TL9 LBB2 B2 Fast Trader J2 (profitable- barely!)

[Maccat]

400t B2 Fast Trader
Standard 400t streamlined/scoops
Jump 2D Maneuver 1B Power 2D
90t fuel (J2, 2 week)
9t TL9 Fuel Purification plant (200t) (From HG fills waste drive space)
standard bridge, /1bis
2 hardpoints/fire control, no turrets/weapons
22 staterooms
20 low
139 cargo
Crew p, n, m, 2e, s (or p/n, e/e, m/s for further savings)
5 high, 20M, 20L passengers (using 1 steward/ 8H / 50M)
118.238MCr (not including architect's fee) 106.4142MCr in quantity

Economics: (using 1/240 mortgage, 13months, 25J2 (2 week trip)/yr, paid expenses for 2 week annual maintenance), per jump:

230,565 mortgage
004,257 maintenance
046,000 Life support
009,348 Salaries
009,000 Unrefined fuel
010,000 Jump tape
000,100 berthing fee
----------
309,270

050k 5 High
112k 14 Medium
020k 20 Low
132k 132 Cargo (7t used of 139t for passenger cargo)
------------
314k

net 4,730Cr/jump, 9,230Cr at Jump1


Best I could do for a jump-2 trader, is a very tight design, requires use of unrefined fuel, but has a purification plant. passenger and cargo allotments work in lower population worlds, the 20 low and full cargo may be pushing it for some worlds, streetwise/liason for low passengers and liason for minor cargoes would help. Essentially it's the Fat Trader (but jump 2!) removing the Launch, and/or an upsized far trader to get the larger capacity needed to make the payments. It breaks fuel requirements for power plant, argue it's not rated for J2 maybe, is the only way i could get it to work, 2 weeks would be sufficient for a normal run anyhow. Might be able to do the double crewing (level 2 skills for dual position work at reduced salary and stateroom requirements), knock off the three staterooms freed, and add in the 10t fuel from that. That would reduce life support 6k also, make it a lil better. I used very conservative 13 monthly payments (which argues to my mind for 1/260 mortgage), using 12 months would maybe allow for refined fuel from the proceeds.
This is an attempt at a workable far trader that might meet it's payments, it's bigger requires more crew, more akin to the fat trader, but has good cargo capacity. Feel free to use it as you wish, any comments welcome!

 

[boomslang]

TL9 Fuel Purification plant (200t) (From HG fills waste drive space)

You don't actually need this thing if building strictly by B2; B2 drives may simply be optionally specified when built as being able to burn unrefined fuel at no penalty... just tag 'em as "Naval" at the shipyard and pick yourself up 9 more dtons of payload space... especially since you can't technically use the purification plant to fill the wasted space in your engineering section. I'd recommend a custom hull, anyway, which adds to the cost, but not as much as shipping empty hullspace around for 40+ years does.

FWIW, I use similar vessels all the time IMTU; it's the bare minimum for what I consider a financially-viable non-subsidized trader/merchantman. Cf. the Solomani Type SA from their Alien Module. In your spec, I'd also recommend building-in the full four hardpoints -- maybe down the road you could get some Solomani ex-patriot to bolt on a couple of fixed-mount weapons should the need arise (and you'll definitely want that Model/2 in that case, so you can fit fixed mounts to both non-turreted hardpoints; added bonus: no additional Gunners required) (although, of course, fixed mounts are less accurate -- so I mount sand and missiles in 'em, since the negative To Hit DM won't matter).