[Suicide Junkie]

Two things:
I looked around, and I believe that other forum you were talking about is the upload forum.
Those are there to upload finished mods, large help files and whatnot.

This is where you want to be for discussing and organizing a new mod.

The second:
It is generally accepted that the units in SE4 should not be taken literally.
Heck! Even damage and hitpoints are measured in KT.

The sizes of the ships and components are what they are, simply because they turn out to be nice, round numbers, and are easy to work with.

When considering the realism of the game, go easy on the math and the numbers, and look primarily at the qualitative effects.
If it looks and feels right, you're doing good.