There are many different classes of ships that where the "battleship" of the day. Starting early in the 16th century sea power rested strongly in the hands of Spain and Portugal, they relied principally on the galleon. A fully square rigged ship it was slow, and had a high center of gravity limiting the amount of weapons that could be placed on board. In the 18th and 17th Century it rested with the Britts. They had developed the ship of the line, while this was not exclusive to the English they had the most modern Navy at the time. The ship of the line was organized in to 3 different rates of power, but all of them where heavily armed with low centers of gravity and did have for and aft jibs. The 18th century also saw the rise of the frigate which would become a deadly weapon in the hands of the Americans. The United States developed the first super frigate which were slower than the traditional frigate but much better armed, they were lighter than the ships of the line as well. This allowed the super frigate to choose her engagements in more discerning ways. Traditionally the English have had the best Navy in the age of sail but most of that is attributed to the training and drills that they performed. A proficient English crew could get off 3 broadsides to the enemies 2, or if they were facing a less skilled crew 2 to 1.

I know this does answer your ship building question, and that it is more centralized with sea power but I hope it can give you an overall idea.