On Tue, Oct 21, 2014 at 10:08 AM, Phil Pugliese (via tml list)
<xxxxxx@simplelists.com> wrote:
> Which explains why the standard Scout Ship is only J2M2.
>
> Still, since the IN has been using larger couriers (TL15/J6 tech came in
>w/i the last century but there were undoubtedly TL14/J5 ones before then)
>for who knows how long, I don't see why there can't be larger,
>special purpose, Scout Ships.

There are.

Donoseve survey scouts at 400 dtons
x-boat tender at 1000dtons

and at least one AHL frontier crusier at 60,000 dtons
   (which presumably lets you scout some rough neighborhoods)
at least one Kokirrak dreadnaught at 200,000 dtons
    (I don't know what they scout with that, either.)

>Surely the existing Scout Bases aren't limited to only 100dT vessels?

Not at all.

Not limited, but if you want to replace the J2/M2 100 dton scout ship
with a direct replacement, you need to keep the external hull
dimensions the same (or very close to the same) so that all the
various existing add-ons and all the various existing hull mounts,
cradles, etc. on other ships that were designed for the J2/M2 hulls
will still work with the new ships.

Crewing, and maintenance requirements, etc should also stay about the
same.  If you have to double the number of people to operate the ship,
that is a huge ongoing expense.  (And remember, the crew of a
scout/courier is ONE.  Any increase will at least double the crew
requirement, if not more.)

If you have to increase the number of mechanics necessary to support
the fleet, or increase the time it takes to cycle ships through annual
maintenance, you're going to have some substantial logicical
bottlenecks.

--

"Any sufficiently advanced parody is indistinguishable from a genuine
kook." -Alan Morgan