1998 240 SPORT

I have spent only a full season and year of fishing in possession of my boat and i have no complaints. I purchased a well maintained 1998 240 with a hull I would rate as a 9+ in condition for the year. I am hoping to get a couple more seasons out of my Ocean Pro 200 before upgrading to a 225 or 250 E-tec. Here are my impressions;

Pros
-Nice ride in small to medium chop. I have trim tabs so I can usually deal with wind and currents quite easily.
-LOTS of deck space behind the leaning post for dealing with fish, gear, or anything else going on back there. In fact this is one of the biggest pros. I have never seen another boat in this class that felt more spacious in that area.
-Bracket mounted motor makes the transom very useful. The baitwell and hand sink are priceless and convenient.
-Versatility of front casting deck / sitting area is great for family or more fishermen.
-Nice deck lighting, both cockpit and flood lights function well and offer just the right amount of illumination for the purpose.
-Pretty good gas mileage and speed for an old 200 Evinrude, probably 2.5mpg and 40 mph with steel prop. I am sure I will be pleasantly shocked at the increase in both when I can afford an E-tec!
-Reasonable head with fair amount of space.
-I find the storage to be good with a large fish box and two addition lockers up front, a cooler under front seat, under console storage, and the head if necessary.
-Rod capacity is excellent. I have added an upgraded leaning post which helps but I can safely stow 14 rods in post, overhead, or side racks/rockets.
-Windshield is effective for wind and water in most cases.
-very trailerable for a 25'5" boat. Get the trailer guides and it becomes a very doable one man show.

Cons
-I guess I can see where people say this hull pounds if you really push it to the margin in rough water. Its actually the hatches and lockers that rattle the worst, giving the overall impression of a rougher ride than you actually feel.
-Wet ride?? I don't have enough to compare it to but I'd say its no worse than other boats of similar size that I have been in when pushing a little past reasonable speed for conditions. It take a good chop AND a strong wind to get any water in the boat though so I don't see where anything else would be immune to that combination either.
-Bracket mounted motor creates great deck layout options but affects maneuverability at low speeds. I notice most when backing up. My boat seems to want to back up diagonally at best rather than a reverse arc.
-Trim tabs necessary to deal with slight list from prop torque at higher throttle on single outboard.
-Baitwell could use more space for larger bait like menhaden.