Scouts

The scout is a venerable design, and one of the most common templates for light interstellar craft. They are popular because of their relative ease in operating (particularly in atmospheres), overall versatility and low costs (both in purchase and operation). Some argue that a scout will initially cost more than a rambler, but after a few years, they become much cheaper.

Scouts are typically 40 to 60 tonnes in overall weight, and have the greatest number of configurations: they are fitted out as ultra small liners (or ferries), explorers, mining rigs, surveyors, and armoured personnel carriers. This is also the class to which the superyacht belongs.

The scout is typified by its largely horizontal design (as opposed to the vertically-aligned shuttle), giving it a lot of contiguous floorspace (another reason for its popularity). The scout design assumes that there is going to be an airframe, so its body forms above and either-side of the striker rod apparatus, becoming thicker and wider toward the back. The body on either side blending with the wings.

You gain access on either side of the ship under, or behind, the wings, toward the back.

Scouts are much better instrumented than most of the smaller strikers.

Runboat

The runboat is the most common scout design, ensuring interstellar travel, with good carrying capacity at a low cost.

Most complain about the gutlessness of the engines, resulting in a low, tanker-like, vacuum performance, but then, being able to carry 9 passengers into interstellar travel at just over 12 million, remains a pretty compelling argument.