Upon examination, the two do seem to be about the same size as far as I can tell.
If nothing else were to change, I have one suggestion which I believe is reasonable (though a dev can come and tell me why it isn't, if it isn't): Change all of the Yacht's 5 turrets to gunboat turrets. Kusari Yacht retains the cargo and excellent maneuverability, while the generic Yacht gains the firepower its infocard says it has. It would still be larger than any gunboat, with lower shields and significantly less firepower (especially if the power core wasn't changed, it would be stuck with the basic/anti-fighter GB turrets and no missiles). And it would still cost far more than any gunboat.
It should also get the CD its infocard says it's supposed to have (and which the Kusari Yacht already has).
Any thoughts on this idea?
Edit: There's already precedent for such a ship, with the Junker Salvager, which has more than 5 gunboat turrets.
