Ship Building Rules [FFC, p. 10]

[Big Mac]

I'm rather confused about the section of the construction of ships and boats given on page 10 of the First Fantasy Campaign book. Could someone explain the use of "ship points" and especially "hull points"?

Are "hull points" a mechanic solely for the construction, or also a kind of "hit point value" for the vessels if involved in maritime combat scenarios?

Are there infos on the number of "hull points" needed to build, say, a Viking longship? A typical merchant ship? Small fishing boats?

If 1 hull point is 600 logs, each one being 12 ft. by 1 ft. I'd imagine that it wouldn't take more than a fractional hull point to make something as small as a typical rowboat, shallow-draft fishing boat, etc.

Wow! Looks like Dave Arneson invented the ship system that got used in Jeff Grubb's Spelljammer rules! hock: