New guy intro/Shopping for a boat
 

My name is Jeremy and I just joined up here since reading [possibly] biased reviews written by magazines for boats in my price range seem like slim pickins'.


Have spent alot of time on friends and family members boats and my kids (15,11,9,3) absolutely love being out on the water. I want to do something for them since I just got out of the Army after 13 years and I want to maximize family time while I am not working (20 days on an oil rig, 10 days at home). My older three kids and my wife all love skiing and tubing but having a perfect wake isn't going to be a necessity. I will be looking to spend 30-40K and would like to have room for up to 12 people to be comfortable. 25 foot would be ideal but I know my price range will probably mean that I need to find a 23 foot boat. I am not brand loyal but do want the best bang for my hard earned buck. Thanks in advance for any info.

Why not look for a 23-25 ft Searay if you aren't looking to wakeboard or wake surf much? Should get you in the ballpark. Rough water ride will be better, maneuverability at slow speeds, etc. Doesn't sound like you want a wake machine but just a good reliable boat to have fun on?