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Carolina Skiff 1780 DLX

This 17-footer is a functional, no-nonsense craft, and its affordability makes it that much more attractive.

Carolina Skiff is one of the nation’s leading builders of stable and durable boats. Its skiffs represent some of the most versatile watercraft around; they are virtually unsinkable and run in extremely shallow conditions. One of the latest in the company’s DLX series is the 1780 DLX. This 17-footer is a functional, no-nonsense craft, and its affordability makes it that much more attractive.

_SPECIFICATIONS _LOA: 17’2″ BEAM: 93″ DRAFT: 4-8″ WEIGHT: 800 pounds FUEL: 18 gallons PRICE: $10,350 (w/o engine) Carolina Skiff Fulford Road Waycross, GA 31503 800-422-7543 www.carolinaskiff.com  All DLX skiffs are built with a generous beam (the 1780 boasts a beam of almost 8 feet) and high-density foam crossbeams fiberglassed into place to form an extremely sturdy 100-percent composite hull that is impervious to the saltwater environment. Its wide, flat bottom provides an incredibly stable platform that hardly rolls as you move around the boat. Traditionally, the one drawback to this type of hull design is that the ride can be quite jarring in sloppy conditions. Carolina Skiff addressed this problem and created a larger running surface to cover more water and stretch over the chop.
It finished the hull with its patented splashguard design to keep you dry, and the boat’s splatter-coat interior makes it simple to maintain. One nice feature of the 1780 is the option of a large bow deck insert, which serves as a perfect casting platform, while the standard center console and built-in “flop-back” bench cooler seat provide ample room to maneuver around the boat safely.  With the casting deck installed, the area underneath it becomes a large, enclosed storage space. The hull’s shape also allows a 90-hp engine to push the boat at nearly 40 mph and provides tremendous range at cruising speed.

The DLX series of boats comes as a basic hull that you can configure to suit your needs. Options like the bow deck insert, rear deck inserts, Bimini tops, railings, a poling platform and even a choice of colors and layouts let you customize the 1780 DLX.

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