JUST CAME IN...

[charlie_the_tuna]

well, just came in from outside. didnt go to far... about 3 miles to the nearest pile of subway cars. pretty good ground swell... about 4-6-8. dam thing NEEDS tabs. cant get the slice without them. all in all, not a horrible ride. better than some, not as good as others. seems like a well made little boat. not unpretty to look at. got a great deal. if she gives me another season or two i will be satisfied... BUT! im not sure i understand this cultlike following. sure, for the money you cant beat em and they are a dime a dozen. dam near everywhere you turn. but am i the only one willing to admit that the ride just aint that great? is it because i dont have tabs? must i spend another $600. bucks to get a decent ride? comments?
questions?
rebuttles?
insults?

[macojoe]

20 foot boat 4 to 8 foot seas??

What you want from a 20 footer??

[charlie_the_tuna]

MORE!!!

[bigshrimpin]

Good Luck!! No one is saying that this is the best ride in town. But it's a good ride and the fishing room is awesome for a 20ft'r. I've got a 20 seacraft now and the ride from my v20 steplift was better in some situations. If your boat is riding on it's side you're going to take a beating . . . I don't care what boat you're in. I think you need to get the boat level before you offer up an opinion.

[charlie_the_tuna]

hey bigshrimpin, i didnt really take a beating but i would have liked to have been able to trim out the ride. as for offering up my opinion on the way my boat rides, you had better believe that i will not hesitate to give my opinion, with or without tabs. this entire website is based on the free exchange of ideas and opinions, agreeable and otherwise, and i have just offered up one of mine. i dont always give the most popular opinion but i wont hesitate to offer it up. i got a great deal on my boat and i love it. plenty of things i would improve or change but all in all, conditions permitting, she will be a decent little inshore and offshore boat. MY BOAT!

[Mulv80]

I think you need to re-evaluate what your needs are. * If you want to fish big water than no 20 footer is going to fit the bill. *I think people read all the great feedback on this forum and think that the V-20 is more than it is. *I think for the most part the people on this forum love their V-20's for their versatility and their ability to adapt to almost any on water activity. *Granted there are boats that ride better, cruise better, and fish better, but few that can do them all as well as a V-20. *

[chumbucket]

Everything, and I mean everything in boat design is a tradeoff. I sincerely doubt there is one boat that anyone could say is perfect. With the V20 for example, I believe the center console offers up a better ride than the cuddy cabin model. Why? Because you're driving the boat from the center and further astern than with the cuddy cabin. Tradeoff? Sure, but I don't think I need to tell everyone that better ride, more fishing room, and all the other pluses are better than the dryness or convenience of their cuddy.
So, there are plenty of other tradeoffs when comparing the V20 to something more suitable for big water, such as comfort, safety, fuel economy and the list goes on and on.
The best you can hope for is to find something that does most things fairly well wrapped up in a fairly well constructed package and not too hard on the eye. Kind of like Mrs. Chumbucket. ;) ;D 8)

I dont think its a cultlike following and a lot of guys on this board probably don't currently even own one.. whaler, Mako, SeaRays ,Gradys etc all have user groups including carolina skiffs. The v-20 in my opinion is not an off shore boat and neither is a 20 foot whaler or sea craft but thats just my opinion and I see them way out farther than they should be . I used to run a charter boat on the chesapeake bay in the mid 80's for a while and when the storms kicked up the small boats would suck in behind us as we came in and more than once I had to call in mayday's and pick guys out of the water.I was driving my friends Viking 57 last week in 5 footers and it was uncomfortable and guys were all falling on there *** trying to run rods etc. Even trimmed up with lots of horsepower the little V-20 is still a 20 foot boat. A great design and flare but 20 ft aint much in the big water if its sloppy..Inlets, near shore, bays and lakes is where she shines in my opinion. This is a great site and to celebrate I think I am going to have another glass of whiskey...Frank

well, if this isn't a cult, i dont know what i am going to do with all these dark robes and candles. i am glad we cleared this up. if i would have driven half way across the country for one of the rallies and didnt get to sacrifice a virgin...., man.

[Hammerhead]

A 30 foot Scarab with twin OBs should do the trick.