Mike,
I just bought a "previously owned" (sounds much better than used) Nitro 185 Sport in May. This was my first boat and the wife insisted we be able to take the family out as well (I have 2 girls ages 10 and 13). So far, I love the boat. I take the family out tubing (a blast) on Saturday along with a trip to downtown Annapolis so we can have a nice lunch. Then on Sunday, I'll go fishing or crabbing (I live near the Chesapeake Bay). Took my girls out last weekend with just me because the wife didn't want to get up at 4 am. They had a blast! My suggestion would be to look for a '99-'01 185, 188 or 288 Sport depending on how big you want. I chose the 185 Sport over other manufacturers because of the load capacity. It will hold 6 people or 800 lbs. Most others that size are limited to 5 people. This will allow us to take a friend for each daughter if they want. I have a 125 hp on mine. If you are buying new, I wouldn't suggest spending more for the 125 vs. 115. Go for the 135 Optimax or 150 if you can afford it. I did alot of research before deciding on Nitro and getting lucky to find one in my area in my price range. I paid $11,500 for a '00 185 with galvanized trailer, 125 Merc, battery charger, 67 lb. trolling motor, and about 40 hours on it. Buying new, I would have paid $19-20K. I know this was long but I thought you would like as much info as I had since I just went through the same process.
P.S. My only issue has been, where to mount fishfinder near the tight dash! I just bought a Lowrance x-51 on Ebay so I'll let you know where I end up mounting it once I do it.
Jay