Having a slower day at work the other day, I went back to an old favorite of mine…that of the Jackson Gamers club. Specifically, I always go through and browse their rules section. of which there are many. They have a dizzying array of rules on just about every era history can provide. If it isn’t there, one of the near contemporary rules sets could be modified. What I like most about these rules designs is that they are simple and favor the game over the simulation.
Quick Tricorne is a system originally designed by Father Aelred Glidden which may have been taken from ideas by Don Featherstone. Essentially, units that shoot or melee automatically hit. It is up to the owning player of the target unit to pass a saving throw or lose a stand off the unit in question. The system is also similar to Twilight of the Sun King which uses the same methodologies.
Ramming Speed is a rules set that once appeared in Paul Hague’s Sea Battles in Miniature. It is a simple set that still tries to cover the important aspects of galley warfare: ramming, shooting, boarding and sinking. There is even some instructions and templates to build your own galleys. I have a piece of 1/4″ balsa sitting at home with nothing to do. I will give these a try.
Finally, here is a modified version of Rules by Ral. The originals are free to download but this set adds a small amount of extra detail but stays true to the simplicity of this game. It is a bit reminiscent of the One Hour Wargames set by Neil Thomas.
The blogs they own are still alive but updated pretty infrequently. A great repository for those who like simple and fun games.
John's Wargame Page 
Yup, a great site. It would be even if it did not include a review I wrote of the original version of the movie “Charge of the Light Brigade”!
Chris