchor, helm, sails)

the second step in creating your ship is its design. what you want your ship to look like is up to you, but here are some pointers.

1 i recommend for a starter ship, that you attempt to make it look primitive and hastily constructed for necessity. this means you should make use of asymmetry and multiple floors, including building out from the ships deck.

2 use primitive materials. hay and logs

3 make sure to make it feel busy and cluttered. put stuff here and there and don't forget to try and use things other than their intended method. (log stools work well in places of 1x1x1 log pieces).

4 feel free to do something different with it. if you want, make it orderly. try stone. see how you can incorporate more free place. the designs are your choice

once you have your ship constructed, there is one final step you should take. testing.

i recommend sailing around for roughly 10 min getting a feel for it and what it may need still. use it as you usually would to get a feel for operation and positioning of equipment. and then afterwards, if you feel it needs something, add it. make sure it is suited for your needs. finally. plan occasional refits as more tech and blocks become available. perhaps even try a challenge and stay with it your entire journey.

the choice is yours. happy sailing!

(guide to steamships coming next)

(please provide feedback)