Greetings (take 2)

[angus99]

(Off to a great start here! I posted my intro in the shout box 001. Sorry! Here's most of what I think it said.)

Howdy from Tennessee. Nice to find a group dedicated to my future boat.

I live near Chattanooga and enjoy the local lakes, but especially coastal, in-shore & back-bay fishing around Charleston, SC. We usually are down there several times a year--sometimes for a couple weeks at a time. We like to go outside and fish the jetties and buoys about 30% of the time (decent weather only), but spend most of our time in the backwaters. I plan to buy a CS at some point and am trying to decide which model I'll get the best use out of.

I used to have a 17' Montauk, which was great outside, but a bit restricted in the shallows. Also, it pounded hard in a chop--especially on the lakes, where it's mostly wake-driven chop. So I'm leaning toward a V series, thinking it will mean slightly less pounding than the X. Do any of you V series owners find these boats limited in the backwaters?

Secondly, we typically have 3 to 6 people fishing when we go out. Is a 17 adequate for 6 or do I really need a 19 for that many? (I have some storage limitations and don't want anything larger than a 19.)

Unfortunately there aren't many CS's around here to test drive, so I'd really appreciate any insights from owners.

Thanks!

Angus

[Harry]

Welcome Angus,

The 17 will be a little tight with more than 3 people IMO.

I went with the 198 DLV and it's even tight with 4 or more, thats why I plan on selling it and going up to the 238 DLV. In fact if your interested, it's for sale in our classified section. Brand new boat with a 6 year warranty, & you can see all the details in the ad.

You can also do a search here and read about how the DLV vs the DLX comparasion as far as "pounding" or getting you wet.

My DLV will pound running hard in a tight 3' chop, & get you wet as well, other than that is a fine rig for back and flat ocean fishing. But you can read all about that in the other posts on it. Just click the search tab and type in some keywords on the subject.

Lots of knowledgable Skiff folks here, so if you got any question just ask away in a thread topic. As you found out the shout box is good for about 2 sentence's...... 005

[Shakespeare]

Howdy Angus,

To add to Harry's comments about people capacity; When it comes to fishing, there's some charter captains on 23 footers that don't like over 3 people fishing simultaneously. If you get a t-top that complicates matters further because of the overhead obstruction when working from the rear of the boat. I've had 4 on board the 218DLV fishing, and me standing by, and it was a ballet of sorts as everybody had to be aware when a cast was about to occur... had to do that little curtsy when the rod was coming over your head. You'll discover all this very quickly after you load the boat up with coolers, tackle boxes, anchor crate, trash bucket, etc.

Mike C.

[o2bfishn]

Angus,

Four the limit for fishing on my 238DLV, lots of room for everyone. Five or more makes for a tight fit, its ok for cruising around but hard to fish. I would go with the largest boat I could, no one ever complained about to much room! Welcome aboard.

o2bfishn

[Inlet ed]

I have had a 238DLV with T-Top for about 2 months now, it fishes 4 people comfortably and I am very happy with its backwater capabilities and flat ocean ride. It is also very stabile if you get caught in a blow, just slow down and troll for them Kings!!! It also anchors well and rides the swell at the ends of the jetties real good, don't even notice when hooked into a nice Red.

[angus99]

Hey, thanks everybody.

Looks like I can rule out the 17. If I can get by with a 19, that'll be great--we may just have to fish in shifts. Based on what I'm reading and hearing from you, the V series is most versatile.

Harry, gorgeous boat, man--anyone looking for a "like new" ought to be all over it. Wish it was within my budget. I've got to convince my wife of the need for a full set of canvas for our Cal-28 sailboat AND a skiff. A bit daunting, so I'll need to find one with a little more time on the hour meter.

Thank you all again for the thoughts. I'll be watching this forum plenty in the months ahead and will let you know when I pull the trigger.

Happy skiffing.

Angus