Iron head,

not the guy from the show ( I'm in the midwest). Just went through the same training \:D I can tell that Finegrain has been at this game awhile, he's right on the money. Find a layout that works for you, in a dealer close to home, then go fishing. Any boat will last a lifetime if you enjoy maintenance half as much as fishing. basically, spend 1 hour of maint for 2 hours of use. as far as power goes, long life = diesel. end of story. most guides run OB's cause there easy to get off and replace.
It's funny how diiferent things are here vs there. you can't find a charter here that runs OB's, or much under 30 foot. Most guys on the GL are running Trojan F-36's that are 25 -35 years old. they look great but only due to short season and 6 months of winter to do maint.