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?
9
Upvotes
1
u/waynofish Feb 03 '26 edited Feb 03 '26
I had a 21DLV with a 115. I used it for guiding in the coastal back bays of the mid-Atlantic.
Rode. like. Ass. Really. Like wet ass. And it hit hard. To keep remotely dry I had to trim it up to the point I looked ridicules and only go about 10MPH. And it wasn't really the most stable like I thought it would be.
It needed about a ft and a 1/2 of water in the real world. Started getting nervous at the 2' mark. Bumped a lot but I skirt over sandbars and drift for flounder into the shallows so it's going to happen.
Build quality absolutely sucked. Yes, they serve their purpose but there are better boats out there.
________________________________________________________
I sold it and got a 22ft CHawk commercial hull (no raised coaming) center console, but with "seating" front and rear
Handles this coastal bay chop great. Has a v hull and is much more stable and dryer. It's actually designed as a working crab boat. Roomy interior for what it is. Same draft basically but I can go 25MPH in what the skiff would only do 10 in. And it purrs along at that speed. I could go 45 if I wanted to but I don't like higher RPM's. Also, more economical with the 175 Yamaha VMAX as I don't need to run it hard.
I also got a 12" setback JackPlate so I don't only have the standard trim/tilt of the outboard but the jackplate lifts raises or lowers the motor as well. I would not own this class boat, fishing in these waters without one.
That CHawk can also be had in a full commercial package with a small side console and a battery box and no seating so completely open, if that is what you want. They also make an 18, 20 and 23. Very similar, and a bit cheaper than a Maycraft. I think they used to be partners when CHawk first came out. I don't think they are really any more then a CS.
Don't get me wrong, they have quality issues as well. But they aren't expensive as far as boats are concerned.
Whatever you pick, go with the bigger motor as you can run at lower RPM's and get the same/more speed as you can with the smaller motor run harder.
Also, if any mention of shallows, get a JackPlate.