V20 Reviews

[Petrus]

http://www.boatingworldonline.com/Ar...491904626.html


For anyone interested its on page 90 in the boating world on-line website - thanks MJ!

[macojoe]

Wellcraft V-20 Step-Lift

Ozzie Hutson's 1974 Wellcraft V-20 Step-Lift is designed to provide him with the perfect fishing machine.

June 1, 2005

One quick glance at the small ad, and Ozzie Hutson was hooked. The Wellcraft V-20 Step-Lift looked like the perfect fishing machine. The boat for sale was located in Houston, a long way from his home in South Carolina, but the attraction was so strong that Ozzie contemplated the long drive to Texas.

The reprieve came when he received a call from a friend in Columbia, who had spotted a 1974 model parked across the street from the Columbia Boat Show. Within 10 days the boat was in Ozzie's driveway.
'I had no idea what it really was,' says Ozzie, 'but I knew that I liked it. It was everything that I was looking for: a big bow to deflect the water, full windshield, and a deep-vee for a comfortable ride.'

'I needed that full windshield that offered protection, a boat that could handle big water,' he says. 'I do a lot of striper fishing on the inland reservoirs. These are large bodies of water. If you're 15 or 20 miles from the ramp, and a wind suddenly comes up, you have to be able to make it back safely.'

'Making it back' is the theory that the V-20 Step-Lift was built around. From the drawing board of Harry Schoell, the patented Step-Lift hull would form the basis for an assault on the offshore endurance racing programs just as this venue was coming into vogue in the early '60s. 'Making it back' was definitely what it was all about.


Harry Schoell was a partner in Alim Association Inc. of Miami when he received the patent for his 'longitudinal stabilizing steps' in early 1964. By this time the boat had been in production for close to four years by Alim as well as Glasspar, who was granted a license to produce the boats when Alim couldn't keep pace with the demand.

In 1970, Wellcraft introduced its own version of the V-20 Step-Lift. With the exception of a taller coaming around the base of the windshield and a few minor details, it was basically the same boat that Alim and Glasspar had produced. The hull was still an outstanding performer, and the deep-vee configuration was the perfect complement to the Airslot series, also new for 1970 in the Wellcraft lineup (Boating World, May '99). The V-20 would run in the Wellcraft lineup until being phased out in 1995.

In the process of cleaning and rigging his new boat, Ozzie's first move was to eliminate the twin 20-gallon saddle tanks and replace them with a pair of 40-gallon tanks. With his penchant for traveling long distances over the water in search of the big stripers, this was seen as a necessary option. He also discovered the 1986 150-hp Evinrude had an insatiable appetite for gasoline and knew he'd need every extra gallon he could get!

Last year the Evinrude finally died, and Ozzie found a suitable replacement in a 150-hp Honda. The most noticeable difference for Ozzie is what he hasn't noticed ' the vibration. 'It's unbelievable,' he says. 'What I find interesting is that every boat manufacturer is scrambling to come up with new boats that can handle the extra weight of the new 4-strokes when this boat handles it just fine. It's 31 years old, and it's a perfect match.'

For Ozzie, the main reason to have a boat is so he can fish, but it also serves as a tow-boat for his kids. 'We pull them tubing and skiing,' says Ozzie. 'I even have a pylon that goes above the motor that can really send my 13- and 15-year-olds airborne.'

'I did remove the teak panels covering the storage compartments in the floor,' he adds. 'I replaced them with Starboard panels. They're indestructible. Some people like to work on their boats and keep the wood nice and shiny. I'd rather spend my time out on the water fishing.'

[whale]

Originally Posted by Seacrets

Take some comments with a grain of salt. Remember, some of the northern guys haven't even gotten their boats in the water yet. They're a little edgy.

I don't know about the others but mine has been in for 3 weeks now. We took my wife for a relaxing Mothers Day cruise up the Mystic River!

[Pipe_Dream]

Thanks for bringing that back for us, MJ!

Oz doesn't seem to be here as much as he used to. Hopefully he's getting more V-time in!

[C YENSEN]

i think his new job requires a lot of travel