Here's the sort of roles that I imagine for the ships:
(BTW: I have no idea whether you plan to include any guns other than Laser, Mass Driver, and Neutron Cannon--WC canon implies that Tachyon and Particle guns are not yet available, but I do not know whether you might use Photon, Meson, Ion, or Plasma guns, nor whether you will require torpedoes for attacking capships.)
Player Ships:
Hunchback: Inferior. Decent maneuverability but slow speed (240-260 kps?), two guns, weak shields and armor. It would be a sitting duck against even a single Jalthi unless the player uses missiles. However, it would have better cargo capacity than any ship except the Camel. Fits the role that the Tarsus fills in Privateer.
Camel: Superior to the Hunchback in most ways, and equal in all other ways: better speed, better shields and armor, and a bigger cargo hold. Two or three guns plus at least one turret. Fits the role that the Galaxy fills in Privateer.
Minotaur: A heavy gunship/bomber. Better speed than the Hunchback but slower than the Tarsus and the Fighter. Three or four guns and the heaviest shields and armor available to the player, as well as one to three turrets. Smaller cargo hold than Tarsus, Hunchback, or Camel, but might carry more missiles/torps. Fits the role that the Orion fills in Privateer.
Tarsus: Faster and more agile than the Hunchback and Minotaur. Two guns only, no turrets, but better shields and armor than the Hunchback and a cargo hold bigger than the Minotaur but smaller than or equal to the Hunchback. Better than the Camel for exploring or dogfighting, while the Camel is a better cargo ship.
Fighter: The fastest, most agile player-flyable ship, with four guns. It would have less shields and armor than the Minotaur or Camel, but more than the Hunchback, and also the smallest cargo hold of any player-flyable ship. Fits the role filled by the Centurion in Privateer.
Landreich ships:
Hurricane: Basic light fighter, fast and lightly protected. Probably slightly less agility/shields/armor than the Hornet despite the heavier guns. Replaced by the Hornet in Confleet.
Wildcat: Older medium/heavy fighter, with decent agility and anti-fighter preformance, but probably low on shields and a poor choice against capships. Replaced by the Raptor in Confleet.
Corsair: Its quad lasers give slightly less punch than the Wildcat's twin lasers and twin mass drivers, but makes up for it by being able to hit with all of its guns at a range of 4000 instead of 2500. Better shielded than the Wildcat, possibly faster and more agile, possibly mounts torpedoes (if needed in this game to damage capships). Soon to be made completely obsolete in Confleet with the upcoming introduction of the Rapier II.