Light huggers as hard-science-fiction starships

What does the panel think of light huggers as a science-fiction ship design?

The concept is accepted as potentially workable hard science fiction, although it is not a personal favorite among the responses.

The supplied description presents light huggers as ships that take months or years to accelerate to near light speed. They are typically described as three or four kilometres long, with onboard manufacturing facilities as a possible feature. A comparison with generation ships appears briefly. The response accepts that the concept could work within hard science fiction, while expressing little personal enthusiasm for it.