Beagle,
My wife and I went through this process last fall for our first boat. In our case we were looking for "one-stop shopping" - with access to service, winter storage, and either rack storage or a slip. And while this limited us to buying from a marina we would have gone that route regardless for added peace of mind.
We purchased a 1998 Cobalt 232 (7.4L V8, fuel-injected, Volvo DuoProp) from Thurston's and have been very pleased with the performance and handling. We first looked at smaller boats in the 20 foot range, but after a test ride or two found there was absolutely no comparison to the ride of a larger & heavier boat.
This particular boat had originally been sold, stored, and maintained by Thurston's. They had all the service records and were able to show us exactly what work had been done over the years. As mentioned in an earlier post that's a real advantage.
We were extremely pleased with the attention we received from Jeff Thurston when first looking at the boat (on land), during the test ride, and after the sale with on-water instructions. And we've also been happy so far with winter storage and their service department.
There's some great advice in the earlier posts that very much reflect our experience, too.
NHskier
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