As other noted, CCs can be wet, especially in a chop. Down here on the Gulf Coast, that is no big deal, water temps are in the 70s to low 90s and air temps in the 90s during the peak fishing times. Up in your neck of the woods, its a little chillier and I would go with a cuddy.
From 1998 to 2003, I owned a 1987 Proline 20' CC, it was a great hull, I loved it. Wish I still had that hull. But the motor, an '87 115 Seadrive, broke the bank. Put over $5grand in it over the time I owned it. It never left me stranded but gave me fits.
My buddy has a '96 Proline 231, it has been a great hull. He orginally had a '96 Johnson 225 on it, it gave him 10 hard years of great service before crapping out. Not sure what he has on it now.
Wellcraft & Grady Whites are great hulls, as are Parkers.
To me, brand is not the issue, as long as the brand has an good reputation for quality, having the features you want at the price you can afford is more important than brand.
The only important thing Brand may indicate (other than quality) is a certain hull design, which may handle certain condition better than others.
Which ever hull you go with, look at fishibility: cockpit space, storage, rod holders, livewells & fishbox size. Electronics is a bonus but these days you can get a heck of a GPS/FF combo for $200-$400.
OMI, most hulls are going to be structurally solid unless they have been absolutely abused or been in an accident. The big gamble is the engine. I like Yamahas & Nissan/tohatsu but the E-Techs appear to be good as well. Older Johson/Evinrudes can be great too, if you can find one that has been well taken care of. 4 stroke are heavy, but on a boat this size, the added fuel mileage makes up for that and you arent giong to be in 12" of wate duck hunting with it anyway.
Motor inspection: Make sure to crank it and run the boat, not at the dock, but take it out & crank it up, run a few miles. If the seller wont agree to that, walk.
See how it idles too, problems idling or getting up to full power normally indicate fuel/carb issues. Give the electrical a good once over as well.
Look for corrosion, dirt, grime, dried bait & blood all over the place, spilled oil in the bilge, too much sea growth on the hull & motor foot, etc..., things that indicate the boat is not well taken care of. If they arent taking care to clean the boat up, then probably arent doing any maintanence on the motor or other systems as well.
When you buy, make sure to budget for maintenance & repairs. "BOAT" is an acronym: Break Out Another Thousand, annual maintenance & repairs can run from a few hundred to thousands. I found this out the hard way when I had my 20' CC. But to me, owning a big boat was worth the financial pain.
Which ever way you go, dont be afraid to look at a lot of hulls and make sure to buy exactly what you want. Looking at a lot of hulls will help make upo your mind on what you want, so look, look and look some more. Good luck!