thx for all the feedback so far guys. Much appreciated. So I went down to WA yesterday and checked out a bunch of different boats at a few dealerships and it definitely opened my eyes. It's tough to compare boats online through a few pics and what the websites have to say about their boats so when I got down to the US to see them in person it changed by initial impression. So the two types of boats that I checked out most extensively were Hewes and Thunderjet, two welded aluminum boats manufactured in Washington state.
I went to a dealer that sells thunderjet first and they have several models but I'm looking for an ocean going boat which is their Luxor Outboard and Luxor Outboard Offshore models -
http://www.acbwest.com/catalog.html - The offshore model is another 6" beamier and 2" higher sides so would be better in the big seas. I was leaning towards the 20' Luxor Outboard with a 7'6" beam and 34" sides which would be good for my purposes.
Two things stood out for me with these Thunderjet boats.
1) They look a little weird with the 'half hard top'. Kinda like a river/wakeboard boat which I don't really like
2) The weld quality and construction was very impressive compared to most other comparable boats I've been on and looked at.
After touring 4-5 of these boats I really took a liking to them. The half hard top looks a little goofy to me from the outside but inside it's super functional and comfortable and at 6'2" I have plenty to headroom which is key. The layout and finishing was great and storage was pretty good. On the 20' boat the standard power is a 115 suzuki which I'd upgrade to the 140hp.
The next place I went to was the Hewes dealer and after looking at the Thunderjets I was really disappointed with the construction/finishing of some of the Hewes I checked out. The guy I dealt with at the Hewes dealership was also quite disinterested compared to the Thunderjet guy would was super keen to show off the quality construction of 'his' boats so that probably had something to do with it as well. The Hewes boats were price lower but I don't think the price difference was enough given what I thought was a vast difference in quality. After spending an hour or two at each dealership I am definitely now leaning towards the Thunderjet boats even though they are more expensive. There is a tradeoff in every aspect of selecting a boat and I think that for what I need I don't think a Hewes is in my future. Anyways, just wanted to give a quick update since you all offered your insight which was helpful. I'm getting quotes from Hewes, Thunderjet, and Boulton now for a 20' boat with the features I need so I'll have to compare once all the details are in. Will let you know when I decide.
In the meantime, if anyone has any further advice/experience with these boats I'd like to hear. I still haven't gone for a test ride which I will do before purchase. That said the Thunderjet guy did offer to take me out on his personal boat yesterday just to show me how it rides but I didn't have the time. He was clearly confident in his product which was a good sign.