We have a 20' tritoon and have only had water over the bow once, on the 4th of July a couple years ago while heading to Wolfeboro for the fireworks show (anyone remember that day?!). We turned back. That being said, we're in the north and aren't in the Broads, Weirs, etc. on a regular basis.
If looking at a 'toon:
* Pontoon size matters --entry-level brands use 24", better brands use 25", and I think I saw recently that newer boats may have 26 and 27 inch ones.
* Length matters: 20' is great in the north, 22' isn't much different (typically the same deck size with longer pontoons), 24' seems to be common rental/Broads-side size.
* Engine size matters. If you want to do anything other than float, get the biggest motor you can.
* Layout: obvious.
* Pontoon design: I've researched this a lot. Some use a larger center 'toon, others use various shapes, etc. I'm not convinced any one philosophy is right, though I do hear a lot of good things about Manitou in terms of sport-boating (bad things about materials, though).
Finally, we tested a few deck boats, which seemed a good compromise between runabout sportiness and pontoon space, but we found them to be slappy in even the lightest chop.
Godspeed, friend!
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