Sorry for the late reply...
1. Correct, a ship will just be another character in whatever game you are playing.
2. Think about mass: a ship will have between 4 (barebones) and 16 (bulky) mass - average will be 10 (just like a PC). Split mass between armament and hardware depending upon the class of the ship: 2 ARM to 1 HW for warships, and swap that for merchants. Each mass = 1 slot.