Several years ago I had a 16 foot SeaRay jet boat with a single 165HP 6 cylinder and after that I had a 20 foot Yamaha with two 135HP motors.
They were fun on a calm day but rode rough and used considerably more gas than an outboard or an I/O. How rough was the ride? My 15 year old niece was in the front seat of the 16 SeaRayder and when we went over a wake she broke her arm. (Explain that to your sister, her mother, in California)
I agree with the handling difficulty too. It takes a while to get used to and it will never be as easy to dock as an outboard or an I/O.
I am glad I did it for the experience, but I wouldn't do it again. A pontoon boat is a much better choice.