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Having been boating with kids from toddlers to teens, I would say this boat is too small if you are hoping to keep it for a decade.

Your wife's intuition about more secure seating is correct. And if she is not comfortable with the arrangement, this is going to be an on-going issue for you. You don't necessarily want a bow-rider (bow riding seats tend not to be very comfortabel underway). A large stern bench or similar would probably be a better approach.

Take a look at the Dauntless 18/180 to give an idea of a somewhat larger boat that would be more comfortable with a family.

The obstacle you are facing is that your tow vehicles are very limiting. You can't go much bigger because your vehicles are so small. Consider swapping out one of them for a more capable tow vehicle, and this will open up a lot of possibilities.