Upgrade to 25' or learn my boat?
I'm the owner of a 2025 Pioneer 202 Islander, a 20' center console. This is my 3rd 20' center console.
I mostly use it for sandbars and some inshore fishing. There's things I like about the boat, there's things I don't like about the boat (1st word problems, I know).
It's a decent boat, but I'm not impressed with the design of the helm, bow, and storage. You get a metal bar at the helm for a footrest (which always gets stuck), whereas comparable models have built in foot rests. You get a small windshield vs. full enclosure. The boat is rated for 8 people, but you can't fit more than 3 guests comfortably - I'm always shuffling people around, especially when trying to toss anchor. Storage is super limited and not easily accessed - pretty much limited to helm storage.
My biggest beef with the boat is ride quality. I have Bennett trim tabs and would like to think I have a good understanding as to how to trim the tabs and engine. However, the boat rides like trash in light-to-moderate, short period, chop (I'm in SC on the coast). I'm constantly either pounding the waves, bouncing, getting sprayed by water, or stuffing the bow, while other boats are running laps around me.
Overall, for a $60-70k boat, I'm not impressed. I'm wondering if I will see a significant difference in quality of boat by upgrading to a 24-25' boat, perhaps Scout or Seahunt.