The wife and I and our two kids(9 and 7 yr's old) need a boat to take to the Havasu, (ocean some?), Etc. to entertain ourselves and our friends. My friends have Lavey Crafts, Eliminators, Cobras, etc. that range between 24' and 28'. Some are v-bottoms and some are cat's. Engines range from 496-ho to twin 496-ho's. I'd like to get something along these lines but......V or cat?.....Open cuddy, open bow, or party deck?.....Who provides the MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK single engine boat in these catagories? Why is it that some forums discuss Pantera, Sonic, Activator, Joker,........Then others discuss Eliminator, Lavey Craft, Htm, Warlock....I realize that there is a East coast West coast thing But...because I'm on the West coast, should I ignore the East coast boats? Thanks in advance for any info you may have.