CLS550, I remember the challenges and troubles I had with becoming a first time boat owner. Please take into account everything others have said, and allow me to add my thoughts. I wish I had known or had a resource such as this forum when I bought my first boat.
Being a prospective first time boater with no experience, the best thing any of us can tell you is to do your homework. Take your time getting ready to become a boat owner, and it should take some time, possibly more than a year. You are not entering a hobby, boat owning is a lifestyle, and it is one that requires several resources and critical skill sets. The most important skill set is having a mindset of safety for yourself, your passengers and other vessels around you. If you haven't already done so, you need to do an honest assessment of whether you already have or can acquire these skills and resources, and are also at a point in your life where owning a boat is a realistic and enjoyable option. Boating/boat owning always appears to be a great pastime, and it certainly is, but its also expensive, takes a lot of time, is a lot of work, and carries a lot of responsibility/liability too.
Since you have said you have no previous experience, you need to get out on the water, as a passenger, and then as the captain. They are two completely different roles and experiences, both of which you should be familiar and comfortable with. If you find that either role is not a good fit, then boat owning may not be for you.
There are plenty of people that make great passengers, but would not be fit as owners - and there is nothing wrong with that. Being a good passenger is as simple as being able to follow instructions, knowing basic boating safety, and being comfortable both in and on the water. Being a responsible boat owner requires a lot of time and money for maintenance, cleaning, prepping, and winterization. Owning a Yamaha minimizes the maintenance you would need, and if you are mechanically competent to do some or all of the maintenance yourself this can help keep costs down, and of course the people on this forum and others are amazingly helpful. Being a boat owner also makes you the default captain which comes with an assortment of responsibilities that many boat owners don't even realize they have. Being a good captain will be the determining factor for you and your passengers having a good time on the water. A good captain can make a good weather day an amazing life time memory and a bad day a tolerable experience. A poor captain can make the most beautiful boating conditions miserable for everyone, and make bad conditions into life threatening situations. Ensure you can be a good owner and captain, because if you can't - which there is nothing wrong with - then owning a boat will be nothing but a source of misery and an empty hole you throw money into.
Talking about maintenance and money, in general, the older the boat, the higher the maintenance requirements and maintenance costs will be, which could offset or even eclipse new(er) boat costs. You may be better off buying a new(er) boat as far as overall costs are concerned. Also take into consideration that the costs associated with boating do not just include the boat itself, many times the boat is not even a third the total expense. Other expenses to consider are the tow vehicle costs, boat trailer maintenance, insurance, lodging, food, travel costs, registration, local water body fees/registrations, time off from your job to enjoy your boat, etc.
I would recommend first finding someone on this forum near you that would be willing to take you on the water in their boat (hopefully the same type you wish to purchase), and let you do some basic things like prep/launch/recover at the ramp, moor/tie up at a pier or marina, operate in reverse, do a little open water steering and navigation, tow people on tubes or boards. Once you feel comfortable with these basic items, rent a couple of different types of boats and take them out on your own, including at least one open prop boat (outboard, inboard, etc.). Get on different bodies of water in different levels of chop, so you can see how different boats behave. Nothing will make you appreciate your purchase like knowing exactly what you have, and also what you gave up, in your chosen boat. Owning a particular boat, regardless of which you choose to purchase, will involve some level of compromise. Figure out which boat qualities are critical, desirable, undesirable, and incompatible. The compromise will be in the desirable/undesirable areas. If you cannot afford all the boat qualities that fall into the critical area and avoid all the incompatible qualities, you need to wait either until you can save more money, or the right deal comes around.
From your list of water locations you want to boat on, you may want to consider some boats other than Yamahas, specifically bigger boats. Don't get me wrong, I love these boats and I think they are fantastic for the market segment they are designed for. They also have a lot of room for growth beyond their intended market. All that being said, those are some big bodies of water on your list you want to explore, and you would probably not want to do it except on the calmer days in a 23" Yamaha which could possibly limit your enjoyable boating. The boating skill you have at the time will be the determining factor. I can certainly tell you that in my current boat and my previous boat which was nearly 25", nothing ruins a day faster than bad weather or rough water. Maybe one of the bigger Yamaha boats would be a good fit for you, in the right hands, they can surely handle the smaller/medium/large lakes, and even go offshore when the weather allows. But I would encourage you to not limit your options if you intend to explore the great lakes or other large water bodies. It might even be a better idea to start with one boat on smaller water bodies, acquire the right experience, and then upgrade to another boat for bigger waters.
Sorry for the long post, I hope this information helps you make a good decision, please don't look at my comments as a discouragement or disparagement. I just wanted to give you a little heads up as to what you will inevitably experience as a boat owner, and I hope you make a great one.
