Whoever said they were flimsy needs to have a couple knots popped in thier booger barn! :nut: :fam:

The only other boat of this size I ever spent time on was our 2120 Sport cabin Parker. The Parker was built better (however significantly more $$$) but the ride in the V 20 is with out a doubt much better. Trying to find a 20 foot boat that rides better for the $$$ you spend on a V 20 would be very hard to do.:party:

Don't know what type of use you will have for a boat, but there is no doubt that they are roomy, solid fishing machines. I, however, use mine on relatively small inland wakes in Indiana and it makes a great family boat. Used to put the kids down in the cuddy with the hatch open and a windfunnel for a nap. It does great pulling skiers and water toys. The clean, open cockpit is a breeze to clean out when kids track in sand and mud on their feet. And even though using it on small inland lakes where I do not get true ocean chop, we do get insane chop coming from all directions on weekends with so many go fast boats and wakeboarders (man, can a wakeboard boat kick up a wicked wake!) Been on all kinds of boats in these inland lakes and none has handled it as well as my v20 cuddy does.

"Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates". Great boats! I have owned mine since brandy new 1989. But as in any boat or mistress, pull out the wallet and let them take what they want or you will never get to where you want to go.

BG. you realize your asking a bunch of v 20 fanatics for their opinion of their favorite toys, so i'll add my thoughts.
they remind me of taking your moms station wagon to the prom, not the fastest or shiniest(except lumber's) or coolest, but definately the one that will get the job done & you home.

And, like Mom's station wagon, has plenty of room for the fun stuff. Cuddy version is a lot like the wagon's back seat!

BG, we all love our V's. Take a look around at the photo gallery, then look at the price and quality of new or newer boats similar to the V (if there is such a boat!). Finally, follow the classifieds on this forum and go get yourself one. I am certain will will not find a better boat for the money.

Enjoy the adventure!

You Trailer this ALONE, routinely,? Please Help me with a checklist as I'm new and not so confident, YET. 1984 20' Step V, 1989 150 HP Mercury outboard. 1987 LoadRite Trailer W/ elec winch.
Thanks

Oh gosh, yes, I trailer it alone all the time. I have even trailered it from Indianapolis to Scituate, Mass. and back twice. Although I was with the wife, kids and dog, I was the only driver (can't get wifey to drive the suburban with the boat on back). Typical ride where I live is about 2 hours each way to get to a decent lake. I launch it and retrieve it by myself all the time too. Piece of cake, and I am 47 years, a bit height challenged (5'8"), not very strong, and a bit overweight (190 lbs.). I sure learned a lot over the years though because we had a boat since I was about 5 years old.

Hi.. Thanks for your PM. I answered your post here rather than in the PM you sent me so everyone could see/read my reply. Yes, I trailer my boat alone (most times) and routinely. :sand: My last big trip was bringing it up from it's winter home in Florida to New Jersey. (1600 miles, give or take a few). Most times it's just a short 25 mile trip to the river where I launch. My tow vehicle is my 1998 Jeep Cherokee with an automatic transmission and a 4.0 Liter inline 6 engine. The trailer is equiped with brakes and each wheel has a bearing buddy on it. (Make sure your trailer wheels have Bearing Buddy's also). I consider having brakes on the trailer a necessity due to the fact that my Jeep, while having tons of towing torque, is actually a fairly light vehicle. Given the mass and inertia of the boat and trailer, brakes on the trailer are necessary for emergency stopping.

You will need to carry with you at all times while trailering the following items:

Spare tire
Jack that can fit under your trailer axle
Tubeless tire repair kit
12V compressor
Can of "Inflate-a-flat" or similar product
One (and two is better) extra wheel bearing kits (two bearings and a seal). (Make sure you have both inner and outer bearings as their sizes can differ).
Greese gun filled with wheel bearing greese
Slip lock (Channel Lock) pliers or a large adjustable wrench
Small sandwich baggy filled with cotter pins)
A roll of paper towels
Lug wrench

With the exception of the spare tire, all of the above fits into a milk crate, and it's a simple matter to just throw it into the back of the car before you leave home. Additionally, you can buy spart tire mounts that bolt to your trailer and allow you to mount your tire to them. The better units even allow you to bolt an entire wheel and extra hub assembly to the mount.

I see by your post that you have an electric winch on your trailer already. There are tons of cheap China import winches on the market. Stay clear of them. The last thing you want is for your winch to fail in the middle of a retrieve with others waiting to use the launch ramp. Get a good winch. Hopefully your winch has some sort of remote control that allows you to operate it from a distance. (Powerwinch and Dutton-Lamison winches are both great heavy duty units that allow you to do so). I use a 4000# Powerwinch personally. It has a lanyard that connects to a switch on the unit. That way I can stand back by my boat, pull the lanyard to activate the winch and guide my boat while the winch pulls it up onto the trailer. Easy as pie.

I'm 66 years old and it's no big deal to launch or retrieve my boat. If I can do it I'm pretty sure anyone can. :beer: