New sailor, trying to narrow down what to get for my next boat.

[VinnyVincent]

Hello everyone I am new to sailing. I started out just three years ago sailing a friends Hobie 18 beachcat with him, which got me hooked. That season I ended up getting a laser dinghy and sailing it for the rest of the season, so I could learn the basics. The following season I got a Hobie 16' beachcat and have been sailing that the past two seasons.

I thought I would be happy forever sailing beachcats, but it turns our I am finding myself taking the cat on longer and longer trips, wishing I had space for cargo so I could camp out, as well as room for extra people.

First question is how big of a transition is it to go from a beachcat to a 25'+ monohull? I would still consider myself a beginner as I have only been able to practice on weekends during the season. I am just getting to where I can take the boat out consistently without capsizing.

I am looking for something to use mainly in the bay to start out with, but possibly will venture out into coastal waters for short trips, once I get a lot more experience.
I would like to keep the budget under 10,000 for initial purchase price and I don't mind upgrading and restoring it gradually to make it more seaworthy while I am using it in the bay for a few seasons.

I do notice that a lot of the local boats for sale here in the bay have a shallow draft, therefor I am assuming the bay here is shallow, so that is what's preferred.
Some boats I have been looking at are the tartan 27, the Morgan out island 30 and 33, the Sanatana 30/30(I notice this boat is relatively fast compared to some of the others, would be nice coming from a multi-hull, but how durable is it?)...also saw a good price on a Catalina 30 and a Hunter 27(newer model), but these boats seem cheap for their size, which makes me question build quality.
I would say my primary focus is on durability and build quality, followed by sailing performance over things like size and cabin space.

Also is this a good size range for my needs? should I hold out for a few seasons and keep sailing the beachcat until I can afford something over 30'? Or would that be "too much boat" for someone with my experience?
I'd like to avoid buying 2-3 more boats within the next ten years as my experience grows, but I also don't want to get in over my head.