Before you drop a dime go visit the mfg plant. Look at the tooling, raw materials used, how the boats are put together, look at the guys building the boat.
A lot of the local builders are still using the old Glas Ply tooling. It's ok, just that even if they have modofied it a bit its still old designs. Boat tooling and molds never go away. If a builder goes away someone else just picks up the tooling at auction or from the bank, and goes into the business.
A quick rule of thumb is the heavier the boat and deeper the vee, the smoother the boat will ride thru the rough stuff, but will roll all over the place at slow speeds or in beam seas when trolling or at rest. A light boat with a deeper vee hull will also go thru the rough stuff but will really roll and wallow around in sloppy water at low speed or at rest.
After 20+ years in the mfg biz I've been on or looked at nearly every boat made in the US. When asked what to boat to buy I tell people to buy what you need not what you want. Buy a boat suited to the conditions that you will use it. Buy a boat from a mfg thats been in biz a while. Long warrantees become worthless if the builder goes under. If you think that you will get "2 foot itis", stretch the budget and buy the bigger one as boats rarely appreciate in value. Trading for a larger model can be costly. Segwaying into buying from a builder who offers larger models. If you buy a Sea Swirl, trade up to a bigger Sea Swirl. Same with Trophy, Well Craft, Sea Ray, Alumaweld, Almar/North River, etc. Talk to other boat owners as to what they like or don't like about their boat. Just remember when doing so that opinions are like a**holes, everyones got one.
Builders philosophies and markets change over time. A builder that built great boats 10 years ago can build crap today, a builder that built crap years ago can build a great boat today. 5 years ago Bayliner Trophys were nothing but fishy looking Capris, now they are fine boats.
Do your homework and you won't be disappointed.