I am so tired of reading reviews and talking with "know it all, full of it" marine salesmen. ( I was surprised by how many marine sales guys do not know that much about the boats they are selling)...anyway..

If you were looking for a boat...what are your guys priorities? ( I know...that it floats...LOL...this is a serious question though) What do you look for in a boat?

The reason I ask is that depending on the price range you have to kind of balance price against features...

I do not care at all about gidgets and gadgets...in fact I would never buy one of the boats like the Ranger Comanche or Nitro 9 series that is full of proprietary parts like digital touch pads etc etc. Boats cost enough as it is without having to pay to replace speciality stuff. Graphs and trolling motors that come with boat packages are not a big concern either...they can be replaced later...

...But...what would you sacrifice to save a few thousand...and what would you not sacrifice?

Would you buy a boat with a little rougher ride if it was 10,000 cheaper?

Is it the outboard choice that is most important?

that kind of stuff...

let me say that if I buy Fiberglass it will have to be used...I cannot bring myself to have a boat payment that is more than the truck pulling it.

In Aluminum boats...like the G3 Eagle...the Polar Kraft Bass America...The Triton Aluminum series( holey crap are they expensive)...and the XPRESS ( my personal fav)...there is a huge difference in performance characteristics. I am told that this is somewhat true in the fiberglass as well...

If you ask a marine salesmen his boat is, of course, the best boat ever built.

This is a one time deal for me...this will likely be the only boat I ever buy or I will at least keep it a long while...so I do not want to end up with a clunker...as an example...I am glad I had the chance to drive the Lowe Stinger...which I was considering...It is a nice running boat and handles well, but has a noticable amount of flex in moderate water at speed...that would have been a source of aggrivation if I had paid 18,000 for a boat that flexed like that....

Check out Bass Cat I'm considering them myself

Im sorry you feel that way about the Lowe Stinger. I own a 2005 Lowe Stinger and have never had that problem or any problems at all with mine. But then again mine is only the 16' model so there may be a difference between it and the bigger models.

You're asking a question that you'll get a multitude of answers for and none of which will point you in one direction or the other.

Almost all of the major brands of fiberglass bassboat builders make a quality product.  They wouldn't be in business if they didn't.  I could sit here and tell you I'd suggest buying a Champion because the rough water ride is one of the best in the business but there are other boats that also ride well in rough water (not as good as a Champ though    )  That's not answering your question though.

Whether Aluminum or fiberglass, any boat from the major manufacturers will be of quality and craftsmanship.  The rest, ride, fishing performance, storage, deck room, leg room under the consoles, etc, etc is all different.  You have to decide what's most important to you, find that boat or boats and then test drive them before you make your final decision.  

All you'll get here or anywhere else you'll ask is 50 different guys telling you that their brand of boat is the best.   ;D

"Would you buy a boat with a little rougher ride if it was 10,000 cheaper" Seriously, what is your boat budget? This will help us sort some of the choices out.

Yes. I wanted to buy a new Skeeter I-Class 20 footer with at least a 225 Yamaha on the back of it. I decided I would save a little money and get a used Skeeter aluminum 17 footer with a 40 Yamaha. I ended up saving around 35 thousand dollars and yes the ride is a little rougher

Before I bought I boat, these are a few things I kept in mind.

Not in a priority order.  You will have to priorotize with regards to what is mist/least important and the budget you have in mind.

Quality of workmanship

Durability

Ride in rough water

Deck space.  (This is a big deal for me.  I have seen some boats with a very inefficient layout. )  I liked a very simple yet spacious layout.

Motor power

Seats (Comfort/ Durability)

Storage sapce.  (Rod lockers handle 7+ rods??)

Deck material under carpet (Aluminum or wood?)

Size of gas tank

Size of livewell

Quality of trailer

Dealer and Servie capabilities

What accessories come standard? (ie on board charger, etc)

Given my budget I ended up buying a Fisher Prohawk 180 (18 ' Aluminum w/ 115 EFi Merc)

I really like the spacious layout , workmanship, storage, etc given my budget)

The only real disappointment I have with it, is that there is no place on the trailer I can put on a spare tire carrier.  I am still looking for an "extended" version of the mount.  

It all really depends on where you'll be fishing and how you are going to use it.  Are you fishing tournaments?  Are you using it for anything else like family recreation? How big are the lakes you are fishing? etc.

My best advice is to fish from as many boats as you can or at least fish from the boat you intend to buy before you do if at all possible or one very similar to it.  I got a lot of first hand knowledge on boats by fishing a few tournaments as a coangler.  Like you said everyone tells you their boat is the greatest whether they are selling it or own it.  The old cleche is true: expereince is the best teacher.

I have a mid size dual console fiberglass rig.  There are a lot of faster higher priced rigs but I'm very pleased with mine and it has just about everything I need though perhaps not everything I want.  

One of the biggest reasons I bought it was It was too good of a deal to pass up!

As far as outboard choice goes, get something that is close to the max HP rating for the boat, you don't want an underpowered boat especially if you are going to own if for a long time.

The price of fiberglass boats have gone freakin loopy. Buying a used fiber boat worries me. I have had too many friends with too many problems. (one of which landed a guy in jail until the cops figured out he had actualy bought the boat...FROM A MARINA...and that he really had not known about the fraud involved.)

I cannot justify my boat costing more than my Van, especially when I can only use it 9 months a year...and having a $500 payment sitting out in the yard in January covered in snow will give me ulsers.

...an aluminum is better suited to my fishing anyway...

but this is the problem...

Aluminum boats run the gambit from around $10,000 ( low end Tracker) to the high $20,000-$30,000 price range ( Triton) and have some big differences in performance, construction, yadda yadda yadda...

which is why this is difficult for me....

I will stretch the budget a bit for a really good boat...

I will cut it as well for a good value...

What I did yesterday was make a spreadsheet listing several manufactuers, features, beam width, motors, yadda yadda...so that I could look at all the info all at once...

( I could not remember from brochure to brochure and from website to website what was what and what boat came with what)...putting all the boats side by side like that was helpful.

I have narrowed the list down to a top three manuctuers and top 5 boats that have what I am looking for in a boat.

Before you do anything you have to answer your own questions. What do you really want, and what can you live without. When I bought my boat last year I made some decisions.  Like you, I'm budget conscious. I wanted a boat for around 10k--less if I can do it (remember that you are going to spend at least an additional $1000 for things like trolling motors, batteries, sonar, rod holders, anchors, etc...) So here was my list:

1. Space (more the better)

2. Durability. I fish rivers often. They are often shallow, and there is a lot of stuff down there.

3. Interior layout. I wanted front and rear casting decks and a console--a tiller just wasn't going to cut it.

Then I listed things I was willing to live without to reduce the cost:

1. Engine power. The boat I bought has a 25hp engine on it that pushes me along at 30mph. That't plenty fast for me--particularly if you don't fish tournaments.

2. Looks. I can live without 'em. Also reduces the cost/time spent  on maintenance. The boat was not going to have covered storage, and it snows here in the winter. Ever see a fiberglass boat that has been exposed to the elements for 5 years. Not pretty.

I opted of a Tracker Grizzly 1754SC jon boat. It was under 10k, after all the add-on that needed to be made. It met all of the requirements, and I've been satisfied so far. My only complaint, and I knew this when I bought it, is that it does not handle rough water. If I ever upgrade, it will be for a boat that can handle big water safely.

I am in the backwards group,when my dad was alive we fished larger lakes,santee,kerr lake,gaston and always had a larger boat,17',when he

died i got the boat,tried using it by myself and ended up selling it for

fear of damaging it loading,etc.I just recently bought a war eagle welded

small boat 1436 with a johnson 9.9 and have not water crissened it yet

but for my purpose less money was better spent.This weekend may be

the weekend it needs!