Add some Talons and start fisin

I drove to Tennessee to buy my Bass Cat last summer. Boat was unbelievably clean, very low hours. I'm from there so went to visit family while I made the trip. My point is there are some outstanding used boats and don't limit yourself to local only. I decided I wanted a larger boat and sold it to the first person that looked at it. If I would have had the money I would have loved to have given it to my son. I just can't get the nerve to let him take the new boat out by himself yet.

Montgomery has an outstanding club. He'll enjoy it!

I don't get the hangup on Talons, poles, sticks...whatever they're called. (joke) Folks have been fishing for decades without these fancy anchors just fine. They're not necessary, imho. Put your money in a good troll motor and be done with it.

That being said - I drove to Montgomery, AL last April to buy my latest boat. Price was right and well worth the trip. Whatever you decide to do, resale should be on your mind when it comes time to unload. That Cobra isn't a terrible boat but it's also not one to hold value like some of the others mentioned. Ranger, Bass Cat, Champion, Bullet, etc. Don't settle. Deals are out there, you just have to be ready to pounce.

Look at Legend boats when you get a chance...

Would disagree, just because they are discontinued doesn't seem to hurt the value as much as it used too, I've seen some clean cobras bring a very good price, you can add champion to that list as well, as long as they were a well built boat they can still bring a premium price.

I never meant to imply Cobras don't have their place nor are they junk. I'm just saying they might not have the same resale value as the other brands I mentioned. I own an Champion for that very reason.

Unloading is a big deal. Stick with a good name and you'll be fine. One not mentioned so far and it's got a great, wide (2 person easy) fishing deck is the Skeeters. They don't do as much sponsoring lately, but they're a very stable, dry platform that has good resale value. And easy to drive too, my 12 yr old drives mine without problems, albeit at safe speeds.

$25k is a great price point. You can get a very nice rig for that. Personally, I'd look for a 20-21 foot, 7-10 year old Ranger/Triton/Basscat/Skeeter that was stored inside. Have a mechanic check the engine prior to purchase and do a test drive yourself so you know it's working good (test everything on the water - fishfinders, temp gauges, bilge pump, livewell pump, etc) and that you're happy with the layout and ride. I'd also consider a Nitro in that price point if it was newer than 8-10 years (maybe a 2012-2014 Z-8 or Z-9).