Newbie -- Can't build survey ships

You need medium hulls to build the default Survey Ship.  However, you can always try building your own Small-hulled survey ship.

As well, make sure to design your own colony and constructor ships, as the default ones are well balanced over all, but the name of the game is "specialization".  A constructor with 2 construction pods, colony ships with different ranges...it all helps you produce them FASTER.  GL with pirates, I hate them, and put them on rare.

You can build the Prototype survey module right away, if you find some Thulium resource.  Otherwise you need to research Interstellar Survey, which is in the Engineering tech tree.  You'll also probably need medium sized ship hulls (another tech) to have room to fit it on board.  The prototype version is actually small enough to fit on a small hull.

Thanks. Thulium does the trick. Not sure why the Survey mode didn't become available right after I got the tech, but no matter.

What?   A 'prototype' only needs a small hull but when you research it you need a medium hull?    That should be the other way around. 

I just started the tutorial and I'm amazed I have three ships and the AI has about ten.   

I don't fight with survey ships, so when I research survey; then, I use cargo hulls. They have the most room; until you get large hulls. If you fight with them, then you will probably need medium hulls. All you need for the survey ship is survey modules.

That always bugged me a bit also as usually one thinks of prototypes being bigger and less refined then follow on production items.   The dev logic was to to give you the option to get some powerful stuff early  should you choose to  do mining early.  Which is kinda cool and can be very effective.