I really enjoy browsing this topic every time a step is added. Like you said, it's important that the basic techniques are covered and explained. What's the fun in just building what everyone else is building? Therefore, I was also expecting some more variation in the color schemes used, although the black and dark red looks really good. If there are more people building, I would love to see some more WIP pictures.
I don't even own an official pirate ship (yet), but as SlyOwl said before, this will definitely be an invaluable resource for everyone who is ever going to build ships.