# Carolina Skiff Questions



## silverbullet (May 8, 2015)

I'm looking at JV17 Carolina Skiff and was wondering if anyone has any experience with them? I fish a lot of skinny water but also want something that I can fish bays and jetties(specifically FT Clinch) and not get beat to death or sink the boat. The specific one I'm looking at has a 4 stroke 50hp on it, is that enough to get on pad in hurry? Any help appreciated..


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## killswitch (May 8, 2015)

"and not get beat to death"


Might want to look elsewhere. Because when it gets choppy, makes for a tough ride. I know...........had one of their 198's for a few years, and that was the only reason I sold it. Great boat, we fished, shrimped, took it to the beach, stuck a couple sand/mud bars and had a great time with it. Just got tired of the ride in a chop.


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## Bama B (May 8, 2015)

The jv 17 will not beat you to death. The original carolina skiffs were nicknamed the buckboard express. But they have changed there design. It will not get into as shallow water as good as the older styles with there flat bottoms. But the JV will handle chop pretty good. Its a great all around boat. We have a j16 with a yamaha 50 it runs in the 40s. Its a little rough on the rear end but one of the best gigging and shrimping rigs I have ever owned. You can hardly tear one up and we have tried.. It will step up pretty good. Its a good rig inshore fishing.


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## bwbb88 (May 9, 2015)

I own a 20' DLV center console with a 90hp yamaha four stroke and take it all through the rivers and sounds of GA. Ive been in some pretty good chop as well as shallow water and love it. You will get a little wet with the chop but for less aggressive V-hull I am ver impressed. Wont own another boat for a long while.


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## jfinch (May 11, 2015)

I have a JVX18 it is a little bigger than the JV.  Gunwale height is a 4.5" higher and it is a 14" wider.  The JV will get much skinnier 3-6" vs. 4-8" for the JVX per CS website.  My skiff fully loaded with 2 adults and couple kids will float in about 8".  If you plan to use a poling platform the JV should be much easier to pole being narrower and lower on the sides.  I liked the higher sides since I have kids but it does get pushed around in the wind.  If you plan on using a trolling motor the JVX will get skinnier than a trolling motor is useful, had to get out and push once to get back to the ramp at low tide.  

I fish Lake Lanier a lot and the coast some.  Been 3 miles out in the gulf on a nice calm day.  The ride is what you would expect from a skiff if the water is rough so is the ride.  My boat will handle some rough water and not be unsafe and usually when it isn't comfortable anymore it's too rough to fish.  

CS website indicates max power on a JV17 is 40 so a 50 is overpowered a little.  My JVX has a 70 and it gets on plane pretty quick.  

I think the JVX would be a safer boat around the jetties with more freeboard and beam and still get pretty shallow.  The JV would be better in shallow water and you would just have to be more aware of the conditions and wakes from larger boats when fishing the jetties.


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## bhdawgs (May 11, 2015)

You will get beat up pretty good in anything over a chop, but there is a trade off.  CS are awesome to fish out of, roomy, bulletproof hulls too.


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## Jimmy Lee Armel (May 15, 2015)

I have a 2011 jvx18 with a Suzuki 60 four stroke and I love it. I was fishing in six inches of water last weekend with no problems. It will run thirty five to forty and gets on a plane pretty well. I bought it new and it came with a good warranty. I have over six hundred hours on it with no problems. Hope this was helpful.


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## j_seph (May 15, 2015)

Join/read and ask away
www.carolinaskiffowner.com/forum.php


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## j_seph (May 15, 2015)

haul load pretty good to


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## ghost8026 (May 27, 2015)

I had a 1999 j16 and jus got rid of it and got a 2015 jv17 with a yamaha 40hp and its a world no a difference in the two I was in 3-4 ft swells chop other day at crooked and it handle great...you will still get a few waves that wet you but nothing like the old j series skiffs.......also I got 33 mph with me my wife my 5 year old a cooler and bimini top up


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## silverbullet (May 29, 2015)

Any issues with the jv17 getting on plane with the 40hp? Do you fish much skinny water in it?


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## ghost8026 (May 29, 2015)

No no issues at all gettin on plane im very impressed with the boat as a total it has smart tabs and im not sure how much that helps but it gets right on up and goes....we left st.marys yesterday and went across intra coastal to Cumberland and it handles great.....ive only had it a week got 9.5 hours on it so havnt got to do much fishing but I hit up alot of creeks and oyster bars with it.....boat floats in about 6" or so of water and with the tilt and trim you can idle very shallow


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## ghost8026 (May 29, 2015)

this was up a very shallow creek at high tide we were up in the grass looking around


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