I struggled with this decision last year. I looked at every possible style of boat. I came away with a couple generalizations:

1. there is no function-built ski boat that can comfortably handle saltwater conditions -- you will just get pounded to death in anything that has less than maybe a 12-degree deadrise. It might sound overly analytical, but it is true -- the ride quality of a boat is highy dependent on the amount of deadrise. My first boat had a 21 degree deadrise, and it rode real nice. I've been in a few since then that were in the 15-18 degree range, and the ride quality was definitely much lower.

2. everything that makes a ski boat "good" is diametrically opposed to being a good saltwater fishing boat -- low freeboard, carpeted floor, lots of cushy bench-style seating, fixed propeller shaft, etc.

3. when skiing/boarding/tubing, you spend a lot of time screwing around back at the transom with tow lines, and anything that hangs off of the transom is a hindrance -- kicker, downriggers, outboard, rodholders, etc. Everything that can be made removable should be done so.

You have to give something up in order to get one boat to do both things. As JimH mentioned, you can ski behind most anything, but only a function-built ski boat will do that job really well.

Someone mentioned Al -- great fishing boats, but the generally sparse interior is a turnoff for skiers in bare feet and swimsuits, especially when that aluminum heats up in the midday July sun.

You say that an open bow is preferred -- just don't forget that your passengers may well want somewhere to go to get warm and dry after a couple hours on the salt at 8:00 in the morning. OTOH, when skiing, it's nice to put some kids up in the bow for ballast, and they really enjoy the ride up there.

I ended up getting a Reinell cuddy with a V-8. It is definitely a compromise on both fronts -- it is carpeted, so fish make a mess. The V-8 launches it out of the hole PDQ, but it sucks a lot of gas when I want to run 20 miles. The extra weight at the back means extra bow rise (trim tabs help a lot with that). I will really miss the open bow in the summer, but it is a hard requirement (at least for my passengers) for the other 3 seasons. I would have preferred an outboard, but couldn't find one in my price range.