Wellcraft boats

[SandsharkPolar]

I see alot of Wellcraft boats for sale on cr-list both W/A and center consoles. Are these boats worth buying? Do they have wood floors the reason people get rid of them? Also, I like to get a boat that is composite. Which one should I look at thats reasonably priced. Probably buying a used boat. Thanks.

[Bass_Appeal]

proline , i have the 96 251 model ...very well constructed at a reasonable price ....no wood ! i believe fiberglass over composite construction they have deep v's and handle well under bigger swells they are the broke mans fishing boat , make sure u look for something with a 4-stroke

[Gerry Zagorski]

Wellcraft is one of the more popular brands and that is why you see a lot of them on the market. They also hold up pretty well if lightly used which is why you see a lot of old ones around.

I like their lay outs a lot, especially if you are looking for an express or walk around boat that you can fish and do some cruising with too. Cabins are usually very well appointed but that does tend to cut into your cockpit space.

They tend to have modified not deep v hulls. Good news is it does not take a lot to power them but the trade off is they can ride a bit hard in the seas.

I would keep them on my list of boats to consider if I could find a clean one at the right price.

The Coastals are very popular in our area. If you intend to keep it in the water, stick with either a straight inboard or 4 stroke outboards. I/Os are way too problematic if you keep them in the water all the time.

[Capt. Debbie]

Gerry makes a lot of good points. In fact almost all the Sea Tow boats we ran 1990's- 2004 were all Welcrafts. And none were new. All were taken from jobs. 2/4 were twin I/O's. Great hulls. Funny. With identical power our 27 footer was 5 knots faster than the 26 footer. Hull shape was much better on bigger boat.

Wellcraft are good boats. They are not Grady's. And they are light years from Bay Liners.

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

Wellcraft is one of the more popular brands and that is why you see a lot of them on the market. They also hold up pretty well if lightly used which is why you see a lot of old ones around.

I like their lay outs a lot, especially if you are looking for an express or walk around boat that you can fish and do some cruising with too. Cabins are usually very well appointed but that does tend to cut into your cockpit space.

They tend to have modified not deep v hulls. Good news is it does not take a lot to power them but the trade off is they can ride a bit hard in the seas.

I would keep them on my list of boats to consider if I could find a clean one at the right price.

The Coastals are very popular in our area. If you intend to keep it in the water, stick with either a straight inboard or 4 stroke outboards. I/Os are way too problematic if you keep them in the water all the time.

[Capt. Lou]

I've owned only one Wellcraft boat but have owned ten
Boats .
I bought 33' coastal new & ran it for twelve seasons . I ran this hull in Fl prior & liked the way it handled & layout. !
I could have bought a variety of boats at the time. & looked over plenty in this size
Ran this hull for 12 seasons & had very few issues , handled seas very well & hull etc held up very well with proper care
I could run knots 20 Knts in. 5' seas comfortably when needed & fishing room was exceptionally good. !
These hiulls have been on the market nor for over twenty five seasons without change that says a lot about the boat !
Not sure on other models I would put this one up with the best , I got what I paid for very good value !!

[Mark215]

I owned a 1998 aquasport 215 explorer its the same boat as a wellcraft 210 coastal. They were made with solid glass transoms and decks with composite stringers. Pretty well made boat I thought. Also had a plastic fuel tank.

[MoparCharlie]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

They tend to have modified not deep v hulls. Good news is it does not take a lot to power them but the trade off is they can ride a bit hard in the seas.

The Coastals are very popular in our area. If you intend to keep it in the water, stick with either a straight inboard or 4 stroke outboards. I/Os are way too problematic if you keep them in the water all the time.

Gerry nailed it !!!

Friend of mine had a 2002 22 W/A Volvo I/O.

great boat for good weather...anything over 2-4 was a really hard ride and drift

5 years (250 total hrs.)then the powertrain started to fall victim to saltwater...risers, then starter, then bellows...realized at that point outboards were the way to go and he sold the boat.

He was the second owner...the original owner only put on 42 hrs. in 4 years.

[Striper80]

I currently own a 99 22WA and so far so good. I bought it cheap from the PO. The boat has a few issues but they seem to be more owner related than manufacturer related. So far I'm happy with the ride.