I'm in a non-supercharged 19ft. My typical load is similar to yours. Usually 2 adults 2-3 kids, sometimes 4 adults 3-4 kids, and rarely 6-8 adults. 6 adults is fine, 8 adults is cramped for space. 4 adults and 2 kids, and 2 teenagers was sneaking up on crowded. Even with 8 full size adults getting on plane is no problem at all. Top speed was down to 37 or so from 43 with a light load. Overall storage has never been a problem, as we have never filled every compartment. I think you have to bring absurd amounts of "stuff" to get this boats storage areas really filled up. My intention is to keep this boat until the normal load breaks 6. Basically once it's my wife and I, the two boys (currently 6 and 2mo), and two friends on a regular basis we'll look at a bigger boat. Until then, this one is plenty big for us. Keep in mind a bigger boat incurs more ancillary costs (fuel mileage on the tow goes down, storage fees go up, etc) beyond purchase. We keep our 190 in a relatively small garage, and it tows with a relatively small SUV. I think one guy is towing his 19ft with a minivan. Going to a 21 or 24ft adds to those considerations a bit, and should not be overlooked.
I'm on the fence about power in this boat. I don't ever feel like I don't have enough power to get on plane, get a skier out of the water, or otherwise "do" anything. I would have liked a bit more top speed, or at least more consistent top speed with load variations. Buddies 24ft Tri-Toon with a 150 runs 35 with 10 adults aboard, and 37 with just him. It's not fast, but it's very consistent which is nice. I would appreciate the ability to run 40 on a regular occasion, which has my current setup at WOT, where a supercharged boat wouldn't be worked quite so hard. Although I'm not sure that I've seen any ill effects from that WOT running yet.
Watersports are great for me in this boat. Plenty of power to yank me and my buddies out of a deep water start on a wakeboard/skate. I'm sure there is plenty of power to ride a foil whenever I get one (Oh, I will get one). Tubing is not a problem either in terms of power. I've had some cavitation issues that I've tried to resolve with some mods (L13 Cone, pump sealing), but I think I might just be asking too much of the jet drive itself. When there is some weight in the tube it's no problem at all, when it's two 6yr old boys, I have to work pretty hard to get them outside the wake.
I bought a jet because of layout and simplicity of powertrain. Had an I/O before and disliked the special tools needed to work on the lower unit myself, and I've not found a local dealership for I/Os that doesn't have a multi-week backlog year round. The safety of a jet is a psychological effect in my opinion. I've cut my foot on the keel of a jet and the prop of a boat the same number of times in my 30+ years of boating. Once each. You know a prop exists so you are consciously aware of it and stay away (like a chainsaw). The simplicity of the driveline is worth it alone. I didn't have to "winterize" this year. Just drained as much water as I could and stuffed it in the garage. No outdrive to mess with and all that mechanical doodadery to make that work (bellows, impellers, trim cylinders and pumps, etc). Speaking of trim, no trim to deal with when launching/retrieving, you'll never leave the outdrive down and drag it up the ramp!
Get a boat with a tower. Even if you don't do watersports. It's a cleaner look, and easier to deal with the bimini when not deployed. Helps resale value a little (if not value then at least time on market is reduced). Also keeps the anchor light up and off the fiberglass. Makes a great place to hang a fender, as well as something to hold onto at the dock without stooping down. Lots of little things make the tower a nice to have that is worth it even if you don't do water sports at all.
IMO, if you want to surf, these are not the boats to get. They all require adding ballast, and various other products to get the wave shaped nicely and be large enough. A dedicated wake boat is where it's at for surfing without throwing extra ballast bags all over the place. In the $30k range that will be tough though. That a somewhat specialized sport, and requires the right equipment or a good deal of mods to get there.
Overall.........and I say this alot when asked the question about what boat someone should get........Go sit on as many different boats as you can. No two of them are going to be the same. The boat show is a great place to start. Spend a day there. Take notes. Take time to crawl all over the things. Go home, drink a beer, and reflect on the day. Then pick the one you dream about that night, or the one you like the best. None of us can tell you what you LIKE. We can tell you what works and what doesn't for our situation, but it's all just conjecture.
