I love my little aluminum boat (18 foot Gregor). I have had so much fun in that boat. It is relatively cheap to run and maintain. It's a really good first boat to learn seamanship and boat repair/maintenance. I actually bought it from someone from the board, but I didn't know it at the time.
I can't wait to upgrade to the next level. I think my next boat will be the Triumph 22 CC. That boat is killer, and a pretty good value too. Hopefully the next one after that will be a Radon.
I will be selling my boat for a somewhere around 2500 in the Spring if anyone is interested.