Which 19-21ft boat has highest gunwhales?

[dmac95]

Hey guys, I have a 18ft hydra sport and while it’s a great boat when the weather and waves are calm, we avoid fishing anytime wind blows more than 15mph S in the li sound and more than 6mph N.

 

I’m thinking of upgrading to a slightly larger boat maybe a 20 or 21, but I noticed two things:

 

1. I observed a 21 ft hydra sport with small gunwhales similar to my 18ft.

2. I saw a 18 Robalo (looked new-ish) on the water and it looked to have very high gunwhales.

 

I’m no expert but I think high gunwhales make a significant difference in safety when some say 2ft-4ft waves form. I definitely won’t be fishing during anything over 1.5 ft low wavelength chop waves in the sound in the current 18 hydra sport, and I’d like to upgrade that maximum requirement to no more than 3ft chop with the boat upgrade.

 

now... do you guys know if there are any boats 19-21 with high gunwhales and keep in mind- I’d like it to be more affordable rather than more expensive or at least- I’d like my dollar to go for the safety and fishing experience as opposed to having 50 cup holders for my booze.

 

it seems Robalo doesn’t have much space in the back. I seen Grady whites on YouTube and they look to have the best of both worlds. Maybe the Boston whaler outrage but definitely not Boston whaler montauk.

 

any Parker’s, wahoos? Anything that I’m missing that you can kindly chip in with?

 

 

[Strat]

Might want to go check out the boat shows over the winter. The smaller DV hulls like Kencraft have high gunnels, but the DV's present their own challenges in terms of snap roll on the drift. There's probably a happy medium in there somewhere depending on how far you run to fish.

[nightfighter]

Thirteen years with my 1993 Grady White 209 Escape. Plenty high, trust me as I notice it every time I retrieve/release a fish. Older well cared for hulls are fine, and more affordable, obviously. Don't shy away from something from the 90s. But you want the SeaV2 hull. And get a survey. ( I looked at 34 hulls and paid for three surveys that I walked away from...) It is about the powerplant.... There is another thread about them here.

[makorider]

IMO, it absolutely does not matter.

 

Whether it was my 14 ft MFG as a little kid, or my 17 mako as a bigger kid....gunwhale height is irrelevant to seaworthiness, except for maybe how relatively wet you get.  I took both boats, on many many different occasions with young brass balls, into conditions they should not have ever been in.  Most boats will take much more than the operator or his/her head can

 

As the saying goes, its the Indian, not the arrow

Edited October 28, 2020 by makorider

[clammer]

I have a 2003 21' sea Hunt  CC

I,m very , very happy with it .it has high sides . which at the time was a big deal for two reasons

the safety of my grandkids  &  I anchor from the middle of the side often

which would not be the liking to many boat owners .

the boat is solid on the drift & I,m pleased with both into & with the waves .

BUT my past partner RIP Denis ..would bitch when schoolie fishing & he  [we] couldn, reach to lip them .

yet his boat with the low sides .was great for that but nothing else.

 it was wet  &  I spent a lot of time because one wave , etc  it was easy to go over

  bad knees will  have ya fishing/casting sitting down

  I,ve noticed the new ones have really changes but so has the price ..

 

 

 

 

[dmac95]

4 hours ago, Strat said:

Might want to go check out the boat shows over the winter. The smaller DV hulls like Kencraft have high gunnels, but the DV's present their own challenges in terms of snap roll on the drift. There's probably a happy medium in there somewhere depending on how far you run to fish.

any good boat shows around the NY -NJ - CT area? im in NY, wouldn't mind checking out a boat so as long as it's not an "online-event" due to this virus ploy.

[dmac95]

4 hours ago, nightfighter said:

Thirteen years with my 1993 Grady White 209 Escape. Plenty high, trust me as I notice it every time I retrieve/release a fish. Older well cared for hulls are fine, and more affordable, obviously. Don't shy away from something from the 90s. But you want the SeaV2 hull. And get a survey. ( I looked at 34 hulls and paid for three surveys that I walked away from...) It is about the powerplant.... There is another thread about them here.

Sorry im being too picky, but I'd like to know a bit more on this.

 

From the far, I see many people like GW's. I looked at 19 Dual Console, 21 Fisherman. Havent heard of the 209 Escape, but I will check it out. Do you know if the 209 is wooden build or if all GW's are wooden? I'm just curious as I believe with exception of Transom, wooden boats are prone to wood rot if unmaintained (which would be picked up by a survey i guess). If grady white is all wood build and is very old, I'm wondering if it's too risky. I keep my boat on land when not in use - never moored nor docked, and I plan onto. I cannot stand moisture, hence the preference for towing a 19-21, and not 40ft boat.

 

What I usually do when I buy boats (looked at ~10, bought 11th one i saw), is as follows:

 

Step 0. Check for holes - if bottom painted - i cant check much.
1. Compression test - Turned out to be 135 on my 01 18ft h sport all cylinders.
2. Transom test - boat is on trailer, i stand on the lower unit right above propeller and jump the boat. if front lifts up same time as i go  down - proceed to step 2. at this point i know transom is ok. if there was any bend in transom - there would be a lag in front of boat moving up/down with respect to my movements.

3. Transom? test2. - take small hammer and poke around the outer, middle, and close to outboard part of transom, then inside the outboard locking area when it's lifted up. if the sound pitch changes only a tad bit - its a pass.

4. start the motor with ear clips. cold start. ensure it goes into F, R, N gear and run it for few minutes.

5. lien/salvage/clean title check.

 

 

[dmac95]

2 hours ago, makorider said:

IMO, it absolutely does not matter.

 

Whether it was my 14 ft MFG as a little kid, or my 17 mako as a bigger kid....gunwhale height is irrelevant to seaworthiness, except for maybe how relatively wet you get.  I took both boats, on many many different occasions with young brass balls, into conditions they should not have ever been in.  Most boats will take much more than the operator or his/her head can

 

As the saying goes, its the Indian, not the arrow

It's for brain comfort. I kayaked before. Bought a cheap yak - almost sank -  then a hobie. The hobie outback was a tank. if boating is anything similar, I'd agree but disagree as well. 

[dmac95]

4 hours ago, Strat said:

Might want to go check out the boat shows over the winter. The smaller DV hulls like Kencraft have high gunnels, but the DV's present their own challenges in terms of snap roll on the drift. There's probably a happy medium in there somewhere depending on how far you run to fish.

waves up to 3ft. That's equivalent to a 20mph/25 S wind or a 10/15 mph N wind in LI sound.  (WindSpeed/GustSpeed) - not plum gut, not 120 ft deep. ~40 ft dp not further than 2 miles from shore.

Edited October 28, 2020 by dmac95

[makorider]

34 mins ago, dmac95 said:

It's for brain comfort. I kayaked before. Bought a cheap yak - almost sank -  then a hobie. The hobie outback was a tank. if boating is anything similar, I'd agree but disagree as well. 

Thats why I said most hulls can take a lot more than the operator's head can lol

[nightfighter]

2 hours ago, dmac95 said:

Sorry im being too picky, but I'd like to know a bit more on this.

 

From the far, I see many people like GW's. I looked at 19 Dual Console, 21 Fisherman. Havent heard of the 209 Escape, but I will check it out. Do you know if the 209 is wooden build or if all GW's are wooden? I'm just curious as I believe with exception of Transom, wooden boats are prone to wood rot if unmaintained (which would be picked up by a survey i guess). If grady white is all wood build and is very old, I'm wondering if it's too risky. I keep my boat on land when not in use - never moored nor docked, and I plan onto. I cannot stand moisture, hence the preference for towing a 19-21, and not 40ft boat.

 

What I usually do when I buy boats (looked at ~10, bought 11th one i saw), is as follows:

 

Step 0. Check for holes - if bottom painted - i cant check much.
1. Compression test - Turned out to be 135 on my 01 18ft h sport all cylinders.
2. Transom test - boat is on trailer, i stand on the lower unit right above propeller and jump the boat. if front lifts up same time as i go  down - proceed to step 2. at this point i know transom is ok. if there was any bend in transom - there would be a lag in front of boat moving up/down with respect to my movements.

3. Transom? test2. - take small hammer and poke around the outer, middle, and close to outboard part of transom, then inside the outboard locking area when it's lifted up. if the sound pitch changes only a tad bit - its a pass.

4. start the motor with ear clips. cold start. ensure it goes into F, R, N gear and run it for few minutes.

5. lien/salvage/clean title check.

 

 

You lost me... Not talking wood boats here....  I sent you info on where a very affordable older model is for sale in Westbrook CT. Yet it is newer than mine. And the Sea Hunt is a tank too. After all I know of one that has survived despite being owned by Clammer!  

[neonsnow80]

some might think its a little crazy but i have a 96 Wellcraft 160CCF and fish he mess out of Narragansett Bay, Newport around he bottom at Kings and Sakonnet river by the mouth. been in some real good chop, high winds and even miss judged a yacht wake and went through the middle of a LARGE wake lol...had about 1ft of water in the back then the pump kicked on. Its works well for me and my wallet. Also has low gunwales which alone or with a friend is fine, but with my young kids gets a little sketchy. i have had some waves come over the back while fishing but get pumped out fast enough....

[Tunaman131]

Cant go wrong with a late 80s early 90s 20-22ft Boston whaler outrage. Very dry and seaworthy boats.

[SaltyShepherd]

You didn't mention a price range.

 

If looking for new/newer take a look at Pair Marine and Judge

 

https://www.unitedyacht.com/used-yachts-for-sale/pair-customs-center-console-2020-2774099

 

If looking at older boats, Parker, Jones Brothers and C-Hawk have fairly high gunwhales 

[Dead Duck]

21 Contender would do the trick 

no step up in bow   24 deg deadrise 

Only if you can find one  LOL