Gunboats play an important role in space navies, as while small, they are able to bring relatively heavy firepower to bear on recalcitrant smuggler vessels while being large enough to maintain relatively long patrols compared to starfighters, which would require dedicated support vessels. Gunboat manufacture is generally the province of military shipyards, as they pack enough weapons to be tightly regulated and kept out of individual hands. Nevertheless, there are a plethora of private factories and shipyards that are able to put gunboats together from parts scavenged from scrapyards and shipbreakers across the galaxy. These back-alley manufacturers can be found on many a backwater, or pirate spaceport, where the desire for small, heavily armed starships is not mitigated by firm government controls.

Salvage-class Gunboats are put together from the parts of two or more ships scavenged from spare parts stockpiles around the galaxy. Typically, the cockpit, weapon modules and weapon controls will come from one source, while the life support, secondary hull, propulsion and engines will come from one or more separate sources. These will all be welded together and reinforced with durasteel beams to ensure the hull does not split along the weld lines. As the main parts of the hull were not designed to fit together, power and control lines are frequently run within the main passageways rather than through dedicated ducting or piping, which leads to somewhat more cramped confines. Power supply and control will frequently be less efficient than in ships manufactured in legitimate yards under legal supervision, which leads to less efficient shields and weapons. The Salvage-class Gunboat can still perform at a level comparable to its more illustrious cousins though, and so is often found in the navies of independent planets or in the arsenals of pirate warlords or slavers.