Howdy, everyone. I'll try not to bore you with too many details, but I need your advice too!
A few months back my wife and I were fortunate enough to be able to move back to northeastern North Carolina from southern middle Tennessee. Because of the current housing market, we were also fortunate enough to be able to buy a small home near the Currituck Sound that, in any other market, we never would have been able to afford.
So, a young man's fancy often turn to boats when everyone else in the neighborhood has one! :lol:
I knew virtually nothing about them, but started doing some research about 7 months ago. I thought a Carolina Skiff might be a good start as a "first boat" and one that was affordable. I was primarily looking at the 198 DLV. Shallow draft and good size for family fun and occasional fishing in the sound, maybe down to Oregon Inlet when I get my courage and experience levels up.
My job permits me some amount of travel, so I started noticing features and designs in other boats that I liked. Now this might sound totally stupid to you experienced guys, but the simple attractiveness of a driveway-parked 18' center console Parker really caught my attention. I've seen it a few times and decided yesterday that I needed to look at Parker online. Then I found the 2120 Sport Cabin and nearly fell our of my chair. Same simplicity but a sort of "retro" styling that really appealed to me, and I loved the idea of the cabin.
My first thoughts were "too expensive" and my second thought was "too drafty for the sound." But according to what I'm reading online, the price isn't much more than a well-equipped 21- or 23-foot Elite series Skiff would be (not trying to directly compare the two on anything other than price). On the second issue, the 198 DLV reportedly drafts 6-8 inches and the 2120 is only at 15. If I were to pursue that, would I just need to be careful in the shallows, or is that a substantial difference?
So the question is: what do you guys recommend that I look at in the Parker line for my intended use in this area that might be a little less pricey? Another issue for me is comfort not so much for my family but for my parents. My mother is in her lower 60s and my dad is his middle 70s. They're both in excellent health but Dad just had hip replacement and I don't see him being terribly comfortable next summer in a Skiff for half a day if I can talk them out onto the water.
Anyway, I'm glad I discovered your world here as well as your preferred boat builder! 8) Apologies for the length of this post, but thank you in advance for any advice anyone would like to give.
Now I'm off to search and find out if my question has already been answered 600 times in the forums. :lol:
A few months back my wife and I were fortunate enough to be able to move back to northeastern North Carolina from southern middle Tennessee. Because of the current housing market, we were also fortunate enough to be able to buy a small home near the Currituck Sound that, in any other market, we never would have been able to afford.
So, a young man's fancy often turn to boats when everyone else in the neighborhood has one! :lol:
I knew virtually nothing about them, but started doing some research about 7 months ago. I thought a Carolina Skiff might be a good start as a "first boat" and one that was affordable. I was primarily looking at the 198 DLV. Shallow draft and good size for family fun and occasional fishing in the sound, maybe down to Oregon Inlet when I get my courage and experience levels up.
My job permits me some amount of travel, so I started noticing features and designs in other boats that I liked. Now this might sound totally stupid to you experienced guys, but the simple attractiveness of a driveway-parked 18' center console Parker really caught my attention. I've seen it a few times and decided yesterday that I needed to look at Parker online. Then I found the 2120 Sport Cabin and nearly fell our of my chair. Same simplicity but a sort of "retro" styling that really appealed to me, and I loved the idea of the cabin.
My first thoughts were "too expensive" and my second thought was "too drafty for the sound." But according to what I'm reading online, the price isn't much more than a well-equipped 21- or 23-foot Elite series Skiff would be (not trying to directly compare the two on anything other than price). On the second issue, the 198 DLV reportedly drafts 6-8 inches and the 2120 is only at 15. If I were to pursue that, would I just need to be careful in the shallows, or is that a substantial difference?
So the question is: what do you guys recommend that I look at in the Parker line for my intended use in this area that might be a little less pricey? Another issue for me is comfort not so much for my family but for my parents. My mother is in her lower 60s and my dad is his middle 70s. They're both in excellent health but Dad just had hip replacement and I don't see him being terribly comfortable next summer in a Skiff for half a day if I can talk them out onto the water.
Anyway, I'm glad I discovered your world here as well as your preferred boat builder! 8) Apologies for the length of this post, but thank you in advance for any advice anyone would like to give.
Now I'm off to search and find out if my question has already been answered 600 times in the forums. :lol:
