I have the swifty dominator and cant fault it on the handling side of things in all sorts of conditions. For 20k you should do well . One thing tho with the older boats thoroughly check the transome. We ended up rebuilding the transome. 

There are a few on here that have the swifty 

 I used to own a swifty and have spent a lot of time on a baron and ride wise the baron is an easy winner. The swifty has more deck space. Both good boats as long as the transom is sound.

 if you want a good ride get a Baron. Awesome sea boats and will run rings around the others    cheers Ace

 Ive been in the swift craft viking and think there a great boat check this one out.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/rockingham/motorboats-powerboats/swift-craft-viking/1207438248

 Not Sure if your interested in that Viking Fresh Herbs but i see he's dropped the price a $1000

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/rockingham/motorboats-powerboats/swift-craft-viking/1208821828

 i think swiftcraft is the better boat out of all of  them .but definitely chech the floor and transom for softness 

I have one of the last frasers made by Fraser himself before the moulds were sold a dozen times....at least that was I was told by his former apprentice who I bumped into getting some shipwright work done about 10 years ago....who knows how true but the age of the hull lines up with the story at least.

Only 18ft but handles offshore as well as anything else I’ve been on of a similar size....but she’s wet as, if there is spray then your wet, if wind then you’re wet, if there is swell you’re wet....it’s only doable cause I fitted a new solid glass wind screen and full clears a few years back.

she feels safe in crap seas and I’ve chased marlin 40nm off Perth in it without any issues.

Ive had her for 22 years this year but I did a full rebuild about 4 years back and the stringers the deck and the transom were rotten. I beefed up the transom when I did the refit as I wasn’t sure how it’d go with the extra weight of a 4 stroke having been built for a 2 stroke....she has no issues now.

all in all she’s stable at rest, I can do 15-20knots in shit weather and nearly 40kts on a good day, she’s heavy for her size so she rides well....she sits low in the water so it feel comfortable but a little extra free board would be nice when you have two big blokes and 500kgs of fuel and gear aboard.

She’s caught plenty of fish from deep drop to billfish and everything we get local.

shes prob getting a bit tired now and she’s a bit small so she’ll have to go soon....but no rush...amazing how sentimental you can get over an old boat....plus the missus says I cant have a new rig....yet maybe hopefully

hope that helps some.

remember that the more forward the seat are to the front ,the shit ride you will get in a choppy sea.Also remember the heavier the boat the more stable in the water.

TIP: Go out before you buy and test in all sea conditions.

Baron: Good 

Swiftcraft:Pass

Voyager:Good

Penguin: Absoluitly fantastic 

p>s> 

Also compair with what's on the market as to what you are getting for your dollars and future upgrades if you want to do them,(EG:Inboards to outboards with pod)

can add up to a lot of extra dollars or does this one already have all that.

My boys and mine. Old penguins smash them. Only thing with penguins not as much room. Scubafish 100 percent right. I like room . I call the swifty a small big boat. Heaps of room. I’ve owned 4 over the last many years. Not comfy in certain conditions. But always made it back.as quoted above test trials best thing every. 1 thing swiftys beat on most boats is on way home s/west back quarter panel hard to beat. They love it

 As little johnny says, a big little boat. Very beamy and stable, always feels safe. Not as deep vee'd across the transom as the head-on heros, but there's more to a boats overall seakeeping ability than being able to run straight into it fast, and they still bang anyway.  I'd love to try a Swifty with tabs, if you can keep the bow down that fine entry really slices through chop. Caught a lot of fish up to good marlin off mine in the few years I had it. As johnny ssays, they are very safe downwind/quartering running fast, just trim out a little and they'll never submarine unlike haines, seafarer etc, which are notorious for it.

A mate from south tassie  said they had always been popular down there, and those waters are pretty ugly.. Also had a bloke introduce himself on the beach at Ningaloo when I had it up there--he was a sea urchin ( ex-ab) diver from Tassie, he had twin 90 yammie 2 strokes ,a big underfloor tank and a compressor on board. Reckons it was brilliant.  Twins were very popular on them back in the day, transom was wide and rated to 200hp.

The original hulls were very well built, not prone to rot, everything sealed  up well, unlike most of the others from that era. My old one  was built 1982, and was still solid. When I swapped the twins out for a single fourstroke, the wood they drilled from the transom was clean, light, and dry. There is one up the road from me, original owner, sat out in the sun it's entire life. The gelcoat looks horrible, but the floor and transom is all original, and seems solid. Gets used very regularly. That said, you can't account for people drilling holes and not sealing them properly ( sikaflex is NOT properly) which will destroy the best job over time.

So, my 2 c worth. Good boats, nothing is perfect, everything trades off in some respect.   Have a look at some pics, in a thread I posted about how much fun it had been, and the reason for selling it. it sold locally, easily, and th new owner is more than happy.

fishwrecked.com/forum/dominator-retrospective-updated-new-species

 Thanks evryone for your input. i'm still looking. i have looked at a lot too. It appears they all have there trade offs. The biggest thing i've found is crew wanting top dollar for an old tied boat with an old donk. So its a patiance game really. still open to any boat really but after looking at that link ranmar850 that dominator looks great. i would be proud to own something like that for sure. 

thanks again everyone