Brand new with questions : )

[Nitram Draw]

Build your Bsy using a Base not a Ship. In the beginning you can only build one with a yard component and very little else. After you research larger bases you can add weapons and defenses.

[Taqwus]

Another use for base spaceyards is if you need an outpost on a tiny frontier world.

You can build a shipyard first, then have the shipyard build a shipyard base (or ship, if you need mobility at a higher maintenance cost), then scrap the planetary yard and build a resupply depot.

I wouldn't build an extra shipyard base just for the repair capabilities -- a much more efficient 3x3 base (Space Station w/ 3 Repair III) can repair 24 components per turn. A few of those at a mustering point can speed along a fleet refit quite well.

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Saxon]

I agree with Magnum 357, those little ships can be useful throughout the game, particularly in strategic battles, as my perception is that the AI focuses on the big ships first. Those cheap little ships might not be able to stand up to a big attack ship, but if they are supporting a large, heavily sheilded ship, they don't have to. They just chip away, adding their many small punchs, while the big daddy takes the hits. If big daddy has sheild regenerators and point defense and not much else, it can take a while to knock him out.

Still, they are easy to lose, so I don't bet the farm on them. They just "diversify my portfolio".