This is exactly the same conclusion I came to. Now = maximum utility. Once the kids are out of school >> big, cool looking 'bay boat' for me...
hope you have a good doctor to take care of your back with the beating you'll get in an aluminum boat like that. i dont own one but have fished out of several. A choppy day in the sound is NO fun in an aluminim boat
Before I was in the boating industry I had a Montauk. Very stable but I got used to wearing raingear regardless of weather as it running hull design and lack of shear meant an extremely wet ride. I've been in the Whaler plant in Fl numerous times and fully understand their mfg technique. The injected foam becomes an integral part of the strength structure of the boat. Basically its 2 relatively thin skins chemically bonded together and filled with foam. A major issue has been the hull or deck getting a crack and allowing water to get into the foam and adding a lot of weight. Once water gets in its impossible to get it out. Its negatives aside, whalers are very low maintenance, and hold their value extremely well.
