Gonna comment on some of the issues raised by Doc Stressor. All of my comments are relative to my 2020 228.
Low speed handling. He's not wrong, it's not the best. But I crab a fair amount and have gotten pretty good at coming up on the buoy. On my last trip, pulled 7 pots 3 times, so that's 21 pulls. I only had to go around again on one of those. The point being that you can get quite good at steering even at slow speeds. One of these helps a *lot*:
https://alltackle.com/edson-powerknob-proseries-stainless/
Docking. It took me 2 years to get good enough I have no use for a boat hook. What works for me is to come in to the dock at about 25 degree angle at about 4mph. Neutral at about 4 feet out. At about 1.5 feet out, use that Edson knob to swing the prop towards the dock. 1 foot out (or so, practice and you'll get it) shift into reverse hard enough to avoid the bow running into the dock and bring the stern next to the dock.
The first time I did this with one of my regular hitch hikers, I told him to grab the boat hook, I dock perfectly and he's looking at me like I'm crazy and said "what's the boat hook for?" I smirked and said "It's not always that pretty". I haven't needed a boat hook for over a year.
Backing up. Yeah, not great. Definitely trim the engine back quite a bit. The rare times when I miss on coming up on a crab pot, I go around rather than try and back up.
Servicing seacocks and pumps. I recently pulled my baitwell out so I could replace the loud as f*ck stock pump. When the baitwell is out, you have great access to everything. The first time you pull it will be a project, I had my buddy Peter come up and help (he's the guy with a 228 who is replacing his gas tank). He was a ton of help, not sure I would have done that on my own. Now that I've been through it once, I wouldn't hesitate to pull it again if I needed access down there.
Planing speed. 25mph to stay on plane seems high to me, I can stay on plane at 21mph in pretty much any seas I care to be on. But it is an issue, there are lots of conditions where I have to slog home at 9-18mph and I'm burning fuel like crazy. One thing that helps some (I'm told) is talk to prop gods and get a 4 bladed prop, that supposedly "lifts" the stern. I did it, I'm not sure it made a lot of difference. What has made a lot of difference is swapping out the stock 9x12 trim tabs to more appropriate 12x18 trim tabs. Using them pops me up on plane faster and keeps me on plane at slower speeds. I don't think 18mph is a thing but 19mph can be and 20mph definitely, in all seas that I go out in. Still not great, the high plane speed is a downside to this hull. I live with it.
Squirrely. Yeah, it is in a following sea. People complain about it, I just have gotten used to it. If someone offered to swap a 2020 226 (if such a thing existed) with my 228, I'd turn them down. Yeah, the bracket has its issues, but the engine not sticking into the cockpit, having the baitwell where the engine would be on the 226, and having a fully enclosed transom, those all tick more of my boxes.
Slogging along off plane. I've had to do that, came back from Franklin Point to Santa Cruz, about a 27 mile run, at 9-15mph. Following sea the whole way. I was fine. I don't want to say that I'd be fine in all conditions, I'm part way into my 4th year of running my boat. I have over 2000 miles on the main engine, I don't troll on that, that's all going out and back. Trolling is on the kicker. So I have some experience but it is entirely possible I haven't been in conditions that Doc is talking about. I do know that in a following sea, I'll be watching the swells and if they start smacking under the bow pulpit, I instinctively trim the engine back until the smacks stop.
All things considered, I'd absolutely buy my 228 all over again. It's a big little boat, and the little means it is easy to trailer it anywhere. I fish out of 5 different harbors (Monterey, Moss Landing, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay and Oyster Point). I love the cockpit and enclosed transom. I love the extra size over the 208. Don't ask my opinion of the new 218, it's not nice and you know what our mothers taught us. I get there are conditions where the 226 is better but I'll take the 228 quirks with the 228 advantages. It's a great boat. And I say that as a guy who was gonna upgrade to a new Marlin and backed away because it wasn't better enough, I'd have to get a slip, and it eats gas.