If you’re a first-time boat buyer or just looking for something to explore small tributaries and bigger Bay waters, the Key West 1720 CC is a can-do boat.
“Our most popular model, year after year since 1992,” proclaims the Key West website.
“She just fits,” says Tom Marlowe, longtime Director of Sales at Key West, with a smile, “fits your budget, fits your fuel bill, fits your tow vehicle, fits your family, fits your needs, fits your garage (in case your HOA doesn’t allow boats parked outdoors).”
There has always (or at least for 60 years) been something special about 17-foot center-console skiffs that could go shallow or safely handle wide, choppy coastal bays like the Chesapeake. The Key West 1720 CC remains a worthy example of the breed.
We had a chance to live with one around Annapolis back in 1997, when Suzuki made it available with a then-new 70-hp four-stroke outboard. She carried that 340-lb. engine well, but Key West rebalanced the model around 2006, Marlowe told us, to carry 90-hp four-strokes better. The company shifted the battery from the starboard stern quarter to the console, moved the fuel tank forward 4 inches, and increased its capacity from 31 to 40 gallons.
“The most popular power has always been a 90-inch, he said, but a 70 is adequate for many uses,” he says. The current 1720 CC has the same running bottom as its predecessor in 1992.
Key West Boats believes in the enduring quality and seaworthiness of the 1720 CC enough to enter it each year in the Florida Skiff Challenge, a grueling, 1,300-mile circumnavigation of the Florida peninsula.
“She comes through just fine,” said Marlowe. (His son Mike is one of the skippers.) Trim tabs are optional on the 1720 CC “but generally not needed,” Marlowe added. The boat planes around 18 mph with a 90-hp engine and no tabs, topping out at 40.
With a 70 (the horsepower limit for the Skiff Challenge), she planes a little lower (and even lower with tabs) and tops out in the low 30s. The 90 would be the choice for lakes and the Bay tidal rivers, the 70 for broader, rougher waters. The 1720 is not the best choice for extreme conditions like jigging on a winter’s day off Smith Point in the mouth of the Potomac or at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, but with prudent operation in reasonable weather, she’s plenty able just about anywhere in the Chesapeake.
The boat’s current mold was created in 2016, Marlowe tells us. The designers raised the topsides and cockpit sole two inches so the boat would self-bail with people aboard. They modified the console to accommodate flush-mount electronics, rounded the corners there and on the windshield, and softened the lines. The 1720 is now quick to release water and available with wiring for a bow-mount electric motor, dual batteries, and an on-board charger.
So what qualities build the enduring appeal of this modern classic?
•Versatile, open utility boat for water activities around the Bay and its rivers. A Bimini top (optional) fits on for lazy family days.
•Efficient enough for light tackle and fly-fishing. (Think Eastern Bay, Tangier Sound, Mobjack Bay, or the Poquoson Flats.)
•A “little big boat” that’s seaworthy for her size.
•Relatively simple in layout and economical to run.
•Sturdy, well built, and easy to maintain.
•Trailerable and easy to launch behind a compact SUV or small pickup.
•Holds value; Family boats like this are often passed down from generation to generation.
Most buyers are serious fishermen, but plenty of people still buy the 1720 CC for general family use, sunset cruises, dock and dine trips, and sandbar visits. MSRP for a 1720 is $37,122 with a Yamaha 90 outboard and trailer. Key West dealers in the Chesapeake include Sports Marine, Inc., Newport News, VA; Garrett’s Marina & Boat Sales, Bowlers Wharf, VA; Holly Acres R.V. & Marine, Inc., Woodbridge, VA; Gootee’s Marine Inc., Church Creek, MD; Annapolis Boat Sales, LLC Chester, MD; Anchor Boat Sales, Inc., North East, MD.
