Looking for advice on first (used) wakeboard boat

[Tyger]

I'm in the market to buy my first boat. I've done a lot of research, but I'm just looking for some general tips from the well-informed forum members here. I've read several times to never buy a boat without driving and riding behind it, which I plan on doing.

I've been wakeboarding for several years, but almost all my time has been behind an I/O without a tower. However, I want to get much better at wakeboarding, so I'm looking for a dedicated wakeboarding boat, with the biggest wake possible in my price range. I'm looking to spend about 20-30K USD. I think I know the major models pretty well, but a quick run down of the biggest wake producing boats (or a link) would be very nice.

I could feasibly afford a new (and more expensive) boat, but I've learned my lesson about owning things that are too nice and while I've spent a lot of time driving, trailering and towing boats that aren't mine, I'd rather cut my teeth on a fairly nice used boat and maybe get a new boat in a couple years when I've got more experience. However, I may continue to get used boats, given the kind of abuse the regularly get just out on the water, even when you are careful and yell at your friends a lot.

I'm not looking for mastercraft vs malibu, etc, but rather what specific features I should be looking for, or year models I should try to stay with because the boats got a lot better (as an example if the 2002 Malibu LSV was a big a improvement over the 2001; I have no idea, just giving an example). Also looking for tips on how much ballast I should be looking to have.

Finally, I'm not sure if anyone can help me, but I'm moving from the Seattle, WA area to Houston, TX. (Cost of living difference is why I can afford a boat .) If anyone has a rough idea of whether it will be cheaper to buy a boat here in Seattle and have it moved down there or if it's cheaper to buy in Texas that would be most helpful. I've looked at used boat sites, but it's hard to find enough similar boats to draw a comparison. I do know that moving a boat will cost me about 1000 to 1500 if I don't tow it myself. Also I know that there are more boats per capita in Seattle area than anywhere else in the world and you would think that this would reduce overall prices, but I have no idea if this is actually true or not.

Thanks for any feedback.