No reason, he is just ready to upgrade and figured 24' would give him some extra room.

The live bait tank gets used quite a bit in summer and is almost always in the boat.

The yellowfin has a price tag well over $50k and a lengthy waiting list to boot. Awesome boat but very specialized with little cockpit space so I don't think it is a good fit.

I would look at sea hunt, hydra sport, Parker, pathfinder, sea pro, champion.....those have a little more cockpit space than the others

I have a 19' bluewave that i like. I wish it had more rear deck space but its a nice boat. If your buddy has the opinion that 50k isn't out of his budget then look at a pathfinder bay boat its by far the best cc as far as fit and finish. Falcon boats are one of the best open water fishing boats around but they are no longer in business. Have him check out blazer bay boats also. They have deeper sides than a bluewave or pathfinder but not as deep as a falcon. I know a lot of the guides on texoma are buying the new blazer bays to replace their old falcons. These are just my opinion but if money was no object i would rate my favorite cc boats in this order.

Pathfinder
blazer bay
falcon
Bluewave or skeeter
Nauticstar

All powered by a yamaha four stroke!

Sea Hunt has been great for me!

Shearwater is a very nice boat.

Also I really like the Champion CC boats.

Sea hunt is the no.1 selling bay or saltwater boat in the country by almost double in no.of sales .rides great and comes standard with trim tabs.and available with the big seat baittank.you pay for what you get in this kind of boat these days.

Just got a 22' nautic star. No wasted real estate on this vessel. So far, I can't think of one thing it lacks, besides built in dancing girls. Gunwale height and freeboard are perfect for multi species. YouTube has some good demo videos

I would also look at the history of the company. Just because the boat used to be made well does not mean it still is. Boat companies are bought and sold often so if you buy a new boat it may be made by someone else(Mako ect) or if you buy used the company may no longer be in business(my Sea Pro)

This is a good example of what I was talking about

http://www.brunswick.com/brands/marine-boats/

don't forget

http://www.hayniebayboats.com/24_High_Output.shtml

I have worked out of a proline a parker a Nautic Star and Now a skeeter 24v. Capt craig just ordered a new Nautic Star 2200 Tournament and we have had the pleasure of running the 2400 Nautic Star tournament. ALL of these are GREAT CC. With that said the Nautic Star is the absulute best boat for the money. The only question I would have is why the 24'. If you fish 4 plus people on a regular basis then I understand but the 22' for towing and general handling is plenty of boat. I would recomend the 2200 tournament with a Vmax 225 SHO. 101# thrust Minn Kota Terova is has a built in transducer for a bow mount sonar.

I run a 21 ft SeaPro, so far its the driest/smoothest ride ive had, not saying its the "best" just going off of personal experience. I would like to go to a 24 footer, but Sea-Pro was bought a few years back by Trophy. So, if i had to choose one now, i would have to go with Nautic Star, unless Falcon starts producing boats again.

Just take your time and pick one thats set up the way you want it, if need be im sure you can hitch a ride with someone on different brands to see the pros and cons, which there will be on every boat you look at.

I also heard SeaFox is a great boat, havent been on one of those yet.

Chevy

Making a boat decision comes down to what you want to do with the boat and how/where you will be using it. I have a 22' CC, tunnel hull with trim tabs and hydraulic jack plate with a 225HP motor. I can go super shallow and get on step in 18" of water or I head into rough water with little fret. If I want to zoom to a spot, the extra power is there. Mine is a Nitro Bay 2200 which was made by Kenner, but I don't think they make them anymore. I have fishing buddies that have anything from a Champion CC to a Nautic Star CC to a Sea Pro CC and each rides differently and has different things about them that make them solid boats. Mine isn't the smoothest/driest ride, but I can go where others can't and that's just not spots, that's entire lakes. There are a lot of great boats out there and most have been mentioned previously. I do agree that a Boston Whaler shouldn't be in the discussion if you are looking for a bay style boat. The higher gunnels make fishing for sand bass and hybrids a bit of a pain, though BW's are great boats. Good luck to you!!