Ok, What is the Role of a close Escort?

[AnotherDilbert]

Because in LBB2'77 a ship's boat didn't need 20Td fuel. I don't know off-hand how much it did have, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't 20Td.

No, small craft have separate rules, and power plant endurance is not really defined, I think.

And in LBB2'81, it would have needed 60Td fuel (10Td*Pn) in its 30Td hull(!?)

LBB2'81 small craft are designed with LBB5'80*, and follow LBB5 rules, so 1 Dt fuel per EP.
* Except a fixed 4 Dt for bridge.

The LBB2''77 pinnaces of DA1 had 10Td fuel each, and their drives were arguably (G-ton output matches...) MD-A and PP-A.

The "normal" small craft have roughly A-drives (~2 EP), "slow" half that (~1 EP), Shuttle the sum of that (~3 EP), and finally the Launch has minimal 1 Dt drives. Why reinvent the wheel?

 

[Spinward Flow]

* Except a fixed 4 Dt for bridge.

That is the correct size of bridge for a small craft of 1-20 tons (per LBB5.80), but is then too small for anything 21-99 tons.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Correct or not, that seems to be what they used:

LBB2'81, p18:
Cutter: Using a 50-ton hull, the cutter is capable of 4-G, carries 2 tons of fuel, and has a crew of two. It has 30 tons.committed to special detachable modules; it has 2.5 tons of excess space available for weaponry, computer, and maybe a couch for a third crewmember. The cutter may mount up to two lasers; remaining weapons must be missile racks or sandcasters. The cutter, without any modules, costs MCr28.

CT-0204401-000000-00000-0       MCr 26,4          50 Dton
bearing                                            Crew=1
batteries                                            TL=9
                           Cargo=32 Fuel=2 EP=2 Agility=4

Single Occupancy                                   32,5      26,4
                                     USP    #     Dton       Cost
Hull, Streamlined   Custom             0           50          
Configuration       Cone               2                      5,5
                                                               
Manoeuvre D                            4    1       5,5       2,8
Power Plant                            4    1       6        18
Fuel, #J, #weeks    J-0, 4 weeks                    2          
                                                               
Bridge                                      1       4         0,1
Computer            m/0                0    1                  
                                                               
Cargo                                              32,5        
                                                               
Nominal Cost        MCr 26,35            Sum:      32,5      26,4
Class Cost          MCr  5,53           Valid      ≥0          ≥0
Ship Cost           MCr 21,08

The price is just retained from LBB2'77.