Richard Kaplan wrote:
....

What type of boat would you suggest initially if the goal is to
cruise the intercoastal with a family of 5?

We went with a 36 foot catamaran and thought we were one of the
largest family cruisers along the way. Of course, the small sailboat
crowd and the large powerboat crowd didn't mix a lot, but we made
friends with a number of families that were on smaller sailboats. In
fact, I don't recall ever seeing families on the larger boats; they
all seemed to be profession deliveries. I do recall talking with one
large boat owner about the difficulties of finding dockage - He said
he makes his reservations 6 months to a year in advance

When we were preparing for this trip a cruising friend who has done
the migration annually for most of the last 25 years advised that we
buy a 35-40 foot powerboat specifically for the trip, since we were
unlikely to do much sailing. (He was right about the "not much
sailing" part, but the ride in rough seas is much better than most
powerboats.)

I was just chatting with a marina neighbor who was asking if he could
take his liveaboard 58 foot powerboat on some of the canals we've been
on, such as the Erie. When I pointed out that he might consider a
short term swap with his best buddy, who lives on 36 footer his eyes
lit up as he realized he might be able to take a vacation without
spending thousands on fuel.

Although I'm always a bit envious when I step on board a larger boat,
I really have no desire to own one. Life is so much easier with a
boat that's well within your skill level to handle and maintain.