Opinions Please

[ogjk]

I am looking to purchase a first boat for the Family. It will be used almost exclusively off the coast of Cape Cod. I am looking for something that we can cruise around in and fish from.

It will be trailered, so it must be fairly easy to load and unload.

I am looking at this tomorrow, what does everyone think of this boat/ motor for me.

Also does anyone know the tow weight of this set-up? What is that metal piece that the motor is mounted to?

Thank you









AWESOME STRIPER BOAT .COAST GUARD CERTIFIED. ESTIMATED 5 YEARS --1989 -20FT WELLCRAFT DEEP V CUDDY CABIN- BOAT IS IN GREAT SHAPE. MOTOR IS 1997 MERCURY SALTWATER SERIES 200 EFI OUTBOARD. RUNS ABSOLUTELY MINT- MARINA MAINTAINED ALWAYS. NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER. TURN KEY AND GO...TWO BATTERIES, SHIP TO SHORE RADIO WITH ANTENNA, FISH FINDER, ANCHORS, LIFE JACKETS..AND LOTS EXTRA STUFF. COMES WITH DUAL AXLE EZ LOADER TRAILER(NEEDS NUMBERS) I BOUGHT A 24FT BOAT..THIS HAS TO GO..4500.00 OR BO/TRADES(LOOK AT IT BEFORE YOU TRY TO INSULT ME PLEASE)

[Road King Cole]

Looks like the transom was reinforced which should be a good thing as long as it was done right.

I trailer my boat and launch\retrieve by myself all the time. My I/O was about 2500 pounds.

I would be leery that the trailer "needs numbers". You may want to look into what it will take to title and register it.

Welcome to the site!

Nice looking boat!

rkc

[ogjk]

Originally Posted by Road King Cole

Looks like the transom was reinforced which should be a good thing as long as it was done right.

I trailer my boat and launch\retrieve by myself all the time. My I/O was about 2500 pounds.

I would be leery that the trailer "needs numbers". You may want to look into what it will take to title and register it.

Welcome to the site!

Nice looking boat!

rkc

I don't know much about Wellcrafts. How does this boat handle, is it a good fishing platform, how is it in the chop etc.

Thanks again for the info.

[nipper]

Just browse around the site for a while and I think you will pretty quickly conclude that this boat would be PERFECT for you and your family. Some have said they have a cult following, and the cult pretty much gathers here. Very stable, roomy for fishing, cuddy for the kids if they need to get out of the sun (for a nap, maybe) on a hot day. Great for pulling skiers and water toys.

Looks like a really nice boat if the transom is sound. Great looking motor. Nice that it does not have bottom paint since you will be trailering it. Looks like it might have been painted and was painted right over the rubrails, which, I think, should be black rubber for a 1989.

Don't know what the trailer "needs numbers" thing is all about.

Good luck with it. Whether it is this one or another V20, it will make you a very good cruising and fishing boat.

[Destroyer]

Hi and welcome to the site. The V20 is a great boat. The hull was designed by a guy named Ray Hunt. He's the guy that invented and patented the deep V hull. The ultra wide flare of the bow makes for a very dry ride. It's a wide beam boat so that makes it very stable, and the step lift design of the hull makes it very easy to get up on plane. It's really a great family/fishing/fun boat. You should do very well with it.

CHECK THE TRANSOM OF THAT BOAT CAREFULLY!!! There's a reason it was reinforced. Maybe the reason was just for extra strength, maybe it's soft (dry rotted) wood inside. The metal thing that's on the transom is not standard equipment.

ASK QUESTIONS of the owner.

[Blue_Runner]

Metal reinforcement on the transom would make me very suspicious.

Don't get me wrong - it did it on my first boat and it got me by, but the reason I did it was because I knew nothing about how to properly fix it, other than I talked to a glass guy and he said around $1000. Well, I paid $900 for the boat/motor/trailer so needless to say I wasn't going to spend 1k on a new tranny! Stainless steel transom reinforcement to the rescue!

I'm betting the transom is at least partially rotten or delaminated. Motor looks great. Boat looks pretty good too.

[BRIELLY]

The v20 is perfect for you however that particular boat may have some issues. If the transom was rebuilt and then reinforced with steel and the owner can prove it then its probably a good deal. If it wasn't rebuilt and just reinforced I would pass. For $4500 you could get a very nice v20 with a solid transom and not have to worry.

[Road King Cole]

In looking at the pictures again, I am reminded of something I learned in the coast guard on a ship before an inspection: "if it doesn't move, paint it". It seems they painted over the rub rail, hardware on the transom, maybe the decals and everything? It may have been a quick thing to make it look good just for the "inspection". If you do look at this boat, inspect it carefully.

[Destroyer]

Some kind words of advice:

It's very easy to become swayed towards a particular boat or car or just about anything. You want it, you think of all the good times you can have with it with your family, etc etc etc. So you start looking for the object of your desire, and pretty soon you come across a boat such as this. It looks good, the price seems right, and you buy it. Now you're on your honeymoon and you get home with the boat, the next day you put it in the water and BLAM!! You suddenly realize that something isn't right with your new baby. What I'm trying to tell you is that you want to avoid that situation. How do you do that you may ask..? Well, you did the first thing right... you looked at the boat, made an appointment to see it in person and (most important) you asked a bunch of strangers here that know these boats from the inside out what they thought of the unit.

Personally, I'd be very leary of that boat for the following reasons.
1) It's sitting on very expensive boat stands. That probably means that the seller is a professional. There's nothing wrong with that if it's a Marina or a mechanic, but if it's a private sale from a home that probably means that the seller is someone that's buying, doing minimal fixing and then selling at a profit. In other words a used boat salesman. They are to be avoided like the plague in my opinion. A pressure washing and a coat of paint will hide a ton of problems. But the problems are still there. Tread carefully around people like that.
2) Look at the pics... The boat is completely white. The rub rails, the "W" wellcraft logo on the side... everything is white. That means it's been painted to look good, but it's a sloppy paint job.
3) Look carefully at the picture where you see the the transom from the left (port) side of the boat. See the pain drippings on the transom reinforcement? Sloppy work like that is a sure sign of a hurried job. What's he trying to hide?
4) It's hard to see, but look carefully at the windshield. See how the top of the center window doesn't line up properly with the top of the right window? It might be nothing, or it might be a rotting base.. either way it's something to be concerned about.
5) What's this about trailer "numbers"? Does he mean the registration? Make sure he has a registration with the same name on it as his name. A lot of times a dealer/salesman will never register a trailer or the boat in his name, since he just wants to sell it. So make sure that the names on both the boat and the trailer registrations match.

In short, I would be very careful about this particular boat... The Wellcraft V20 is a great boat, but sales people are sales people.. they are only trying to make a profit.
There was a story about a month ago about several people that were lost at sea when the transom of their boat cracked. You can find a thread about it here on this site. You certainly don't want that happening to you and your family. The ocean is a loving mistress, but take her for granted and she will kill you without a seconds thought. Take your time and look carefully at the boat. Then ask any questions you may have here and we'll all try and answer them, based upon our own experience.

Red skys at night...

[reelapeelin]

Coast Guard Certified