We run a Bay Stealth 2180 with tunnel and Yammahammer TRP because that is what we have, and not looking to spend into a new one right now with my fishing partner and I both having 2 college aged kids on the payroll. That said, it's not the fanciest, but I've been driving it for 20 years or so all over Texas bays from Baffin to Matagorda. It will fish fine and can handle some chop. Ours has the tunnel hull and a TRP, so we can get fairly skinny in the heavy beast.
Things I would note:
------------------------------------------------
* Ours was free. My buddies Dad bought it for his Grandkids on the way. He got a steal of a deal on it from a guy getting divorced that didn't want her to get his toys.
* it is a good boat for larger bays with deeper swells.
* it does work well for a lake/inshore hybrid boat.
* before you buy it (even if on the trailer), stand behind the steering wheel, and make sure there is room for your feet and imagine being on plane. (ours had this weird glassed in live well for the seat, and you had to kneel on it to drive, which was painful for me at over 6 foot.) We had that cut out, and added an aluminim leaning post which has been a lifesaver.
* we also added a wading ladder.
* most folks that say it is a wet hull, drive the damn thing too slow. Get on top of those waves and cut em. We rarely run ours at less than 75% throttle unless we are in flat calm water or no wake, etc.
* Most of the storage on our 2180 sucks, it's not very watertight, and is not located well.
* I agree about electrical issues, but any boat in the 10-15K range is going to be suspect there.
* We put a new trailer under it last year. The galvanized steel one would only last so long.
* it's not fancy and can take a decent beating
Depending on what part of the coast you are fishing, we thought we would be in G bay more, so it made more sense for there, it could work for your needs. Granted, we are probably looking at a Shoalwater Cat or used Shallowsport or Pescador Cat next time, as we tend to want to get farther into the back lakes near ESB than we can presently and we fish that area more now. The cats run smoother than most of the others from what we have seen. If you won't be fishing too shallow, a used pathfinder would be an excellent option. If you only have 2 people on board, an 18 foot boat is fine. If you plan to fish or lake boat with 6-8 people, I wouldn't buy anything smaller than 21 foot, personally. With 8, you may want to look at a 24 footer.
Where are you going to be fishing primarily? How many people will be with you on average?
These are just my 2 cents.....
Edit to add that our 2180 with tunnel is underpowered with a TRP 150 2 stroke. If we had the cash, I would look at a 200 or 250 for it. That's also something else to consider.
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
