Bulldog, I can't offer you any advice on the ride of the Blazer 180, I have never rode in one. I can tell you that customer service from Blazer is second to none. I think you get more boat for the money than a lot of other brands offer. I'm not trying to say that the other brands are worse boats or that Blazer is better, just saying for the amount of money you get more bang for the buck. There are a lot of Blazers running in your area, I'm sure you could find one and get a ride before you buy. I grew up in Middleburg, I know the area and a lot of the folks down that way. With the Wolfson's tournament coming up, that would be a good place to go to the weigh in and check out the boats.