I've had a few ideas on mechanics that could be added into the game to give a new depth to the ship. No longer does it feel like some wooden platform with a sail that takes you from island to island. It's actually something braving the elements and the Sea of Thieves alongside you.
What will it consist of?
Ship maintenance will consist of keeping your boat fit and ready to face the dangers around you. Specific ships won't have advantages over others, nor will certain sails or wheels, etc. It is fair for everyone. Here are a few simple mechanics:
Barnacles:
Barnacles will begin to form on your ship's rudder in a gradual process. Over time, this will begin to make the rudder slower to turn (hence making it harder to turn the ship.) To remove them, you simply have to swim to the rudder and get your sword out where you hit the barnacles, clearing them off the boat.
Deck Grime:
Similar to the barnacles, the deck of your ship will slowly begin to gather grime and dust. If you leave it for too long, you'll eventually begin seeing empty grog bottles and fish bones scattered over the deck. Having a messy floor can do one of two things (not yet decided): Either make your deck more slippy, meaning it will be harder to navigate it as you slide all over the place during choppy waters, or you become slower whilst traversing the deck. You simply get a mop and clean away the dirt to remove the effects, or if you go into a storm, the rain will clear the deck to an extent for you.
Those were the main parts but I also have some additional ideas:
Rusted Wheel Mechanism:
Simple - over time, your wheel will begin to rust meaning it gets janky and hard to use. Simply approach and press 'X' to polish it.
Sail Damage:
This has been mentioned so many times before so I'll just gloss over it. The wind will eventually wear your sales so you have to repair them with cloth or just by holding 'X' on them whilst climbing the masts.
Rats:
Rats can steal stuff from your food barrel and can crawl out of a hole in the wall. You have to arm a trap with cheese and will often need resetting as rats may trigger it. It can give rat meat. If a rat takes something you can shoot it (or slash it) quickly to get some of your food back.
