Thought it would be a good idea to share some pros and cons we've developed after having this boat for a couple of years. Maybe this can help you decide which boat would be right for you.
Great review. I'm in the looking stage and have this or the frontier 2104 on my short list. Having the option to put a porti potti on the Keywest is huge plus for my girls.
Hi, you have one of the best ,honest reviews ive seen for this model. Ive gone over it a few times. Especially when i was waiting for my to arive. I have a 2021 210br in blk. Literally the same as yours except for a lowrance hds live 9
Thanks for the kind words and congrats on the new boat. I believe in the new model they may have corrected the front live well issue and I think they added the foam padding to all the hatch doors. Would love to know how you like the boat.
@@homemadechow3532 I just put on a suzuki 200, just waiting fir the digital gage to come.then its water time. And yes when i picked up the boat they now come with thick blk foam insulation on the underside of the lids. Btw are you a member of the KW boat owners association?
It's better to move that winch stand down a few holes and avoid trolling motor damage. Even though your boat will come forward a few inches, tongue weight can be compensated with what gear/fuel has been placed on the boat. That forward live well is a problem. Great fix for that cooler insulation, I'd want Key West to eliminate that cooler totally. Put your own Yeti or similar in that spot as a seat. Nice review!
Very helpful overview. They should make the bow step a cooler and the console seat a live well. I think that’s a more typical layout. You may be putting your trailer to deep in the water when loading. Trying not going in as deep so the boat rides up on the bunks and use the outboard to push it up to the bow roller.
I have a 2013 210 Bay Reef and some things are slightly different. I’d love to know how to go about changing my captains bench to the version you have on the 2018 model. Enjoy’d your review. Stay safe out there!
Thanks for the reply. There are several manufacturers out there that make options. Ours came with the boat. I bet if you contact a dealer or key west directly, they can tell you what company makes them.
Nicely done. My 2016 210BR is my third Key West. We get an immense amount of pleasure using it, especially with the grandkids in the Florida Keys. Ours has the F150, sadly the 200 was not in the budget, but it does fine, and I had it up to 49mph, downhill with the wind. I ordered mine with the front seat cooler insulated, but it still isn't too effective because, as you pointed out, there is not a good seal along the top. I am mulling around the idea of how to improve the seal. I would have preferred a standard cooler in front of the console, with a padded top. Enjoy!
@@1973superdad it’s a 21’ bay boat, so you have to pick your days. I don’t enjoy getting beat up. I live in Palm Beach County, where the water depth drops off fairly quickly, so we only need to go out a few miles to hit decent spots, or troll for dolphin. The biggest factor for determining if I am going out are the inlets. That where you can get in trouble if you aren’t experienced or paying attention to conditions. A strong east wind with an outgoing tide can create standing waves which spell trouble for even much larger boats trying to come back in. Down in the Keys we have been 20 miles out on pretty days.
@@stevej677 thanks for the reply. Ive seen some of the boat fails at the inlets, it can get out of control fast. Ill be doing most of my boating on the gulf side but in occasion may trailer down to the keys, will watch the weather. I realize its a small boat for the big water but good to hear its workable if you wait for the right conditions.
Why the hell would you buy three of these things? These boats last forever if you take care of them. They don’t have a lick of wood in them. The only thing you have to eventually replace is the engine and small electrical things like bilge pumps and speakers if you have a radio. We have a 1999 196 Bay Reef. It has already lasted 23 years and it’ll last at least another 20.
@@UltraMagaFan I agree, they are great and last a long, long time. The first was a 1720, great when the kids were small. Upgraded to the 186BR for a little more power and space as they grew. Then along came the grandkids and my wife uttered those famous words, “We need a bigger boat!” So now we’re in the 210BR and loving it.
The weather strips were added by the dealer we bought it from. They did it after market and I found that you can buy the same stuff from home depot or Lowes. It's a marine grade weather stripping. I was skeptical on how well the adhesive would hold, but it's been over a year since they added it and they are still going strong.
I have the 230br. How many times have you kicked the bottom rod holder on the side of the boat? I'm about to cut the lowest rod holder out or break a toe. We will see what comes first. I too have the same front livewell issue. I still love the boat though.
There is room for one rod on each side that can be up to 9 ft I believe. Even though there is room for 3 rods but only one has an extra tube to allow for the added length. Oh, and thanks for the compliment on the boat. Not garage kept but we keep a boat cover on it every time we are done using it.
@@homemadechow3532 Thanks for the response we’re looking at getting a bay boat in this category 20 foot etc. I heard Key West is a good boat thanks for your post tight lines happy holidays to you!
Beautiful boat. Considering this model, mainly for inshore fishing. Hope Key West has addressed the leaking live well. Other than that it looks perfect to me.
Thank you. This boat has been great for inshore fishing. We also use it for scalloping and fresh water fishing and cruising. Drafts in about 15 inches fully loaded. After 5 years of having it, we still love this boat. I highly recommend it. Let me know if you get one.
My Tidewater boat's front livewell does the same thing. When I'm underway, water is pushed into my livewell plumbing, thus filling my livewells. The front livewell will overflow unless I reach inside and close the fill valve by hand. On mine, it's just a simple ball valve, so it's easy to do. But that's a beautiful boat you have. I'm glad to hear you're still satisfied with it. I'm going to hit a boat show in August, and maybe they'll have a few Key West boats to look at.
I used an exterior weather striping. It's still working however, there are a couple small ares the glue is free. I'd like to get the new hatch foam that comes with the 2022 and 2023 models. I've tried to contact Keywest about it but I get nowhere.
I used velcro strips. This way I can take it off if I need to clean it. I wrapped the sides like a blanket and also added a bottom piece with a through hole for the drain. The bottom piece is attached to the side insulation with velcro also. It works so much better. I still want to add some foam to the lid in order to get better insulation there. As it is now, the ice will last at least 6-7 hours on a really hot day, when it used to only last 2 or 3 before.
The other I have with mine is the rear live well is a pain to get to with the leaning post and if you have a Bimini top and have it laying down in the back to be able to cast, you can’t open the rear live well. Small inconvenience.
So true. If I'm fishing for the day, I'll try to leave the Bimini top at home. If I need the top for some reason (multi purpose day) I'll flip it forward toward the bow so that we can get to the live well easier and give more room on the back deck.
Yes, it can be at times. In order to get around the leaning post, you have to step up on the deck. Thankfully, there's plenty of room on the deck. It is a little tight. I believe the 230 Bay Reef would solve this problem, or at least give more room.
Actually, this boat comes standard with a fold down grab rail and an easy to remove windshield. However,, the helm seats have the high back with rocket launchers on it and that would hit the door. Its about 2 inches too high. I keep mine outside under a boat cover.
Homemade Chow thanks for the reply👍. Maybe deflating the tires might give some clearance for winter storage🤔. My garage is 30ft in length so I’m just looking around. Would be nice if it could fit inside.
@@Gewgoal You could remove the tires and use wheeled dollies under the hubs. Engine would need to be tilted up then. Or a welder can hinge the seat backrest. That would mess up the anodizing at the weld, requiring touchup.
The roughest conditions were 3 to 4 ft seas with 4 to 5 seconds between. Winds roughly at 15 to 20 knots. The boat did fine. we had to be very deliberate our direction and slow with our speed. We never went over 10 MPH. Mostly cruised at 7 to 8 MPH. The water never pushed over the bow but the winds caused the spray to get us pretty good. I would not recommend going out with conditions like this at all. But all in all, we made it back in and the boat did fine. FYI, Forecast called for 2 ft seas with 8 seconds in between. Later that afternoon, things changed rapidly.
No. Just a 24 volt. And that has been enough for this boat. I've been off shore 20 miles in 3 ft seas with 15knot wind and the spot lock worked like a champ.
