Ship, perhaps: empty chair to the back of it? (5)
I believe the answer is:
craft
'ship perhaps' is the definition.
(ship is a kind of craft)
'empty chair to the back of it?' is the wordplay.
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'to the back of it?' becomes 'aft' ('aft' can mean the back of a ship).
'chair' with its centre taken out is 'cr'.
'cr'+'aft'='CRAFT'
(Other definitions for craft that I've seen before include "It requires special skill" , "Art; skilled trade" , "Skill; ship" , "Skill, cunning" , "Vessel; skill" .)