Moving to the lake probably by the time we close on the house and have upgrades completed it will be January.

After some time to get settled we will be shopping for a used boat to mess with.

I've been wanting a boat for a long time so I look around pretty often, especially after I've been down at the Gulf Coast.

I like the Key West boats with the cuddy cabin. We are old and we need a place for a porta potty. Got grand kids
that will need to go potty at inconvenient times too, lol. Big lake long way back to shore.

Something like this:

https://www.boattrader.com/boat/1995-key-west-bluewater-2000wa-8293009/

We can take it to the coast with us too.

Seems like a good do it all boat design for cruising around and fishing.

Anything unusual to watch out for on these?

For sure on the inspection!!

Not looking at that one yet just an example

Here's a good place to start

Had cuddys for years.   We very seldom actually slept in them. If I could find a 20' C-Dory at a reasonable price I'd buy it right now. Unfortunately they are a Northern boat dealer and pretty rare in Texas.

Cons.
Keep in mind, the design takes up a lot of your boat's deck space. Our 22' barely had room for three to fish.
They are prone to mildew. Store with a dehumidifer in it from time to time.
Deeper draft than other hulls such as bay boats.
Takes more power to get up on plane than other designs.
Heavy for their length.
Putting kids in the cuddy with the boat rocking is going to lead to vomit, every time.
Anchoring means having to skinny forward along the cuddy up to the anchor locker. It's best to have a powered rig you can work from the console.


Pros.

Absolutely the best rough water boat design out there.
More storage than you will ever use.
With the Isinglass enclosure, it's practically a floating RV in winter.
Excellent trolling platforms with outriggers.
Self bailing decks. (comes in very handy for washing fish blood and slime off)
Usually a huge fuel tank, live wells and fishboxes. Incredible range.
Can be rigged with twin engines or a kicker motor.
Easy to set them up for shore power if you want to overnight.

One thing to note. Key West is a popular and sturdy brand, but the more important issue is the motor. Since cuddys are almost always salt water boats I'd avoid any engine over 7-8 years old. Look very closely at the trailer as well.

Thanks.

We may also look for a Center Console boat with a porta potty area inside the console.

i have a 22 cobia CC and i'm 6-4.  there is a porta potty space but it is super cramped and hard to get into for me.  i don't even try.  just getting in there to check wiring and what not is a bitch.  no idea how big you are. my point being, think long and hard about a CC less than 24' if a head is a priority.

Good to know thanks !!

Late to the party here. But have a 2022 203fs. Great rig so far. Can’t beat the value and there are plenty of older ones still running around all over. The owner of the company is very involved and will answer questions on the Key West Boats forum. New prices are insane, I’d look for gently used. Keep in mind that the boats are foam filled so may want to weigh one if you look at older hulls.

219 or larger if you want a usable toilet. My 203 came with a port-a-potty but the console is really too small unless you have young kids or a little lady.

Bought a 196BR new in 2004.  Still have it.  It’s been a great boat, but the factory wiring is total crap.

1995 Hull? Definitely have an aluminum fuel tank inspected on any hull over 25 years old. Soft transom/stringers and sole too.

Yep, I’m frequently chasing down electrical gremlins in my 2005 2020CC. I’d really like to know why they thought it was ideal to locate the batteries inside the bilge compartment rather than the console - there’s been no shortage of corroded wiring from that over the years. It is otherwise an outstanding boat, though. And to be fair, it’s 18 years old and constantly exposed to salt, so it was always going to end up needing some wiring upgrades. For the price it’s pretty hard to beat a Key West.