This is exactly why I asked for help!
BDB I’m all ears. 20 ft ....22 ft ?
The perfect boat for me....I almost have it. Like Guy said rounded chimes are preferred for tight turns but there are advantages to sq or tapered chimes. I have a 20ft WC. Sq chimes. You will slide on tighter turns so you have to account for that. I have learned to slow down to 19-20 on tight turns and still learning some tricks but overall I'm really happy with the boat. For most rides sliding will not be a factor but there are times it will happen. The closest thing I've had was a right turn and almost slid into a tree....I think my rail just kissed it (left side) but I was still learning the boat. And it was a smaller tree so I think I would have knocked it over if I had really hit it. Mine is a fishing boat also and the 20ft'er is nice for that. You can go up to 21 or larger but there is a braking point where it gets to big Imo.....meaning I do not not have a place to park a 22 ft boat. My 20 fits perfect where I park it. a 20ft boat is at a cross road of being able to handle it and hide it also. By handle it I mean with your hands pushing it around or trying to pry it out of the hiding spot. I've had no trouble hiding my boat and believe me its way bigger than my 15 footer I have also. My deck is big enough I can sling 4 dozen decoys up on it and keep the main boat un cluttered. Alone or with 1 other I just keep them on the floor. Plus I fish off the deck also. Smaller boats can not have a deck like that unless you make the entire thing a deck then you just ruined the boat as a real duck boat. 3 times this past season I went thru water "most" would not go thru in there rigs. My buddy has a 17.5 prodigy and he was with me on the worst day of the three and he said he would not have went thru that in his rig. We got wet but was really in no danger unless we lost power. Remember...its 5 am when your doing all this, not a good time to be in a bad way. The storage is great in my boat but then remember....more storage usually equals more crap to take so act like its a smaller boat when loading it, then the boat does not feel all cluttered. All my fishing rod/reels fit nicely under my catwalks storage.I can have 8 -9 combos under my catwalks cause my boat is a 20 footer. My gun box storage which is part of the deck is now my fishing storage for lure boxes and nets etc.
If you would have said I hunt smaller waters and 2/3 people things would obviously change but lakes with 4 guys and lots of gear ....and you are thinking right on the motor cause even the new 40efi which is on mine would struggle with that load. And another reason I chose a 20 is the motors (I was told when researching mine) are going to change in 5 years or so. Bigger/powerful). I can keep the bigger boat and upgrade motors if I decided to. I do not regret getting a 20 and would order it again if I was to start all over. 17-18 foot boats are null and void if I was limited to one boat.