I’ve owned several Carolina Skiff J-series boats over the years.  They are inexpensive, utilitarian boats that are designed to serve a simple purpose - a basic boat that’s supposed to be tough and low-maintenance.

Overall, Carolina Skiff makes a decent boat for the price.  When you look at the insane prices that Boston Whaler is charging for even their smallest models, a Carolina Skiff may start to make more sense.  The basic construction of a Carolina Skiff s low-cost, using chopper gun layups with a foam and fiberglass floor as the boat’s structure.  The company claims this construction method results in a boat that is stuff and unsinkable.  That much is true, however the foam inside the boat has an uncanny habit of absorbing water, should any unsealed holes int he floor be present.  This isn’t a Carolina Skiff-specific issue though, I’ve seen many boats using closed-cell foams absorb water like a proverbial sponge.

Putting this aside, my J12 and J14 boats have been good to own and lot of fun. They are very easy to trailer, and although they slide very easily in turns, they also draw very little water.  I never had any problems with them, so I thought I would give the new JV model a try, since it looks much better than the typical squarish, flat bottomed Carolina Skiff.

:: The Carolina Skiff JV13 has a familiar style - click on image to enlarge ::

I went down to the local dealer and ordered a JV13, and requested that the boat not have any of the standard electronics and accessories installed.  The factory had no problem meeting this request, and they provided all of the accessories with the boat separately.  Why did I do this?  Because I do not want any holes drilled into the floor of the boat for accessories I’ll never use.  No holes means no chance of the boat getting water intrusion into the foam.

The boat’s construction appears more robust, although it’s basically the same as a J model.  The obvious resemblance to a Boston Whaler is not coincidental, and it’s one of the reasons I chose this model in addition to a better ride in saltwater.  The gelcoat is pretty well finished, and overall mold quality is pretty good.  The installation of the seats and front deck is very neat, and unlike the previous J skiffs I owned, there are no stress cracks anywhere on this boat.  No, the mold and finish quality of this boat is not up to Boston Whaler standards, but neither is the price either: the JV13 sells for about $2300.

I’ll be rigging this boat with a new Yamaha 15-horsepower two-stroke engine.  That should be enough power for it, though this boat is heavier than an equivalent J model.  We’ll see, but I would rather not have a 20 or 25-horsepower engine that would be heavier and require bolting through the transom.  I’ll post more photos and a report on how well this little boat runs.  Thanks for reading.

Related Links:

• Carolina Skiff Boats