I am (unintentionally)
NOT in the "buy your last boat first" camp.
I have an ugly 30-year history of far too many boats, fixing them, upgrading them, one built up from a deconstructed bare hull (before and after photos of that boat below).
In that time, I have learned more about boats, electrical, engines, and water systems than I ever could have imagined - most of it through mistakes and do-overs.
What I got from all of that, though, is a skill set that allows me to do just about anything on my current, 'forever', boat. I assign all of the previous labor and cost with all of the other boats as "training", boat yard cost savings, and "done right"-ness. None of which I could have gotten anywhere else.
Also, through this process i learned what I wanted in a boat, and more importantly what I DIDN'T want in a boat - everything from hull shapes to thru-hull locations to rudder stock configurations to electrical systems and much more..
Just one man's opinion......