Whats the boat plan? You ain't got a hair on your ass if you don't have a boat plan.
NuCanoe will rock a lot of the canals and shallows. Gonna need a decent sized bay boat though. I'd look in the 22-24' range. Lots of boats in that range draft plenty shallow and will still get you out a bit on nice days.
I'll be buying a flats style in the 20+ range. Used market looks pretty good down there based on what I've looked at.
Flave, if you're in the 20+ range, you've basically left the flats boat realm. 17-19' (or smaller) is typically flats/skiff range. 20+ is considered more of a bay boat... which isn't a bad thing. Flats boats, you're typically talking max 3 adults, and that may not even be a comfortable fit. 2 is better and easier in that size boat. One adult and 2 kids is easier than 3 adults.
One thing you're better off understanding and addressing up front: Where am I going to get my and my peeps' powder skin azzes out of the sun?
Bay boats will have more options for that. T-top or fabric cover, Sunbrella fabric being top of this class. Flats boats, not so much. The tradeoff is manueverablity and access to skinny water, and having easier options to get out of the sun..
My frame of reference: 17' Ranger flats boat for 7 years.
