21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

Hi all,
Wondering if anyone has any time in both a 21 and the 23' SF? I have spent a lot of time in the 20 and 23, but I am considering moving up to the 22, but the 21 looks interesting as well. Deeper, wider, heavier than my SF 20.

Any comments on the ride of the 21 as it relates to the 23?

Thanks,
Peter

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

Peter,

What 22 are you talking about? I am confused (nothing new)

Peter

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

oops, I mean I am considering a 23, but the 21 looks nice as well...

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

I had a 21 foot Hydra Sport before my 23 foot SeaCraft.

The 2 feet is a very big difference, not in the beam or the rear, but in the front. A world of difference when you are driving. Since you mention it if you moved up to a 23 the ideal thing (IMHO) would be a closed transom and bracket setup. I still have an open transom. People who have closed them and put on the bracket have sworn that it makes it a much bigger boat.

The other thing to consider is that your costs move up as well (such as bigger engine and worse fuel performance, everything else being considered equal). But then again the 23 can probably handle certain water conditions better than a 20 or 21.

Good luck

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

I've spent a good bit of time in both the 23's as well as the new SeaCraft 21 and they are not nearly as different as the literature would have you believe. The 23/21' are very similar (think of the 23' with 2' chopped off the back of the existing hull). Neither the 21/23' have much in common with the 20'. Look at the weight alone and you'll see that the 20' is a significanly smaller and lighter boat than either of those two.

The 21' can take on much nastier conditions than the 20', significanly more freeboard, but you'll need a larger vehicle to tow the 21'.....and a bigger engine to push it. The 21' is a really nice boat that doesn't seem to get as much attention as it likely should and is layed out far better than the new 20's. If my current 20' was stolen, the 21' would be on a very short list of replacements.

As seen in the photos below, I have my 20' redone to mimic many of the layout features of the 21'. I simply didn't want to deal with towing the heavier boat. Costwise, it would have been about the same for me to buy the 21' or have my 20' redone. The similarities are pretty evident in what I was trying to do:

current issue SeaCraft 21' -

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3..._PB_07_700.jpg

my 20' before completion -

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/hatidua/17.jpg

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

That's a really nice 20 Ikan!!

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

Love those raised boxes at transom.

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

Thanks for the opinions, Mark. In looking at a 21 on the trailer, my gut feeling was that it was closer to the 23 than the 20. The 21 does look like a nice boat, and I am finding that the 20 is sometimes a bit small for how I wish to use it. Of course the 23 is just about everyone's dream boat, but my feeling is that it is a little big to keep on a trailer, especially with a bracket.

I have a Tahoe that can tow just about anything, so that is not a real issue; the engine size is a concern for gas, but the 200 on a 21 will still be kinder than a 250 on the 23...

Regards,
Peter

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

While I have not been on a 23, I have had a 21 for 6 yrs (bought new). I bought it for the big boat features it has and I have not been disappointed. Its capable of handling rough water, had nice deep freeboard and lots of storage. On the minus side, under console access is tough, anchor access stinks, and I would much prefer a above deck leaning post livewell rather than the in-deck. Many of these downside issues are very common on cc's of all makes. Overall, I love the boat-it allows me to go offshore with confidence or fish the bay shallows. It's more than fast with the 200 Opti on it. Hope this helps.

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

I bought a 21 new in 98 and fished that thing hard for 5 years from OC Md. to La.,Central Fl and here in KW.I wish I never sold it.It's wet,but what little boat isn't? It's a big 21 feet,feels and rides like a tank.I think you would be very happy with one.

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

I have a 2003 21'and have owned a 1977 23' Sceptre and also a 1969 20' CC. Like others have said the 21 seems like a 23 with 2 feet chopped off. It rides extremely well and feels like a much bigger boat than the 20 did. The 20 cc is a small 20 and and at the time I had it it was the perfect boat for both offshore and inshore. It was easy to trailer and to handle. For it's size it rides better than other comparable boats. The 21 is a fairly big 21 and along with that comes the need for more HP and tow vehicle, not to mention more fuel. I would love to have gotten a 23 but it was too much boat for me at the time. Now since I have the 21, I don't think I would consider moving up to the 23 because there is not all that much difference between them.

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

Peter - the real question is, "is that sweet 20 you just redid going to be for sale or is is already spoken for?"

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

If you got a SeaCraft you got a good boat. Both boats are designed well for what they are. BUT there is a difference that I see which is the ability to handle sea conditions. Now I know we all have preferences and I don’t want to say something based on my predigest although some one said there is no such thing as objectivity just varying degrees of subjectivity. That being said I think that if you are going to stay in the bay or go out a limited distance “light off shore” the 21’ is fine but if you have a desire to travel a little further into the ocean the 23’ is the way to go plus if you want 3 or 4 people on the boat the 23’ would be a better choice. Although the 23’ isn’t really that big either it does have more ability to stay on a plain going into 1-3 or 2-4 footers Stretching a little longer over to the next wave. Where as the 21 footer bow is going to go down just as the next wave is coming up to meet you. This is not a design problem it is a length of boat to span of wave problem. So the real question is What are you going to use it for and then go with the one that does that job the best.

FellowShip

_______________________________________________

My motto: Just for the Grins :D

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

To add to Fellow-Ship's response, the 23 has more deadrise than the 21 and is a better offshore hull. However, the 23 can't go into shallower areas like the 21 can so like he said, it depends on what its major use will be.

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

I run a 21. It is not a "classic" and as far as I know it was not put into production until 1998. It has the same deadrise as the 23 according to all the brichure-ware. Mine is a '98 and is paried with a 225. I think it does alot of things well, and as was mentioned earlier it feels big for a 21'. I have not been excluded by WX conditions that would be suitable for the 23', but I have had to go slower than a 23' might have been able to go in those conditions. As also mentioned, wave period and hull-span will be an issue for any length boat in the wrong conditions. I was way offshore when the WX turned snotty one day with a 21' Regulator buddy boat and the Seacraft was much drier with the correct trim/tilt and tab positions. The 21' reg is a nice boat too, but the seas were just bad enough to make their crew wet, and keep us dry on that day.

What I don't like about my 21':

1. Bilge hatch & access to the bilge in the engine well. Poor design & crappy armstrong deckplate that I have re-ordered 2X and still can't get to fit right.
2. In-deck live well (fills with water when it rains)
3. The outflows for my 2 bilge pumps & the livewell are basically at water level

This boat does enough things really well that I will most likely keep the boat, re-finish the bottom and re-power. Interested to hear if anyone has bracketed a 21 and what those results have been like. Good Luck.
http://www.capeflies.com/images/sc_b...on_trialer.jpg

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

Reading several of the replies, it's obvious that many are still comparing the 20' to the 23'. The subject is the TWENTY ONE, which has:
-the exact same deadrise as the 23'
-one single inch less draft than the 23'
-and is only 400#s different in weight than the 23'.

I think most who have not taken a ride on a sloppy day in a 21' (not a 20', a 21') would be quite impressed. I don't own a 21', never have. However, I do own a 20' and know from experience that there is a very big difference between the 20' and 21'....not so in the case of the 21'/23'.

Re: 21 vs. 23 Opinions
 

Great feedback, all. I have enough info to at least go for a ride in the 21 and see what I think. If the ride is similar to the 23 (and I think it is based on what I read here) then it may be the boat for me. It will live on the trailer 90% of the time, which is why I hesitate to go right up to the 23. I use the boat on Narragansett Bay out to Block Island and Cuttyhunk, well within the range of this size boat or the 20 for that matter, it is just a matter of ride.

I have spent probably 25 days fishing in a 23, and I always come away impressed.

Thanks,
Peter