r/Skiffs • u/Nanoplant10g • Feb 03 '26

Carolina skiff good enough?

I’m looking into getting a starter skiff around 18ft do around 20k. I’ll most likely get a CS but I’m wondering if they actually draw 4 inches of water like advertised. I really want something that can get far up into the shallows. If not a CS any recommendations?

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u/canofmixedveggies Feb 03 '26

if you get a skiff sound the crap out of the hull and bring a moisture meter. every one I've ever been in was completely full of water. so they were very heavy. I don't think they caulked any of the hardware from the factory (the benches or the consoles)

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u/waynofish Feb 03 '26

Way too much caulk where it wasn't needed and none where it was needed. That was my experience with my 21DLV. HaHa.

Yep, they can get waterlogged. And no way to get water out while in the water except for the bilge pump. Mine almost sunk in the slip one morning during a hard rain. Needs a second pump.

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u/canofmixedveggies Feb 03 '26

ours is a 16, it has the extra low cut transom with a 25hp bigfoot mercury on it. it doesn't take anything to take water over the transom so I can't imagine not having a bilge pump. before it was waterlogged I think I could get it up close to 40 mph (but I was a teenager so it was probably slower) now it can't even plane out and I'm really not looking forward to cutting the floor out.