this discussion mostly determines weather or not the sloop should be the smallest boat to sail in the game. now, before continuing, no, rowboats (while an interesting concept) do not count. i'm referring to a ship that can be sailed from island to island with all basic ship properties included (such as guns, at least one sail, functional sail handling, storage, and steering.)
specifically discussing the size, im imagining such a ship being about 3 quarters to half of the sloop's size.
the benefits of such a small ship would be that such a small and maneuverable ship would be harder to hit with a cannon (though this depends on the gunner). also, as implied, the ship will have faster sail and steering management than that of a sloop. plus, every function of the ship will be generally close to one another. there is also the possibility that this ship would be able to sail in much more shallow waters, and even further inland (providing it with cover and an easy getaway by going straight through islands).with these benefits, would it be overpowered?
however, with its benefits, it would also have downsides. its speed will be slower with the wind and supply will be extremely low. plus, its size will provide less cover in addition to it possibly having no lower deck. if you hit a sloop, it will take on water no matter where you hit it, so this will also be the case for the small ship. not the mention the amount of water it will take (at least two holes could mean a guaranteed sink). with these downsides, will it be underpowered?
EDIT: a majority of people think that the ship should have more speed than a sloop or even more speed than a galleon, but loose something else for compensation. right now, lack of firepower seems to be the most popular, with people suggesting only one cannon/swivel gun to no cannons at all.
onto some game specific issues: perhaps a world map or even a couple of cannons would be too big for such a small ship. but Rare have already presented smaller versions of objects such as sails, the captains table, the anchor's lift, and the brig (though a solo ship would not need a brig); for example i can see them reducing the anchor to a simple rope and heavy weight with a completely different interaction (also, the helm could be a simple lever attached directly to the rudder). there is also sailing in general; large waves will be bothersome in terms of the ships motion (and storms will be much worse).
personally, i want this ship in the game. I've played solo a lot, and while managing a sloop has it's benefits, it has more benefits in a two person crew. specifically, you can say anything you want about galleons vs. sloops, but a two person sloop vs. a one person sloop has an obvious conclusion. when playing solo, i want my own unique benefits vs. a sloop or even a galleon. even more, i want ship types to represent the number of people in your party in general.
however, i wont blame you if you disagree. some people like soloing in specifically a sloop because of specific benefits (more cover, more places to store things, etc.) there is still the possibility of adding two more ships between the sloop and the galleon; a "true" two person ship, and a three person ship.
those are my thoughts. it was just something that i felt as if deserves more discussion especially taking into account its benefits as opposed to its downsides, as well as specific game issues.
EDIT:
thank you for posting your thoughts on this topic. as a response, i've created a rough concept design of the ship within the Fan Creations section of the forms based on your feedback.
the ship would feature no firepower, for one thing (or maybe at least until swivel guns are introduced). to compensate for its lack of firepower and vulnerability, the ship will feature faster travel speed than the sloop with roughly the same (or better) turning radius.
once again, thank you for posting your feedback so far. i still would like to see more discussion on this subject thus i'm looking forward to seeing even more feedback in the future.
https://imgur.com/gtSxxi3
