Jack,
I had a '88 Skeeter Starfire 175 and now the '05 Ranger 521 that you saw for the TB tournament. I looked at getting back into a Skeeter but comparing the Skeeter to Ranger in '05, to me the Ranger had better quality. Ranger was a bit pricier but it was better equipped.
Pros and Cons
Ranger fiberglass storage compartments/Skeeter plastic
Ranger has a better ice chest--holds ice much longer than a Skeeter
Ride on the Ranger is better than a Skeeter IMO but then again they all reach a limit on how much rough water they can take
Ranger support is much better--you can actually talk to someone and they are most helpful
Ranger heavier and slower than a Skeeter--you reach a point in life when you want comfort over speed.
Overall I have been happy with the Ranger and would definitely buy another.
In the past, the four strokes were heavy and had poor performance. Since Yamaha came out with the SHO, I have heard all good comments. Granted it is still new and time will tell but they are lighter than a comparable two stroke, great hole shot and top end. I talked to a buddy today that has a 20i with a 250 HPDI that ran against a 20FX with a SHO. He told me the 20FX was 6 to 8 MPH faster. Hmmm.
I dont' know much about the Phoenix or Pro Gator but the remaining boats are all good boats.
Good luck with your search.