I have been looking at 24ft - 25ft center consoles, and the following 3 are within my price range: Blazer Bay 2400, Tidewater 2500 Carolina Bay, and Blue Wave 2400 Pure Bay.
Have any of you guys ridden in any of those 3 boats? I want a boat that handles the chop well, but build quality is the most important factor. The Blazer and Blue wave both have a 17 degree dead rise, and the Tidewater has a 15 degree rise. I don't know if 2 degrees would make much difference in ride. Maybe it does. I'm leaning towards a 300 Suzuki to push it. I have always run Yamahas, but Suzuki has a great reputation and is $5000 less than Yamaha with a better warranty. Suzuki comes with a 5 year warranty.
I would appreciate hearing your opinions and experiences with any or all of them. Thanks!

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100% go for the 300 Suzuki. Maybe slight less performance than the Yamaha. Super reliable and great gas mileage. A buddy of mine has the 24 Pure Bay with 300 Suzuki. He loves the boat. It’s a decent ride. Prior he had a Blazer Bay 22 with 150 Suzuki. Lots of hours on that motor with no isssues.

I have a 22 Majek extreme with 200 Suzuki. Love the motor. Super quiet. Great mpg. 6 year warranty.

I have fished from both Blazer Bay boats and Bluewave boats. Both will work, but I prefer the Blazer Bay. It was a little dryer and ran shallower.

My buddy runs the BlueWave with the Suzuki and loves it. I've been in it a few times and it runs and rides very comfortably.

I've got a friend that runs a BlueWave with a Yamaha. We have caught lots of fish out of his boat. It's a great boat.

A couple of the local guides down here have been running BlueWave 2400 Pure Bays for years.

I have a 2017 Blazer 2400. Mine has the console pushed forward so it makes the ride rougher for the driver but it open up the back to a huge space for the type of fishing I mainly do. It is a light boat for being 24'. In rough stuff I just use the tabs to keep the boat from banging so hard. Mine has a yamaha 300

I have fished out of a BW 2400 and it is a really nice boat also. It handled great and I really like having jump seats in the back. Heavier boat makes them ride a little softer.

Never been in a Tidewater

I haven't been on any of the 3 boats mentioned, but if you haven't looked at Sportsman 247 Masters, take a look. I believe it's in the same general price range as those. If you'd like to ride in one, I have an older 227 model. The hulls are pretty much the same for the 2 models. Layouts have just changed.

Blue wave a lnd Carolina are pretty wet boats but run very well through 2-3 foot chop

I have a 22 ft blue wave , bought in 2000. I like it , repowered with a 200 Yamaha 4 stroke two years ago,
I have fished with a Captain out of Shell Beach La that runs a 24 ft Blue wave . Very nice boat , out of my price range however.


MO