Patrizierforum

I'm dont know if there is much of those english faqs left, besides one badly spammed, unused since ages forum from which I dont remember the url of.

As for that problem with ships, I think its easiest if you work your way up slowly from one shiptype to next bigger and so on to minimize your disadvantage in crewmembers which you should overcome with a good fighting captain, enough cutlass and hitting your prey slightly but not too much with your shipweapons. Also try to single out your prey.
When I would meet that pirate convoi with only a crayer I would choose which ship I want beforehand (probably the cog, maybe crayer because capturing a hulk with crayer is possible but extremely hard and repair of that wreck would take near as long as building it freshly) and then pretend to flee while shooting backwards at those 2 ships you dont want till they are dead slow but still floating, then drive far enough away with the remaining fast enemy such that those slow ships cannot intercept when you are boarding the nearly undamaged ship. When I have enough sailors left I often capture another of those slow damaged ships after that(probably the crayer). Finally stop the fight by letting the remaining enemy flee or fleeing yourself with everything you got. You can always attack that remaining ship later to capture it.

Oh did you try using some translator like this? A rough translation is better than nothing.