I think the main thing is to build a ship that matches your battling style. Even more important is to like the ship. All the ones mentioned here are very good ships and look great on the water.
I built the Courageous 18 years ago and knew from the start it was not going to be a good combatant due to the two turret layout and large turning circle. However, it was a beautiful ship so I built it. It should still be a sturdy model with the fiberglass deck and mostly fiberglass superstructure. I now use 1.5-2.0 mm thick styrene for superstructure because it handles BB impacts well and is more easily repaired. My mold for the Courageous Class is now owned by Strike Models. Courageous was at its best with two 1.5 unit sidemounts (bow rotating) but that was for only a year before NABS members decided to fully adhere to IRCWCC rules. Then it reverted to the 180 degree rotating 1.0 unit bow gun and dual stern guns. The stern guns were of very little use. The sidemount in the aft turret was installed exactly like yours and was quite effective - it tended to slash holes in balsa at close range. I sold it to Plato Avrimades (sp.?) and a while back tried to find out who he'd sold it to. Mike Deskin mentioned it was in the Treaty fleet. I have the first hull from the Furious mold that I sold to Strike and will eventually build Furious to Treaty specs with two 1.5 unit guns, probably identical in layout to your Courageous. I don't look forward to doing the complex deck plating with hundreds of anti-skid strips again! If you ever decide to part with the Courageous let me know.
