On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 6:09 PM, Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

This implies that in the 3I a commercial starship in normal use will last about a century, barring accident or intentional damage or destruction (i.e. just allowing for normal wear and tear), assuming it's properly looked after.

FWIW the same document assumes a 20-25 year life for seagoing vessels, so the 3I will likely have a lot more ships relative to the yard capacity than we expect to see today, because they last 4-5 times as long as a ship does (not surprising given starships aren't sitting in a brine bath their whole life).

IMTU, interface-capable (e.g. streamlined and semi-streamlined) starships are good for about a century, while those which never enter an atmosphere can last much longer - assuming proper maintenance. But the 3I is only a bit over two centuries old (because I divided the time span since Terran contact by 5), with its general tech level having gone from TL 9 in Year 0 to TL 12 in Year 225, while its bleeding edge tech level has gone from TL 10 in Year 0 to TL 15 in Year 225.

In other words, in most settled subsectors there will be at least one system (normally the one with highest traffic volume) where there exist salvage businesses dedicated to acquiring and reselling used starships and starship parts. This means that PCs "in the know" who desire acquisition of a working ship will arrange to muster out in one of these systems, advertise for like-minded individuals of similiar background/skills and then go in together on creating a vessel to call their own.

Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident." Robert A. Heinlein

"I studied the Koran a great deal. I came away from that study with the conviction there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as Muhammed." Alexis de Tocqueville (1843)

"We know a little about a lot of things; just enough to make us dangerous." Dean Winchester

"It has been my experience that a gun doesn't care who pulls its trigger." Newton Knight (as portrayed by Matthew McConaughey), to a scoffing Confederate tax collector facing the weapons held by Knight's young children and wife.