I've been flying one in prep for a rp event im going to do and I must say its absolutely fail. The mines bit is nice but in no way warrants its size and lack of guns, AND the spatial does that so much better.
Its junk might not be so with two more guns but as it is only worth temporary flying for special rp. Stay far away...
Id suggest the council gunboat, even though its got its own problem (huge, i mean xbox huge. Really its a support ship) or the tridente.
Might consider doing in-RP purchases of individual ships, buying some old Gunships and Gunboats of various kinds off of whatever Freelancers and so on offer them in the Stock Exchange.
Would all be second-hand and not as easy as "dock and buy", but could work.
Your closest bet'd still stay the Tridente for that, and I don't see anything else coming up on the horizon, but then again I don't know your diplomacy too well.
I've done okay in the Zoner GB. Gotta fly it like a bomber and have good gunnery skills is all. Fit One pulse, three razors, a screamer and a nuke. Set the screamer and nuke to different weapons groups.
The fight is fairly uphill, I will admit. But I fly Junker ships with Junker guns and win a lot more than I lose. That takes a degree of skill and patience I don't think many have. :P
Most people have terrible loadouts (double missiles, cerberus and normal turrets attacking fighters, etc) on a zoner gunboat with no clue on how to fly them. That's why they seem "fail". With 3 razors and a pulse / missile, they can be dangerous to both gunboats and bombers with good aim.
Hello there mandalorians, i play with a zoner gunboat, one mandalorian already asked me about it. I had one fight(simulation) with my friend and it was not so bad (i'm testing this zoner boat, and my way of fighting with it is shooting backwards and using those deadly mines to blow the bomber, need more pratice but it works and maybe is not the kind of tactic that a mandalorian would use, but who knows?!?!), i'll pick up more fights and post here if i get any success. By the way, what do you think about the IMG gunboats the hydra class, with 3 turrests on the upperside and 3 downside you can cover 360 degrees on the horizontal plan with lots of power. See you all on Alpha mates.
The Mandalore's Office Signed, Mandalorian Alor'ad: Vau.Bendak, Mandalorian Mercenaries. Slaver: Cpt Fernandez, on board of -SE-Arabian.Nights, Slavery Enterprise Corp.
Personally I wouldn't go for any Gunboats at all... They're so easy to kill.
Since you guys are a bit chummy with the Outcasts, I guess the IMG Gunboat is off the table as well?
I'd suggest getting individual Gunboats from factions you've worked with in the past. I don't think there's going to be any 'open market' Gunboats for you guys unfortunately. Maybe we should make a non-outcast Border World Gunboat. I'd be happy to give it a shot, it would fill a nice niche.
But it really seems like you guys have diplomicised yourselves into a corner...