Being about ready to buy a boat myself again after 25 years without one. I went from a 26' Chris Craft heavy old wood boat, to a 28' lyman even heavier old wood boat to at 15' Fox bass boat, to an 18' wide jon boat. All worked well for where I was fishing. My first boats were Lake Erie boats and wind and waves were common. Those heavy wood boats made for a nice ride and very stable even for fall and early spring fishing on Erie.

Moved to Central Alabama and picked up a nice used bass boat.. Fun, but not enough room and fishing, after the big boats was different. Always felt like I was gonna step off the boat and into the water. Sold that one and got the jon boat. Was good for most fishing, wind was an issue rarely did I come off the water 100% dry. It was roomy and great to fish from. Now I am back to looking and planning a new boat for where I typically fish. If I want to go back to Erie, I will do a Charter or find someone going. For my local lakes and River, I am looking ~18' High Load rating 1500 lbs minimum. Full Windshield, Deep V, Fiberglass is preferred but Aluminum is not being ruled out. 125 - 150 HP maybe more depending on boat. Now for the fun stuff to make fishing pleasant, Big Troller (36V) with I Pilot, Big Screen FF, Si and DI. Want a nice SI at Helm, and DI at Bow and Stern, Big Live Well (~40 gallon), On Board Charging system, 5 Batteries - 3 troller, 1 starter, 1 Electronics Heavy Duty Wiring, Rod Locker but not critical. I can live with vertical storage tubes. After that, Hydraulic Seats and anything else in window dressing.

Pick the Boat that best fits your needs. Chances are if its used and for sale, electronics are obsolete and will need upgrading. So forget the bells and whistles and look at what you want and know that you will need to upgrade. I currently fish with buddies and each has a different boat. 16' bass boat, 18' Lund Pro and a 20' lund Barron. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages. Most days the Bass boat is the best to fish from. Those days were more wind and wave action are present the Lunds are Better fishing but cannot get everywhere we want to fish (or that I like to fish). For me, it is gonna boil down to price because I know I will spend as much or more on electronics and my desired upgrades than I do on the boat itself.

Make some friends, be generous and get on the water in their boats and see what you like and dont like. Make your list and be patient. I've been watching for a little over a year what I am finding is used boats are abused which is why they are being sold or so overpriced, Be better off buying new. Last week I looked at a 2000 18' Pro Fish that I'll admit was Cherry, perfectly and professionally maintained, 300 hours on motor so not used a lot, garage kept all the good things. Electronics were OK and worked flawlessly but Way outdated. Asking price was 24K. Looking at the upgrades I want plus price of boat, Was was gonna be in the price range of a new boat.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.