I am new to boating and am getting ready to make my first purchase. I am interested in a deck boat. I went to a couple of dealers to start my education process as to what I want, different type of features, and price points. I have looked at Chaparral, VIP, and Sea Ray. So far the VIP is the least expensive, and the Chapparal is competitive with Sea Ray. I like the Chaparral the best but is it worth the extra money. I am not opposed to paying top dollar for Chaparral but because of lack of experience I am wondering if I need to. I am most concerned with Quality and Reliability than anything else. I could go without some of the nice features the Chaparal has over the VIP if the quality/realiabilty are the same. There are so many boat manufacturers and the prices are about $10,000 grand apart it seems between the boats. What do you think are the manufacturers I should be considering which give me the best value for my money when it comes to quality and reliability? Any other helpful advice that you could give a newbie would be great? What is the one thing you wished you would have known before buying your first boat? Thanks for your help?<br /><br />Grant