I have always found these two ships intriguing and similarly placed in their factions, but lets see just how close they really are.
Points;
YT 30 to 36 (53 max) vs 25 to 30 (53 max) JM
The Punishing One Title boosts the (un-nerfed) JM to a staggering 65 points, but in BB the (assumed to be pre modified?) ship still ties with the non Title YT. Half a squad of points is an expensive ship, but realistically, a fully loaded out example of either ship, with more realistic upgrades would come in at about 45 points. A 25 point JM is tempting though.
Base Stats;
YT 2 2 5 5 vs 2 2 5 4 JM
Both surprisingly agile for big ships and very close in stats.
Actions;
YT Focus, Lock, Roll vs Focus, Lock, Roll JM
So far they are much the same.
Upgrades (BB style);
YT Missile, Cannon, Crew vs 2 Torpedo, Crew, Illicit, Salv. Droid JM
Now we are starting to see some real factional differences. The Cannon, not replacing the Turret on the non Title YT is not accurate to the Outrider story, but any turret is strong in 1e and the option of a different Cannon can be useful. The single Missile slot vs 2 Torpedo slots, 1 Crew vs 1 Crew and an S/Droid and Illicit give the JM an edge here. It starts as a cheaper ship, with more options to go as dear. Very Scum.
Moves;
YT 12 White, 4 Green vs 8 White, 6 Green (left heavy) JM
YT Speed 4, 4 K-Turn vs Speed 4, 4 K-Turn, Red S-Loop (right) and White S-Loop (left) JM
One of the most unique dials in 1e, the lopsided Jump Master dial is a thing of odd beauty. Left side green turns and a White S-Loop, but white and red on the right side make an opponent seriously undecided. The unevenness of the dial simulates the odd U-shape of the ship. The YT on the other hand has a very conventional dial, nearly identical to the YT1300. Flying the JM is an art form, flying the YT is generally easy, if a little unexciting. Or is it?
Pilots;
YT 4 (2 Elite) vs 4 (all Elite) JM
The Pilot and crew options fro the YT include Dash Rendar, a (not a real) clone of Han Solo. His talent is ignoring obstacles, which for a big ship is pretty cool. Not many big ships will be bought undone by asteroids, but we all have a healthy enough respect for them to be maybe overly keen to avoid them. Each ship has a generic, offensive, defensive, and manoeuvre or support Pilot option. Oddly the Scum ship has the support Pilot skill, so this ship provides another option for that faction. All of the JM Pilots having elite slots makes choice hard.
Summary;
They are pretty similar in core specs, but the on table play with these two will be very different. Dengar, loaded with Torps, S-Looping around the table counter-attacking anyone he can vs Dash careening around in the asteroid belt firing his Turret feel very different. If built and played conservatively, they would likely feel a lot closer, but there is no denying their differences.
From a faction perspective, the YT gives the Rebels a “mini” Falcon-gunship option, where the JM is, as is often the case, another unique Scum ship option either “lite” or as a “full noise” squad primary.
What to fly in BB?
The Turreted YT is strong, but I do not find the Pilots or other facets of the ship as interesting as the JM. Dengar in the JM with a variety of crew, some Torps, the Illicit slot and S-Loops are just too unpredictable and fun. In a squad dynamic, the YT is a better support ship, so maybe with that in mind, but then again, a Firespray, or Aggressor or even as a merc in an Imperial force? Too much fun to be had here.