Maybe try to get gold coat for ship? (9)
I believe the answer is:
minelayer
'for ship?' is the definition.
(minelayer is a kind of ship)
'maybe try to get gold coat' is the wordplay.
'maybe try to get gold' becomes 'mine' (mine for gold).
'coat' becomes 'layer' (layering is a kind of coating).
'mine'+'layer'='MINELAYER'
(Other definitions for minelayer that I've seen before include "Class of naval ship - name Riley (anag)" , "Warship that places explosive charges" , "Ship putting down explosive devices" , "Warship putting down explosives" , "Ship equipped to position underwater explosives" .)