Most merchant ships in the 1600s and 1700s weighed somewhere between 100 and 200 tons, were manned by a very small crew, and contained very few guns onboard for defense. The same was true of the average slaver, or slave ship, of the time. The larger the crew, the more wages would have to be paid out, and the smaller the profits the shipping companies and merchants would receive. Both types of ship had large holds for carrying cargo or slaves, and generally had three masts. Because of their lack of manpower and armament, they were easy prey for pirates, even though pirate ships were generally smaller.