Would you trade up?

[SkunkBoat]

get the V21.

[BillTex]

For those of you that have been following my recent V 21 “experience” I am posting a follow-up. First of all I would like to thank all those who contributed to this thread and especially those who took time out of their day to give me a call and offer advice/experience. It is clear to me we are all of the same breed (buy the boat if you want it)!!! Oh well…God Bless America.

This could get long…stay tuned if you are interested.
To recap, I was not “looking” for a new boat. Quite happy with our 87 V 20 which we purchased very clean last year and I have put quite a bit of work and $ into it to improve further and fit our needs (Family fishing machine). But… while cruising around the Lake Winnipesaukee area of NH (3-4 hrs North of us) on the way to Boy Scout Camp 2 weeks ago I came across a very clean V 21 fresh water boat for sale on the side of the road. Well…being a boat Guy…it was my duty to stop and look. This was a nice clean boat, with an engine a bit older than ours, but overall I would say both packages are in comparable condition. So I made an offer, which the Gentleman accepted. After the week at Scout camp I started to do some research and ask some questions, as the boat is 3-4 hrs away, it was not easy to do a thorough investigation.
So I went back/forth for a bit…seeking advice from all of you, and generally deciding if this was a wise move. (I was fortunate enough to speak on the phone with several Folks here…all who said “YOLO go for it”!

The problem was I had been caught by surprise…we really enjoy our 87 and I have run it enough now to know it pretty well. In the back of my mind I assumed our next boat would be back in the 25’ range…not another Steplift!

So, after all this contemplation, I was prepared to head back North on Sunday, sea trail (lake trial?) the boat and tow it home if all checked out. The plan would have been to swap trailers/electronics, etc to put together the best/newest parts from both boats. As many of you commented, I really couldn’t lose as the $ involved would have been a wash whether we kept the 87 or the 94. This was not a financial decision…more a question of my time and how much work I wanted to do in the next few weeks to turn all this around.
Well late Saturday night the seller contacts me and says he has accepted a full price offer. So he made up my mind for me, saved me a 4 hr drive, and I got to go fishing Sunday instead!

Thanks again to All of you…this is a great bunch of like-minded Folks on this forum!
Bill

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

My bad, i didn't realize you were comparing 20 vs 21.

Does that change your opinion? If so...how?

Thx, Bill

[phatdaddy]

never rode in one, so not qualified to compare. i think the deck is about 9 inches longer, cabin about the same. i do like the closed transom, but the "bracket" kinda looks cobbled on to me. i'd rather have a seadrive model with a bracket and a fresh motor.

destroyer would be a better source, he has one of each.

like said, all of these hulls have wood in them and that is the weak spot.

[bradford]

I say stick with the devil you know.