I think its almost guaranteed we will be getting more ships eventually, and I doubt we will get a 8 person man-o-war. so logically speaking, if we are to get new ship types, we would be getting new ships with similar sizes, but different upsides and downsides catered to particular playstyles.
That being said, I wanted to list off a few concepts that may look similar to what we could get in the "Finding Mark Update" that may or may not happen.
first off, Rare would add the ability to change a ship's type while retaining name and progress. this "shipwright's fee" would be very expensive.
First off, my favorite ship concept is the Tidecutter a new stealth solo ship.
The Tidecutter is a ship designed for stealth. Thus, it rides extremely low in the water and has no sails, rather a silent propulsion system powered by your pirate peddling on a little bike.
the ship can be completely submerged beneath the sea by pulling a lever. when fully submerged, bailing water is only possible by using a manual pump. but that means no one is on the bike. a single chase cannon is the only weapon this ship has, but it really only works for surprise attacks.
Upfront confrontations are a bad idea, as sustained fire will take this ship out extremely quickly. The only way on this ship is through a modified siren door on the back of the ship, allowing access no matter whether the ship is surfaced or not.
Trawler
The Trawler is a ship that can be manned either solo or duo, with upgraded harpoon guns that deal massive damage to megalodons and Krakens. The trawler also comes equipped with nets that can be used to fish more efficiently. there is even an onboard kitchen station, where meat that has not been cooked yet can be processed into specific cuts, cooked, combined with other food items, or even cut up into more bait!
Cargo Hauler
The Cargo Hauler is a swift merchant vessel for 1-2 players. it comes equipped with one cannon facing the back of the ship, a merchant commodity manifest, and shelving units to store crates more efficiently, as well as a convenient wall clock to make sure everything arrives on time.
Final words and a dose of hopeamine
I truly hope that something like this is in development for the "Finding Mark Update". To my understanding the team for seasonal content is supposedly different from the team making massive updates, so a massive overhaul is possible outside of the seasonal model. and considering the majority of the big listen results state players want new ships and regions, this could be on the docket for the Finding Mark Update. and it would make sense it would take so long to make if they are only doing in house testing, like they did with POTC. only time will tell...
