Having just moved from a R-25 to the R-27OB, I can give you some feedback specific to those two boats.
1. Bow rise - this isn't really an issue on the R27....Ranger worked some magic on this boat. The boat pops up on plane and has great visibility in every situation I've been in.
2. Leaning at speed - think this is just the nature of a deep V.
3. Better turning/steering in rough water - if it's really rough, you'll probably be going slow in either boat and with the directional thrust of the outboard, I feel you have much better steering control. The inboard needs water moving across the rudder to be effective.
4. Trim tabs to get up on plane - Even with full fuel/water (150 + 40 gallons) and all the "stuff" we've put on, I've never felt even remotely the need for trim tabs. The R27 pops up on plane really well. I do adjust the tabs for list correction more on the 27, but this has more to do with speed. The faster you go, the more impact the trim tab has and needs to be retracted a bit to keep level.
5. Smoother in rough water - if I were in 4' water, I wouldn't be on plane and comparing the 25/27, I think the 27 is just as stable. I've been in some pretty good chop in the 27 and just went up on plane and shot through it. Not something you can do in the inboards.
Some of the advantages you get with the semi-displacement is a protected prop, less swinging on the hook (according to others), diesel is safer (although it foams like crazy...much prefer to fill the 27 compared to the 25...and I can see the fuel tank). In theory, a semi-displacement should rock less as people move around the boat than a deep V, but I haven't noticed a big difference. I think beam and displacement play a bigger role. You also should be able to get better fuel economy at a higher slow cruise speed in the semi-displacement compared to the deep V.