Questions about the V20's

[Rookfish]

Howdy all.

New to the website. I was looking at purchasing a mid 80's 180 Fisherman CC; when doing some research a friend directed me here to find the answers. That 180 was sold, but it got me looking more into trying to find a 180 or V20, either a CC or small cuddy. But, I'm brand new to these boat and would like to learn more about why they are so popular.

What is so special about these boats and their hulls? What years have the "good V20" hull?

Is the 180 Fisherman the same hull design as the V20?

Are the newer Wellcrafts (late 90's and even today's models) the same hull? If not, are they better, worse? I was at the Detroit Boat Show this last weekend looking at the new models.

I'm looking for a good fishing boat that would have some good amenities for a young family. My wife is not much into cuddy cabins (a bit claustrophobic) so the small cuddy on a V20 for storage or a CC would work great.

I also was looking at a Wellcraft 210 Sportsman which is an open bow but with fishing amenities. Any information on the quality of those?

Any information you can share is appreciated. Looking to purchase something this spring / summer for Lake St. Claire by Detroit - looking for a fresh water only boat.

[cfelton]

Hey Rookfish, welcome to the site! The V20 hull makes these boats a very dry ride with the flared bow and they have an exceptional ride. They're great boats for familys with plenty of room. The cuddy, like alot of us have is big enough to cwawl up into but I think most use them for storage. Check out the Gallery, lots of great pics!

[phatdaddy]

welcome. lotta debate over the best years, but i think the mid 80's up are the best. 60 gallon belly tank, higher deck, 25" transom. that being said, they all can have rotted stringers , deck and transoms, so check out carefully. as far as a young family, i got out of a center console to the cuddy for just that reason. lots of room for baby naps and baby bags. that was 22 years ago and i still have the same boat.

good hunting

[Destroyer]

Hi and welcome aboard Rookfish. !996 was the last year they (Wellcraft) made the V20 hull. So the 210 and other newer models are not V20's
What makes them special is the step lift chines & lifting strakes on the bottom of the hull. As the boat goes faster and faster it lifts up on those "steps", creating less drag than a normal boat hull of the same size would do. Couple that with an over-sized "Carolina Flare" bow that pushed the water away from the boat instead of over it and you get a fast, stable, dry ride in most cases. (No hull is 100% wave proof all of the time. Depending on winds, speed, current, etc, there are times when even the driest riding hull will get you wet). But I digress. The V20 steplift was the longest continuously produced hull in history. And for good reason. It just works.

[mawshj]

I bought a 1983 v20 cuddy new, I fished rivers lakes stream puddles oceans backwaters inlets and a lot of other places where a boat should not go. In weather and conditions that have scared the bejesus out of me, often asking "what did Chapman say about this??".
My 3 children and a bunch of friend's children water skied and pulled every kind of pull toy including long tandem strings and home made floats, all day ,every day, summer after summer , boy scout and girl scout jamborees and on and on. We trailered allover the Chesapeake, fishing clamming crabbing camping. When my kids were small and we camped, myself and one of the kids would sleep in the cuddy on the water . I rigged a screen for the cuddy door, that was fun to sleep in the boat in the rain . I guess I am drifting.....
Later we moved to the ocean and my kids were older we ran offshore (watching the weather) up to 40 miles, 3 to 10 miles in sloppy conditions. My sons and grandkids still think this is fun but my old body likes the back bay. My grandkids and Great grandkids still use this v20 for anything you dare to think of.
I have noticed that all the old fishing guys always want to take my v20 when we go fishing the inlet or backbay even though they have newer or center console boats .This boat is on it's 3rd ob motor and still does everything I ever asked it to. sorry for rambling.

[Rookfish]

Is the 180 and 20 foot fisherman center console a V20 hull?

[RidgeRunner]

Wellcraft V-20 Fisherman is the Center Console Version of the V-20, there is also the dual console, cuddy (most popular), and the V-21 which all share the same hull shape as Destroyer described. Raymond Hunt, steplift. The 18' is not the same although it does have some of the same design features like lifting strakes which a lot of boats have. LOL!
Very capable hull. Cuddy has a lot of space for a young family to sprawl..

[bradford]

Like Ridge said, the 18 is a totally different hull than the V20. The v20 is 20 ft 6inches and has a 20 degree deadrise transom. The 18 is 18 ft long, but has a lot less deadrise, not sure how much, one of the old brochures in the gallery should tell us. Ray Hunt invented the deep V, V20 hull in 1956 and several manufacturers produced them over the years with Wellcraft actually buying the rights to the patents and building them from 1970 until 1995 or so. Both the V20 and V18 hulls are huge though compared to hulls the same size built in the last 20 years with euro transoms, extra floatation foam, and molded in bow pulpits which manufacturers cheat with and include in their advertised hull length. All boats have their pluses and minuses, but I think overall for the money the Wellcraft V20s are in the top few. You can have a $1200 project, or a semi custom restored one with thousands of dollars poured into them and both have the huge flair, tons of deck room, and classic good looks that will get compliments from seasoned old salts as well as newbies that will double take the sharp entry, flaired bow, and reverse tumblehome transom. All that being said these were massed produced boats that were sold by a big corporation for a profit. A lot eventually have soft decks and hatches, wet transoms, and rotted stringers. Some of this is from cheaper construction and possibly depends on whether yours was layed up on a friday at 4pm, but I think most has to do with previous owners neglect, and not properly installing and sealing accessories over the years. If you can find one that has been loved and cared for by an old man for her entire life, or one that someone has spent some bucks repairing and updating, those are your best bet. Keep in mind though that boats cost money to own. There will always be something that needs attention, repair, or replacement. The good thing is whatever you're doing to your V20, someone here has already been down the road and can lend free guidance and advice on your project. Best of Luck!

[cfelton]

Well said Bradford!! I spent a little money and time rebuilding mine but I would'nt trade it for any other boat that size!

[bgreene]

Agreed.......nothing " so special" about the V20 / V21..... just a lot of little things that can make it a very good choice for a used boat.

Very roomy for the size is one big advantage.
Very nice looking, classic style.
Good performance, stable, and when rigged WITH TRIM TABS, quite nice riding too.
Typically affordably priced.

Beware the usual weakness of older boats - soft decks, transom, and wet cuddy's.

Many owners really take care of these rigs, so if you take your time and look hard, likely to find a good one.
This web site is very good, lot of experience, and good people.