Alot of your older aluminum drift boats only had a 48" bottom vs 54" now on most of the new ones which meant they didn't sit quite so high in the water or handle as heavy a load . They also weren't set up with as many adjustment options such as seats and oarlocks to get your weight balanced right. If I was looking for a good used drift boat to learn on I would buy a 16X54. Probably a willie. At least if you decide down the road you're not a rower you won't have any problem selling it. And if rowing is for you you'll have the boat you would want to wind up with anyway. No use having to buy more than 1 boat. If you shop around you should be able to pick up a decent used willie, especially after winter, for a decent price. Good luck