There was a post "drift boat questions" awhile back that had a lot of good input on the pro's and cons of the various boats. As for my I've owned a Diamondback 16' and now have a Willie 17 foot. For my money the UHMW bottom is a great investment in something extra, but you're not likely to find it on many used boats as not everyone likes the stuff or wants to spend the bucks on it.