The "flip side" to that story is that (without getting stupid) learning to handling the Broads and other area's in a 20'-23' boat from the onset will give you invaluable training & most of all respect !
Also, as a newcomer to the Lake, having a smaller more maneuverable boat allows you to explore the various coves and inlets far better than worrying about how much your drafting on a $150k+ floating condo.
Some 30 years ago we started with a 176 (17.5') Stingray, many boats later a foot added here and there, it was only within the last 2 years that we grew into a 25.5 footer ........ which I feel is more than sufficient for anything that Lake has to through at me...... and we are NOT timid, we go out in most any conditions.
Looking back, silly as it may sound, I somewhat miss those days in the smaller boats when it got beyond "Sporty" and was quite "Nautical" on the way back Saunders Bay from Wolfboro. In a sick sort of way it proved to be a "skills" training session ..... which admittedly sometimes lasted nearly 3 hours for a simple ride (
THAT part I do not miss
).
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