V20 vs V21 ?

P

Para

New member
Getting back into boating and looking to buy a boat.

As I understand it, the V20's claim to fame was a series of 'steps' on the underside that helped it get up on plane. Also, it has a very steep V in fromt and alot of flare to knock spray down.

Is the later model, the V21 IDENTICAL to the earlier V20? I have heard some say that this hull is different. Some say its better, some say its worse. One thing I do know is that you dont see any teak wood on the V21 for easier maintainence (at the lack of charm I guess)
 
Oh, and the outboard flavor of the V21 has a fully enclosed stern so a following wave cant soak you.....
 
I own the V21 and can comment:

1. Deck stays dry - even with three people in back - water does not come up through scuppers.

2. The " well design" transom of the 21 is fine - water comes in and out of the " tub" never more than a couple of inches. You can even use it to keep bait though I rarely do.

3. Aluminum trim strip on the transom well - typical of many builders, Wellcraft applied this where the upper and lower meets - screwed in with epoxy. A poor design but is what it is.
I ultimately had it removed, and had the upper section redone - fiberglassed into one very solid unit. I also had the seam inside the transom fiberglassed solid on both sides, further solidifying the entire back end. Too bad the boats only rated for 200 hp, as my boats transom can likely now handle most any outboard !

Anyway, as with most all of the V's....... you have to check for water intrusion - cuddy, deck, transom. If need no work, or little work, these are fantastic boats for the money, truly hard to beat in this regard, and with trim tabs, can be fished easily lake, bay, ocean.
 
I have both a 20 and a 21 in my driveway and I see very little change to the hull itself. The steps and flare are there on both hulls. Hell even the length from bow to stern is the same, they just have the set back well for the motor on the 21. My plan is to actually use a V20 flat cap washboard on my 21 and as far as I can tell it’ll sit right on it.
 
I have had 2 V-20's and 2 V-21's. I found the rides to be identical. If I were looking to purchase I would look for a V-20 that was 1988-1990. That is when they went to plastic fuel tanks. The V-21's had plastic tanks. That was a big plus with the last boat that I had. I had a 1987 V-20 and the tank was not showing any signs of trouble, but I removed the hatch to replace the fuel sending unit. Upon doing that I found that the floor would have to be cut to get the tank out if replacement was necessary. That was not something that I wanted any part of,so I sold it and found a V-21 that really liked.


Good luck with your search. If you find a V-20 or V-21 you won't regret it.
 
Most obvious visual changes between the 20 and the 21 are the stern "bubble" where the outboard mounts and the curved side windows on the 21. Other than that I believe they are identical. Same number of "steps" on the hull, same deep vee, same wide flair. etc.
 
Mostly...V21s are newer so they got that going for them.

Hull is the same.
Bumped out motor well means less motor well in the cockpit...thats a real plus.

Cap is different. Sliding hatch is different. some have molded seats/livewell.

No Teak.


If I were looking again, I'd look for a V21 cuddy.
 
20 vs 21..I like the versatility of the 20..wide open from dash to stern/...my 21 had tanks and seat mounts molded in, so cuts down on open floor space...if you don't want to have that changability, the 21 is a good choice, but you won't go wrong w/either
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top