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Random Quote: If you want a fish to grow,let it go. If you want a fish to cook and grow don't take a picture
I'm planning to buy an inshore-offshore boat in the 16-17 range. I'm trying to decide between a Sundace or a v Carolina skiff, my friend tells me I would be better off with a small bay v hull. I would really appreciate your input and advice. Thanks
My personal preference would be a Carolina Skiff - tough little buggers; your friend is correct though, a "V" would ride a bit better. Before you buy a new Carolina or Sundance try looking at a 2/3 year old Boston Whaler Montauk. The price should be close - and yes for the critics - I know that the BW is not a "V".
I previously had and enjoyed a 19V Sundance CC with the no frills Force 120. Sometimes I wonder why I bothered to move up as the boat/motor was trouble free and maintenance/storage was extremely affordable.
__________________ Tom Pass
Sea Blues II
'03 Key West 23WA
Honda 225
Little River, SC/Hamilton, NJ
Proud Parent of a Marine
Most people don't even know about the new 2006 V Bow Carolina Skiffs, so you probably won't get a direct answer from a present owner ( they are only out a month or so now ). There is little or no information on the CS company website, too!!! Stocking dealers know ALL about them...thank goodness. If you want shallow water running and low cost...the new CS JV13/15/17's should fill the bill.
I'm partial to the CS's ( but I am not at all affiliated with the company, other than through the owner's group) and would ask that you search under both names on this and a few other boating forums. I won't knock Sundance. See what your search brings in information.
unless carolina skiff has changed their hull design, they are known to slide when turned too sharply. everyone i know says the sundance will turn better than the c.s. we considered a skiff very strongly but instead bought a 19ft cc maycraft that is low in deadrise at the rear which gives it a lot of skiff characteristics such as shallow draft, very stable at drift or anchor and more economical to operate, but has very deep v at the front that makes it suitable for offshore usage and rougher water that you could not fish in with a skiff. i can fish in 15 inches of water with this boat and still bust the inlet. they are tough as nails. they are not hard to trailer or handle by yourself and you can get one of these close for what you will pay for a skiff. i beleive with the yamaha/ mercury version 115 four stroke it can be bought for 16.000 at eds marine in va. i have nothing against a skiff by no means and am not trying to sell you on a maycraft but i personally think a hull with variable deadrise would be more versatile to you and get you out there on those days when it,s a little too rough for the skiff. thats why we went the way we did. good luck with whatever you do. fishing is great fun and very addictive.
jonafer, sorry . i went back and reread your post after i finished mine and read that you were interested in a v hull to start with. my mind always goe,s flat bottom when someone mentions skiff and i forgot that you were talking about a v hull.
I bought a new leftover 17' Sundance V hull in 1997. A little Tohatsu 50 pushed it nicely and it rode well. I was very happy with it... until:
As it lost top end and had trouble getting on plane, I realized that it was holding water... a LOT of water. I would pull the drain plug, and nothing came out. I called the factory, and the rep told me, matter of factly that sometimes the flotation that gets pumped in fills the holes in the bulkhead, and that I should get a big drill extension and drill from the drain hole into the bulkead to release the water. I did it, and the water drained. Sure the flotation saturated. This was there solution and they weren't too concerned with the fact that the boat was made that way.
Granted, this was a long time ago, but I sold that boat. Told the guy I sold it to exactly what went on.
Of course, the boat was 8K brand new with trailer. Still sold it for 6300 two years later.
I have a few buddies that own the Carolina flat bottoms and haven't had such problems.
My 19V was a 1995 model and in fact when the factory burned down, that model was discontinued. No such water problems and I sold it to a friend of mine who is still running the heck out of it.
__________________ Tom Pass
Sea Blues II
'03 Key West 23WA
Honda 225
Little River, SC/Hamilton, NJ
Proud Parent of a Marine
It might be a good idea to go to your local carolina skiff dealer and take a look around....the 17dlx is flat....it will knock your teeth out in a short chop...their V hulls are only marginally better...on nice, flat days all boats ride well...I don't think that there is a boat in the 16-17ft range that can go "inshore-offshore" well...maybe a BW 17 montauk or a twin vee 19....there are a ton of generic CC's out there in the 17-19ft range....all boats hull designs are a compromise..hope this helps....Mick
(PLEASE READ) I have posted this before and am going to until the day that I die. I owned a 12ft Sundance trihull before the factory burned down. That was the worst boat ever!!!!!!! It was rated for a max of 15hp but would not plane off with an 8hp and a kid and when I upgraded to the 15hp it would not plane off with two adults. I tried (3) different 15hp (two brand new Evinrudes) and my buddies 2 year old 15hp Mariner. But it would not plane off with two people. It was a poor design, they just took the 16fter and cut 2 feet off to make the 14fter and cut 2 more feet off to make the 12fter. It was just too stubby a design and heavy 400lbs. I endured with a very wet, heavy boat that would not plane off. After 4 years of the boat being well cared for, I went to take it out of the water with my brothers and we could not lift it out of the water like we did so many times before. We put it on a trailer to find the hull was hull of water. After draining it, I flipped it over to find that the bottom was flexing about 3 inches and had more stress cracks in it then I could count. I prompty called the factory and spoke directly to the owner of Sundance who sent someone out within 2 days. The inspector from the factory came, looked at the boat and told us that the bottom had delaminated from the stringers inside the hull and the flexing from having no support cause the bottom to crack letting in water. The inspector then told me that they will either fix it or replace it and they will call me with the answer in a week. After 2 weeks I called and spoke to the owner again who told me that they were not going to do anything. He admitted that they dont know what happened to my hull but it would not be cost effective to fix or replace. He then went on to tell me that they only make a few hundred dollars on the smaller hull and that they would take a loss if they fixed or replaced it. I told him that it was still in warranty and had the 5 year hull warranty in my hand. He told me that they only gave 2 year warranties and that the 5 year warranty I had in my hand was no good. He then went on to question me about the price difference between a 13 whaler and a 12ft Sundance (which is about 4-5k) and told me that I got what I paid for and if I wanted a boat to last me 30years that I should have paid 4 times more and got the whaler. They can not stand being their products like whaler or grady because they are not making as much off the hulls. (I AM DEAD SERIOUS) I was very polite up to this point because I wanted to get my boat fixed, but when I realize that I was getting nothing from sundance I told him that I was going to sue him and he said go ahead, it will cost me more in legal fees and inspectors then what the hull is worth. He then told me that this is why he hates dealing with Northerners because we are always looking to sue and get something for nothing. I ended up giving the sundance to my buddy who cut open the deck from the top, gutted it and replace the stringers with 2x4s glassed into place. The reason the hull failed (I saw it with my own 2 eyes) was because the stringers were orginally glassed into place with (1) layer of mat! I never did sue but until the day I die, I will tell everyone how bad sundance skiffs are and how they dont care about the consumer. I figure if I can cost them a few customers over the years I will have won. There is one other guy on this site with a very similar story to mine also.
The new Carolina Skiff DLV series boats are a new breed from CS. They are available in 25', 23' 21' 19, and soon to be 17' The bow is a vee design which should greatly reduce the pounding that the DLX series is known to create. The hull is a "gull-wing" design, which corners great while still providing skinny water access with an 8" to 10" draft. As soon as my DLX sells, I'm going to buy either the 198DLV or the 218DLV. Sharp looking boat.
I have done just about everything I can to this boat. At first, it was a huge bathtub....nothing in it at all, I sat on a overturned bucket....I hauled lobster pots, and I helped with a commercial pound net in SE CT...(read: I overloaded that boat like you wouldnt believe with wet nets) I never felt at danger, the boat held the load with ease...the bottom of the hull is 6" of reinforced foam and fiberglass...after a decade it hasnt warped or anything...looks just like the day I bought it.
Now her working days are over. Instead of buying a totally new boat when I was done with college and wanted to get out on the water again, I went back to the dealership and bought a new honda 50hp engine, the medium center console and cooler seat plus the back deckplate. Its a great little bay boat, cheap on gas....and I know it will always get me home.
I like the CS boats, not that expensive, can be tailor fit to what you want to do with the boat, and you never have to worry about the hull.....it can take much more than you can.
Ok...thought I should prove I have one...never put my boat up on THT before:
sundance or carolina skiff ? 
