I honestly could not even begin to give you advice on what to get just based on size and use. There are a ton of other factors. In reading your post(s) though, you just reminded me of myself when I was first starting in this whole hobby and I'm floored by how much I didn't know. And I've also learned enough to know that I still don't know jack shit and have a ton to learn. Lots of people on this thread who know a fuck ton more than me. But with regard to years and hours, it wouldn't scare me a bit to get something up to 15 or so years old and several hundred hours.
That said, to be more specific, here are some of the things I think I know based on what you've posted...
Couple things here. There is only one dealer in Austin because most markets only have one dealer per brand. There is only one Chapparal dealer in DFW too. That said, I'm on the biggest lake in DFW and I don't see that many Chapparals. They may be selling a lot of them to other lakes, but I don't see them a lot where I'm at and we have their dealership at the entrance of our marina.
Also, I spent a few hours with the owner of the dealership, which is Plano Marine (my understanding is that they are a very good dealer - after all of my local research, they were the only dealership I was willing to work with after getting screwed by the first one). I specifically asked him about Chapparal and he referred to it as one of their "budget brands". He also knew we were looking more at a cruiser and Chapparal doesn't really do that. So, that probably had more to do with it. The brand he was trying to get me into was a Cruisers Yachts.
I'm sure Chapparal does a lot of volume and their marketing and all that looks nice. They're probably a lot more popular with trailering boaters than the slip boaters, but the dock talk where my slip's at is that they're on the lower tier. Others may weigh in and correct me if I'm wrong, but my limited research on that type of boat has been that I would much rather have something older that's a better brand. They remind me of the Regal that I bought new that I almost got really screwed on. Kind of a good from far, but far from good, lipstick on a pig type of brand.
Also, if, in fact, there aren't a lot of Chapparals around Austin like you said, that might be something you should consider because it will have an impact when it comes time for resale. That was one of my broker's concerns on a few different brands; that we don't live in ________ (fill in the blank) country. That's not to say if you find exactly what you want, you need to pass just for that (I ended up buying a Carver and this is certainly not Carver country), but it is a factor more than you might think.
You might be right here, but I've learned in most things in life, when you think you are going to miraculously be the one rare exception to the rule...you're not. I don't know a lot about the type of boat you're talking about (I don't really fish or ski or tube), but I wouldn't want to spend $50K and end up being half pregnant. And if enough people with no agenda other than to try to help you out, tell you something, you should probably listen.