edsmith03

It's difficult to make a recommendation based on your question, because there's a LOT of differences between boats in the size range... Are you looking for a fishing boat? A family boat? A true offshore boat? Or a compromise-style boat? I grew up on Whalers, and the first boat that I bought as an adult was a brand new 17' Montauk. I sold the Montauk, bought a 26' Panga. Loved the Panga, but I fish a lot with my wife and the kids, so it was a PITA to trailer, launch, retrieve, wash, maintain, etc. by myself... Decided to sell the boat and look for something in the 20 - 22' range. I wanted to find a smaller, easily trailered boat that was still offshore capable (about 90% of my fishing is offshore) and that would get us home if the conditions worsened... I looked at a bunch of boats in the size range. In my opinion, the 21' Whaler Outrage is RIDICULOUSLY over priced. While I didn't haggle or get into exact details, I was quoted over $80k for the boat with a 250 Verado and trailer. I rode on the boat, and was not impressed with its performance in even slightly rough conditions. At rest, it was excellent. I wasn't a fan of the layout of the boat, at all, either. It was very well appointed, and for a family boat, it might have been ok, but again, the price was huge.... I looked at a LOT of other boats in the size range from 20-22'. From lower priced boats (Dusky, Key West, etc.) to higher priced boats (Everglades, Edgewater, Bluewater, etc.) and I eventually wound up with a 2011 Contender 21 with a Yamaha F250B (with the Contender 23T console option). Out the door, I was over $30k less than the 21' BW Outrage, and in the general range (actually a little under in most cases) of the price of other comparable boats (Bluewater, etc.). I am very happy with my choice, but the Contender is certainly not a family cruiser.... It's a very simply laid-out fishing boat. For that purpose, it suits my needs absolutely perfectly.... I didn't really look at them, but I also really like the Albury Brother's boats, as well. Very simple, beautiful, well-built boats, for sure... Bottom line is, I don't think there's really any bad apples out there in the top-tier category of boats in this size range... If I were you, I'd go to the boat show and crawl all over every boat and see which ones you like and don't like... That's the only way you're really going to know..

Gone.

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