When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Weeres Cadet Fish 180 2009 and the Weeres Legacy 2012 are pontoon designs with aluminum construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?
On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Weeres Cadet Fish 180 2009 at 18,0 ft versus Weeres Legacy 2012 at 20,3 ft. At 125 lbs and 161 lbs respectively, both sit in a similar weight class — either should pair comfortably with most mid-size SUVs and half-ton trucks, though always confirm your specific tow rating with the motor added.
Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 70 hp for the Weeres Cadet Fish 180 2009 and 90 hp for the Weeres Legacy 2012. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup.
For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Weeres Cadet Fish 180 2009 is rated for 9 passengers, while the Weeres Legacy 2012 caps at 1. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Weeres Cadet Fish 180 2009 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the Weeres Cadet Fish 180 2009 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 9 passengers and at 18,0 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Weeres Legacy 2012 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 1 that costs less to run day-to-day.