How 'bad' is a newly purchased Clipper with small amount spending on upgrades?

Lowe1978

L
I've primarily been a combat pilot during my ED career, and so I've set my sights on getting a FDL. However since I've only made cash by fighting, I'm not exactly flush. I bit the bullet and sold up my combat ships, and bought an Asp which is configured for defensive armed trading. This has done me fairly well, but a 120t limit is having an obvious impact on my profits. Clearly I need more space, but I don't want to be in a T7 - I favour slightly risky trade runs whereby getting interdicted a couple of times in only a 75ls super cruise is likely.

I'm thinking a Clipper might do me well, assuming it's not a complete dog when only moderately upgraded. I have about 30mil available once I sell everything up, so I'm thinking of building up another couple of million and then going for something like this:

http://coriolis.io/outfit/imperial_...302020101.Iw18aQ==.Aw18aQ==?bn=ClipperTrading

Obviously this is a barebones build and I'd be doing a whole lot of Sir Robin if attacked until I can get some defensive weaponry installed. But, 184t should help me along a bit quicker than the Asp, plus I'll be able to improve the module's spec as I go along. Can anyone see any huge holes in my logic? Cheers!
 

Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye
Something wrong with the "classic" build?

[Imperial Clipper]


BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 3A Power Plant
TM: 6D Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 5D Life Support
PC: 6D Power Distributor
SS: 5D Sensors
FS: 4C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 16)


7: 7E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 128)
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
4: 4E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 16)
4: 4E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 16)
3: 3A Shield Generator
3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
2: 2E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 4)
2: 2E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 4)

Add defensive modules to taste.
 
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Sire

Sire
Trade with a T7 and fight with a Vulture. Using a Clipper for trading AND combat is like going to the market with a Ferrari AND going in battle with a water gun.
 

lilikin

L
I ran with a class 3 shield on a smuggling run for over 50mil of smuggling and the rest of internal slots maxed out with Cargo and even no weapons.
.
As long as you can avoid a interdiction, its surprisingly good
 

Lowe1978

L
Thanks guys, that's a really useful build. More cargo and same budget. :)

Sire - I'm not looking to fight, want to run primarily but have the ability to at least give someone a headache whilst doing so. I sold my A grade Vulture since it made combat too easy and frankly a little dull.
 

Loskene

L
Clipper outclasses the T7 in every respect, you'd be very well served picking one up cheap at a Patreus-controlled system. You have enough money for D-or-better gear, cargo space and defensive systems. That's more than enough to get you started on a trader with teeth.
 

RG-870

RG-870
NEVER use stinking D-rated power plants if you can downgrade to an A-rated. If you play solo / group you won't need such a big shield. Downgrade it to an A3. A shield booster and a point defense (vs. limpets) also help at least against NPCs. I would go with something like this:
ClipperTrading
If your trading route is longer than the Clipper's very small range you should add a fuel scoop, at least an A3, better A4. If it's only a few more light years you need, you may also take an additional small fuel tank.
 
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Rob_the_Sparky

R
Personally I'd fly the Vulture to somewhere that stocks suitable module, strip it and keep the hull to save loosing the 10% of the hull value when you get bored of trading and want a spin in the Vulture again.

I run an A4 shield and that doesn't last too long in combat, not terrible but a wing of 3 NPC Adders took it down the other day! A3 shield give you a bit more cargo but not massive amounts so I prefer the class 4 shield and a bit of income from pirate bounties. Expect the manoeuvrability to be shocking until you upgrade thrusters, it will probably take a little time for you to get used to it. I used the Clipper for trading and in trade CGs, resulting tonnage is satisfying for a while but then trading gets dull after a while and you may well want a fighter again, I currently use a Courier for this as a cheap Vulture alternative. Not as good as a Vulture but much cheaper and I need my bank balance for my next big purchase.
 

ErichZann

ErichZann
Eagle Eye said:
Something wrong with the "classic" build?

[Imperial Clipper]


BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 3A Power Plant
TM: 6D Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 5D Life Support
PC: 6D Power Distributor
SS: 5D Sensors
FS: 4C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 16)


7: 7E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 128)
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
4: 4E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 16)
4: 4E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 16)
3: 3A Shield Generator
3: 3E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 8)
2: 2E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 4)
2: 2E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 4)

Add defensive modules to taste.
Click to expand...

Hm, for some people these kind of extreme builds might be kind of boring, since you can only trade (preferably in Solo I guess...) with that. Sure it saves some money though. But what about this build, that still is reasonably priced but good enough for some RES bounty hunting and so in between, and just in general is usable for different things without permanent refitting? Cargo is 208 instead of 240, not that much of a loss I think. Just feels its a waste of possibilities to fill the small internals all with super small cargo racks...

[Imperial Clipper]
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
M: 2F/G Multi-cannon
M: 2F/G Multi-cannon
U: 0I Chaff Launcher
U: 0I Chaff Launcher
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster

BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 6C Power Plant
TM: 6C Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 5D Life Support
PC: 6A Power Distributor
SS: 5D Sensors
FS: 4C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 16)

7: 7E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 128)
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
4: 4A Shield Generator
4: 4E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 16)
3: 3B Shield Cell Bank
3: 3B Fuel Scoop
2: 2B Shield Cell Bank
2: 2C Frame Shift Drive Interdictor - well, could be skipped i guess... but 2 t of cargo more is also not really worth it, maybe a fuel tank or whatever?



http://edshipyard.com/#/L=703,5TP5TP7u57u501Q01Q0_g0_g,2-9s9s7_8S9Y8S6k,0Bk0AA7RA0727fO4zW7dq9qc
 
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Lowe1978

L
ErichZann said:
Hm, for some people these kind of extreme builds might be kind of boring, since you can only trade (preferably in Solo I guess...) with that. Sure it saves some money though. But what about this build, that still is reasonably priced but good enough for some RES bounty hunting and so in between, and just in general is usable for different things without permanent refitting? Cargo is 208 instead of 240, not that much of a loss I think. Just feels its a waste of possibilities to fill the small internals all with super small cargo racks...

[Imperial Clipper]
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
M: 2F/G Multi-cannon
M: 2F/G Multi-cannon
U: 0I Chaff Launcher
U: 0I Chaff Launcher
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster

BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 6C Power Plant
TM: 6C Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 5D Life Support
PC: 6A Power Distributor
SS: 5D Sensors
FS: 4C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 16)

7: 7E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 128)
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
4: 4A Shield Generator
4: 4E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 16)
3: 3B Shield Cell Bank
3: 3B Fuel Scoop
2: 2B Shield Cell Bank
2: 2C Frame Shift Drive Interdictor - well, could be skipped i guess... but 2 t of cargo more is also not really worth it, maybe a fuel tank or whatever?



http://edshipyard.com/#/L=703,5TP5TP7u57u501Q01Q0_g0_g,2-9s9s7_8S9Y8S6k,0Bk0AA7RA0727fO4zW7dq9qc
Click to expand...

8 mil too expensive though. ;)

That'd be where I'd probably end up, but eventually I'd sell it all and get the FDL. The Clipper would be just a means to an end - unless I like it I guess. :D
 

bootsam

bootsam
My clipper is full A Class with 232t cargo. I run a Class 3 shield gen and no shield banks. No scoop and only an advanced disco. Essentially its just a tarts handbag version of a cargo ship. I can run 20ly empty and 14ly full. I'm a trader who likes to be able to run away. Fast. I got fed up of feeling like Grover sitting in his dustbin listening to the glugs and moans of the T7.

http://edshipyard.com/#/L=703,4zg4zg7u57u501Q01Q0Wg3wA,2-9Y9Y7_7_9Y7_6k,0Bk0AA0720727Pc05U2jw2UI

Blimey, didnt realise id spent 72M on my barge, but its money in the bank really.
 

AndiBcool

A
Loskene said:
Clipper outclasses the T7 in every respect, you'd be very well served picking one up cheap at a Patreus-controlled system. You have enough money for D-or-better gear, cargo space and defensive systems. That's more than enough to get you started on a trader with teeth.
Click to expand...

Nah better go to Li Yong-Rui Systems for 15% discount on everything. Patreus is only 10% off the ships.
Bought my A grade Clipper at Li Yong-Rui Systems with 15% off everything.
 

Gwassalor

G
Problem with Clipper is that it has extremely weak shield. But it's very fast ship, to compensate. So it's more-less pre-destined for fast trading runs. Which is in-line with historical Clipper ship.

Question to Eagle Eye's build in post #2: what's the point of having A class power plant? To lower the signature? I flew the same thing, but all D class modules with exception of A class FSD and occasionally scoop on longer runs and it was doing well. It could run away from any interdictors. I put on two heavy pulse turrets, just for style, but I never really used them, because this ship is really not for fighting.

Edit: I actually still keep Clipper in hangar and fly it from time to time as a fast courier. For example to ship the powerplay resources. It flies fast, jumps far, it's good for fortification runs imho. I also got the Imperial Courier in the meantime, but sold it quickly as I didn't really like it.
 
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Ozmodion

Ozmodion
I am nowhere near close enough to get a clipper and i do the T7 trader and Vulture combat thing, dont think i need to have a multi ship.
 

Dark Skies

D
That's enough money to start off with a good ship.
Bought a clipper on Sunday night with 30mil left to spec it out.
its lovely. You will have a good ship no probs. however I am currently combat orientated and it's close to a vulture with that cash. I am combat zoning and earning similar an hour to the vulture a bit better I suppose and getting better all the time. Spending the cash on upgrades. I like it that way buy a ship then play to upgrade it. Loving the feel of it. Just wish I could turn off the dash and cockpit lights as they are a pain for me. It's a learning curve with the smaller shield but lots of power to play with. I love it.
 

tarks382

T
It's a great ship - stylish fast and flexible (if you can be bothered).

But if you're trading don't forget it needs a large pad to land. No outposts. Trade is often good at outposts, and smuggling (trade of a sort) is safest as there are few, if any, system authority rozzers flitting about.
 

Trafalgar Law

Trafalgar Law
The Clipper I started with cost me around 41million and was perfectly fine for pve bounty hunting and mercenary work. It was equipped something like this:
.
[Imperial Clipper]
L: 3C/G Cannon
L: 3C/G Cannon
M: 2D/G Beam Laser
M: 2D/G Beam Laser
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0D Kill Warrant Scanner
U: 0I Chaff Launcher
.
BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 6C Power Plant
TM: 6C Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 5D Life Support
PC: 6A Power Distributor
SS: 5E Sensors
FS: 4C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 16)
.
7: 7D Shield Generator
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
4: 4E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 16)
4: 4A Shield Cell Bank
3: 3C Frame Shift Drive Interdictor
3: 3A Shield Cell Bank
2: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)
2: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)
.
It may have been slightly cheaper/less well equipped when I first started out with it, but that set-up is what I'd recommend for a budget combat Clipper (choose whatever weapons load-out suits you). You do need to watch your shields and use your speed to get clear if necessary, but it's much more fun than just shield tanking everything in a Vulture.
 
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Loskene

L
AndiBcool said:
Nah better go to Li Yong-Rui Systems for 15% discount on everything. Patreus is only 10% off the ships.
Bought my A grade Clipper at Li Yong-Rui Systems with 15% off everything.
Click to expand...

Where did you get one in Rui space? I didn't know they were available outside the Empire.
 
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