All In can say is, the results don't lie. I gave exploration a shot, spent about 8 or 9 hours out in the black in this brave little winged toaster and it gets RESULTS! Went from aimless to trailblazer in a single trip, all for about under 3 million and very little risk involved. You can see the build I used here:
Hauler's not bad, but I think the Adder's a little better, it has more options. Has more space for safety and endurance. The lion's share of the extra cost is in the extras I added (heat sinks, repair modules).
This little guy just won't stop I swear. So what if you can't fit field maitinence? The fuel tank is so tiny it fills before you get too close to fry up!
It's not just for those kinds of errors. It's for when you drop in between some way-too-close binaries and shoot up to 200% heat before you even know what's happening. Or if you manage to swing too close to an asteroid cluster or do something else that pulls you to an emergency stop.
My other ships are a Combat Vulture and an Anaconda I run rares in when I get bored. Hauler is a charming little ship really, I just like the idea of exploring space in a box van.
ah the hauler, best little explorer ship for dirt cheap, I miss this little guy, I held onto it so very long, till I was able to afford an ASP. But still I love that thing.
Back in hauler and cant praise it enough. My second favourite ship. Stick a fuel tank in it and it's amazing. The raneg is fantastic. Bubble to sothis with no scoop and fuel to spare.
Hauler's great in a lot of different roles, even if you have a larger ship. Its best use? A runabout. Let's say you have three or four ships scattered around the galaxy and you want to consolidate them or sell the extras off. (It happens more often than you think, especially as you upgrade.) Instead of taking your big boat from place to place, buy a hauler, max its FSD and strip everything else out and you can jump 35 LY easy. It's an interstellar taxi that gets you to your next destination fast and can be sold at your destination when you pick up your other ship. It's also handy for crossing great distances to turn in bounties or CG's at faraway sites. You have to be careful when using it for bounty runs, as there will be people looking to blow you out of the sky just for kicks.
I haven't done much exploration but I do agree, the Hauler is a great little ship. I use it as a space taxi for when I want to get a couple of hundred light years in a hurry.
Put D rated everything on apart from the FSD and fuel scoop and sell the laser and scanner and you have a 31LY jump range. Gets you where you're going in no time at all. And when you get there sell all the modules then the ship and the trip has cost you about 3k.
All In can say is, the results don't lie. I gave exploration a shot, spent about 8 or 9 hours out in the black in this brave little winged toaster and it gets RESULTS! Went from aimless to trailblazer in a single trip, all for about under 3 million and very little risk involved. You can see the build I used here:
BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 2C Power Plant: Lightest I could find.
TM: 2D Thrusters: Lightest
FH: 2A Frame Shift Drive: Duh
EC: 1D Life Support: Lightest possible
PC: 1D Power Distributor :Lightest
SS: 1E Sensors: Lightest
FS: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)
3: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner: Duh
3: 3A Fuel Scoop: Worth it, spend so little time scooping you can just Skim the surface of a star and get an almost full tank from half!
2: 2E Shield Generator: Defending myself from my own boost button on return to civilization.
1: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner: Because it also makes toast.
This little guy just won't stop I swear. So what if you can't fit field maitinence? The fuel tank is so tiny it fills before you get too close to fry up!
So if you have about 3 mil, and want to give exploration a shot? This little ship will do it for you. With over 25 LY Jump range and very low risk in regards to heating issues, you have a pretty decent medium range explorer! Even the insurance is negligible at a paltry 140k or so. I couldn't believe it myself when I first tried it.
Though bare in mind it has a few draw backs..
The Canopy is a bit small, and the cockpit feels kind of lonely, what you'd expect from a flying box van.
If you are rammed in a station, your screwed.
If your assaulted by a psychopath your screwed, but you will be 200+LY from those in 15 minutes or so anyway..
You will confuse alot of pirates..
You will confuse alot of other explorers if you happen to meet someone else out there..
People will make fun of you cuz your tiny.
Either way, Hauler is the bravest little toaster for an explorer on the cheap! Thought I'd put this out there given I never remotely see this ship mentioned anywhere and most talks of it are of how useless it seems to be. (But that adder tho..)
For me the major drawback is lack of view. I went exploring in an Eagle to begin with because at the time there was no DB and I couldn't afford the Asp and I wanted a good view
I haven't done much exploration but I do agree, the Hauler is a great little ship. I use it as a space taxi for when I want to get a couple of hundred light years in a hurry.
Put D rated everything on apart from the FSD and fuel scoop and sell the laser and scanner and you have a 31LY jump range. Gets you where you're going in no time at all. And when you get there sell all the modules then the ship and the trip has cost you about 3k.
Flew one of thes recently as I was in my Clipper and needed to get to a local outpost to claim some bounties. Thought it was great fun! When I started out I went Sidey > Adder > Cobra and having tried the Hauler now I really regret missing it out. Great fun to zip around in, like driving a mini or something!
I like the Hauler. Not as an exploration vessel, but more like a space cab to move around. 31 ly jump range makes it quite easy to move around. But for deep space exploration, no.
Never done exploring in a Hauler, currently out at Barnards in my Adder.
Best use of a Hauler would be to have a Hauler only CQC deathmatch.
The catch would be no fireable weapons just lots of armour on the front only, and maybe a super powerful thruster.
