Here's a summary of the data about old-time ship construction I've gathered.
Much thanks to the people who helped add to this collection. Can anyone add more?

Unless stated otherwise, all prices are without weapons. For a normal
man-o-war the weapons might be 25% of the hull price give or take alot.
Sails might be the same amount.

A Greek Trireme in the ~400BCs cost ABOUT 5,000 drachma and the equipment
for it cost about 2,200 drachma. Each drachma is about a day's salary.
http://www-atm.physics.ox.ac.uk/rowi...me/thesis.html


A medium trader of 40 tons or more carring capacity must have cost about £100 when new
in 1580.

Prince Royal 1610, 114x43ft, 1330 tons, 55 guns:
Overall building cost was 20,000 pounds of which 441 went on carving and 868 7s on painting/guilding

Sovereign of the Seas 1637 of 169 foot on the gun deck and 1461 tons
http://www.kotiposti.net/felipe/England/england.html
Overall building cost 65,586 pounds 16s 9.5d (including guns)
of which 6,691 pounds on carving & decoration.

To build a 'bomb vessel' of about 100 feet in 1692 cost 2828 pounds which was about 120
man-years worth of salary for a skilled laboror, or 283 man-years for a common
sailor.

To build a "Third Rate" in 1692 would have cost about 22,000 pounds which is about
880 man-years salary (skilled) or 2,200 (common sailor)

In 1750 the Infernal bomb ship had a crew of 80 men and was ship-rigged at 96 ft long and 385
tons and cost about 3500 pounds. http://home.wnclink.com/russell/thunder.htm
which is the equivelent of 249,000 pounds in 2002.
http://eh.net/hmit/ppowerbp/pound_re...action=compare

The HMS Victory of 100 guns and 186 foot on the gun deck displacing 2126 tons
cost 63,176 pounds.

A Dainish 70 gunner in 1780 cost 187,000 reichsguilder or 3,000 man-years of
for an ordinary sailor including guns and sails.

A Danish 90-gunner in 1790 cost 212,700 reichsguilder or about 3,500 man-years
for an ordinary sailor including sails and bronze guns.

And the USS Constitution cost $302,718 in 1797 US dollars,
although the Brits could build a 74 gun ship for less.
It took something like 25,000 man-months to build a Constitution (or a British 74).
The Constitution was way over budget, which was only $100,00.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/s...nstitution.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Al...43/supfrig.htm