V20 or 250 Sportsman

jasoncooperpcola

jasoncooperpcola

God
I have a 1986 250 Sportsman with twin 1986 150 Yamahas and a 1983 V20 with a 1985 Johnson 150. Basically i do not need two boats. I cannot afford two boats. I am on the fence as to which one to keep. I have listed my 250 Sportsman on here already for sale. Each boat has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The V20 is small,nimble, and actually has more usable room on the deck than my 250 Sportsman. But its slower and uses more fuel than my Sportsman.

My 250 Sportsman is fast, has a 2x larger fuel tank along with twin engines and a very big cabin (much more than i need). We have been 45 miles offshore in her. We can run a helluva lot faster in rough seas versus the V20. (nothing to do with the V20s water handling, its just a bigger boat thing) But the step up cockpit area is the biggest waste of space. All of the compartments are useless to me. Also its like a beached whale when it comes to something that it can hit. The motors are so close together they don't work like you would think they should for docking. Me and my dad have lots of time and money invested in the 250 Sportsman.

So my question is which would you keep? In a typical offshore trip we run 8 miles to the pass then 25 miles offshore. In the V20 we would use all 60 gallons of fuel running 32 mph. In the 250 Sportsman we use about 40 gallons of fuel plus we run 43 mph.

Sorry if i am boring yall with all this, i have been cleaning out the big boat and have rediscovered my long lost connection with it. :love:
 
25% bigger, uses less fuel while running faster. plus lots of time and money invested, I have to vote for the sportsman.
 
I vote repower the V-20 with a modern loop charged outboard and watch your fuel useage drop by at least 25% if not more. For me it would come down to do you really need the extra room? Which boat do you stand a better chance of recouping your money on?
 
At this point i am not worried about recouping the money i have invested. At $4000 for the 250 Sportsman i am taking a loss. If i sell my V20 i would probably ask $2000-$2500. I do not want to repower either boat. I feel more confident with the twin Yamahas if for the least reason there are two motors. As for the extra room no i really do not need all the cabin on the Sportsman. I would love to have a 250 Offshore. Them things have at least 15 feet of back deck with no cockpit step up.
 
jasoncooperpcola said:
At this point i am not worried about recouping the money i have invested. At $4000 for the 250 Sportsman i am taking a loss. If i sell my V20 i would probably ask $2000-$2500. I do not want to repower either boat. I feel more confident with the twin Yamahas if for the least reason there are two motors. As for the extra room no i really do not need all the cabin on the Sportsman. I would love to have a 250 Offshore. Them things have at least 15 feet of back deck with no cockpit step up.
Click to expand...

Post some fresh pics of the V20...inside and out...might be helpful
 
In a typical offshore trip we run 8 miles to the pass then 25 miles offshore. In the V20 we would use all 60 gallons of fuel running 32 mph. In the 250 Sportsman we use about 40 gallons of fuel plus we run 43 mph..
Click to expand...

???

With my 250 (225HP 1991 Yammie, my sig is out of date) I get a solid 2 MPG ant anything above idle. Confirmed by GPS and flowscan stuff.

So if I go out 25 miles I'm going to burn 25 gallons.

You have twin 150's and go 8 miles + 25 miles = 33 miles * 2 = 66 miles and burn 40 gallons =
 
You should also take into consideration whether or not the shift shafts on those Yamahas have been changed. If not, those will be a major expense to replace (it's inevitable, the question is when) and often times that cost is more than the motors are worth if you are paying for labor.


I ran across this site one day that advertises aftermarket shift shafts. I don't know of any that has actually used them though.

http://www.shiftshaft.com/
 
Are you really comfortable running 25 miles offshore in the V20 on a regular basis?
Are you going to be turning around at the inlet on a lot of days when you wouldn't hesitate with the 25 footer?
Is there decent coastal fishing you can do in the V20 on those days?
(if you answer no, ignore the rest of my post, keep the Sportsman and go fishing. That's the most important thing!)
Are you willing to change your fishing habits to accomodate the limitations of the V20?

The V20 sure is pretty.:love:
Classic like a '57 Chevy or a '67 Mustang or a Bertram 31.
Something to be proud of.

Notice your not posting on www 25 Sportsman.com

Sportman is a boat. Has twins. It will get you 25 miles out and back safely if that's what you need a boat for.
 
The main reason we run way offshore is because I love trolling for tuna. Around here its a pretty good ride to good tuna waters.

Before we got the 250 Sportsman for three years we run 25 miles offshore to fish snapper wrecks in our V20 out of Florida and Alabama. The Perdido pass in Alabama is a scary mother f'er in rough water when in a small boat. I still have to rebuild my confidence in running the V20 that far off. Dad says he still cant believe how far we run sometimes in it.

As for the 250s maneuverability i have learned one thing. Its just paint and fiberglass. Its just making sure i don't hit someone elses boat. And i could not find a site called 25sportmsan.com. :head:
 
Also the shift shafts wil cost me more than $500 for both engines! They still look pretty good i had the lower units off last year doing water pumps and checked everything.
 
I used to run 60+ in my 20 foot HYDRA-SPORTS whenever I went offshore. I guess it all boils down to what is your comfort level. And down here we have to run about 60-70 to get remotely close to those kinds of waters.
 
I've asked the forum driver before to hook us up with a sub for us 248/250 owners but he must be too hard core of a V-20 nut to bend the rules I guess?

Just bustin' 'em there MJ.

Honestly, I like my 250 but I wouldn't take it out in conditions any worse than I would be comfortable in a V-20.

It might make you feel better because everybody doesn't need to sit down in the 250 but it is no more seaworthy than the V-20.

I'd sell 'em both and get a RIB with a new four stroke and a EPIRB if I just wanted to fish.
 
sounds like neither boat will do exactly what you want, find the boat that fits your needs to a tee(250 coastal or offshore), sell both the Sportsman and the V, fish on!
 
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