I know how to add my own race portraits to DL, and I know how to create new ships with jewelry and components and save them for later use, but I'm not sure how to create my own customized core ships that a custom race can begin with immediately -- i.e., when you start the game, the flagship, colony ship, and miner ship you initially begin with are of your own design instead of one of the five race styles.

Is this possible, or is it more trouble than it's worth? I'm something of a role-player, so the idea of making my own alien race with a unique portrait, description, personality, and ships really appeals to me.

If so, which Web sites, guides, or FAQs should I read to find out how to do this?