So what's with these boats ?

[Blue_Runner]

Do they make a 20 ft boat that doesn't pound? Heck do they make a boat under 25ft that doesn't pound in sloppy conditions. Plus if it is that bad out even a big sporty may not pound but will make you turn green and blow grits. I've been in some pretty nasty chop making 100 + mile round trips and I haven't met a sea I could not run 12 -15 mph in. Was it comfy? Nope. Did we come back 2" shorter? Yes. Did I have to have fillings replaced? Yes. But it wouldn't have been comfy in any other boat either. A bigger boat would have been more confortable but still not comfy.

Look at how long they made them and how many they sold over all of those years of production and it is easy to see what the fuss is about. I would recommend looking in the History section off the main page at the brochures for each year. Read what it says about the V20/21. It pretty much sums it up.

I wonder if the new boats of today will even hold up for 16 years? Let alone 30 yrs. Doubtfully.

I would like to ride in a cc.

[charlie_the_tuna]

any ride will be harsh if you choose to run 4 footers at 3/4 throttle. i've owned a few boats in this and other size classes and i will say this boat is one of the best 20's i've owned, ridden in or fished from. i've had the boat 20 miles offshore and never gave a second thought about getting home. you dock a boat in saltwater for 30 years and you'll surely experience some rot. the real lure of these boats is that there are so many of them, you're sure to find the right one at the right price. for someone looking to get into boating cheap, you wont find a more solid reliable boat for the money. buy with confidence and enjoy.

[Destroyer]

Allow me to add to the comments. One of my first boats many, many, years ago was a V20.. I loved it, but it was too small for my growing family and my plans to go far offshore.... so I sold it and moved up to a 30' luhrs... good boat but after a few years it needed more repairs than I could afford.. plus the dockage fees were eating me alive. Went through several other boats in about the same class, finally ending up with a 25' John Allmand. (Great solid boat in all honesty) But as things have a habit of doing, time and age catches up to all of us, including me. I finally went back to a V20 simply because I can trailer it and avoid all those nasty dock slip fees, and it's easy for one person to launch and retrieve. It's ride is mostly dry due to the extremely wide flare on the bow... more so than the average carolina flare you find on boats. (FYI, In the right conditions we used to take tons of spray on the 410' long Destroyer I was on in the Navy... there is no such thing as a completely dry boat.) My boat is a 1978, and the transom is as solid today as the day she was built. Yes, you can and will find these boats with soft transoms that need replacing... it all depends on how the boat was treated and what maintenance was done to it during it's lifetime. I feel safer in my V20 than I did in my 30' Luhrs. It's a solid, well built boat that can take a wave that would swamp another boat, shake it off and look for more. It will get you home when a lot of other boats will not, and that's what I was looking for more than anything else. Find one, buy one, use one... you'll be like us and fall in love with it. Guarenteed!

[tsubaki]

It's a V thing, you wouldn't understand.











I couldn't help myself.

[charlie_the_tuna]

also, keep in mind that this is THE original deep V hull and as such has not kept up with technology. it wont give you the same soft re-entry of a potter hul but when you're out beyond sight of land and it starts to kick up, she'll get you home.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by tsubaki

It's a V thing, you wouldn't understand.
I couldn't help myself.

[Blue_Runner]

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

[inaforty]

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.

[dmhallene]

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

[nipper]

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.