I fished 23 seasons all over US and Canada with my 1998 Crestliner Sportfish 1850/115hp Evinrude Intruder and it gave me great service. ZERO complaints or regrets. Boat was a tank. Finally sold her in mint shape and bought a new Tidewater 232cc with a 250 Yamaha. So I’ve had em big and small. Or at least small and midsize? My observations as I adjust to a much bigger boat....it’s a learning curve around the docks for sure. Out fishing there is no comparison due to deeper hull, more than double the hp and all that space. The bigger boat hasn’t changed my behavior. Rough is rough and I don’t intend to play games with the Great Lakes regardless of hull length. Much more enjoyable when Burwell got rough last Sunday for sure though and a much drier ride back to otter creek. All that said a deep v aluminum would be a great way to start, unless you are loaded in which case all those newbie related whiskey blisters you put on a dauntless or GW won’t be an issue for your wallet.
I knew I wanted to upgrade. When I priced out the longest Crestliner against the Tidewater, Blackfin and Scouts I was interested in, the fiberglass ccs were just a better value For the dollar.
Nobody has said this so I will - it’s the dealer that makes all the difference. Whatever you choose make sure the brand has a local dealer you can form a relationship with for hull and engine work. You WILL have some warranty issues and crap just breaks. How that is handled makes all the difference.