In the world of small fishing boats, there's the real thing and then there are the pretenders. You know the pretenders: They have all the trimmings ' tackle drawers and rod lockers, fish boxes and leaning posts. But when you get out in a chop, you can feel the difference, the brittle sound of the hull, the way it careens over the waves, instead of cutting through them.

Fortunately, there are a handful of names that deliver quality at a reasonable price, so you can feel safe without breaking the bank. Seaswirl's one of those value brands, and its Striper 2101 Walkaround is one of the best examples.

The 2101 was a late-year 2001 introduction, made later by the fact that Seaswirl's parent company, Outboard Marine Corp. (OMC), went bankrupt in December 2000. Genmar, the world's largest production boatbuilder, bought Seaswirl and several other OMC boat brands, so they're back in business.

When one of Seaswirl's first 'bluewater' boats was introduced seven years ago, the 21-footer had faux fisherman written all over it. It looked wrong for a walkaround ' it sat too high in the water for its relatively short hull length and felt like a tin can even in small waves.

But the new Striper is head and shoulders above that older generation. You see it in the construction, feel it in the ride. The first thing you notice after boarding is the cockpit. It's not huge, but it is deep. The high freeboard gives a feeling of security, and that feeling's enhanced by the design of the transom. Seaswirl changed the transom on the 2101 and gave it a bucket design, rather than running it straight back along the end of the hull like the last generation's.

The new design sacrifices a little cockpit space ' especially with the 32-gallon livewell jutting into the middle ' but it also gives it a more enclosed feel, which is great if you have kids on board. And since this is a walkaround model, as opposed to the more spartan center- and dual-console models that Seaswirl also builds on the hull, you have to assume that families factor highly into the equation.

But so do fish. The 2101 has features you'd expect on a fishing boat, like coaming pads, rod storage, stainless-steel steering wheel and a tackle drawer. But it also has unusual standard features such as a 32-gallon livewell, 28-gallon fish boxes with drains, and raw-water washdown. The baitwell seems large for this size boat, but if you don't want all that weight sloshing around the back, you can stick in a short PVC drain so that it's only half-full. Overall, the 2101 is a serious fishing boat.

It runs like one, too. The 2101 has a new hull that features a longer sheerline and wider bottom. Seaswirl calls it the V Trac, and it rides great. It runs through chop without that speed-bump feel you get from many lighter boats, and then hits the 2-footers in the ocean with gusto. The boat also tracks well. Part of that's because of its 'No Feedback' Teleflex steering, which minimizes play in the wheel. It doesn't wander like a lot of other small boats. That makes it a stiff turner, but for trolling, you can't beat it.

The boat feels solid, too. Seaswirl uses an all-composite stringer system, with a double-sealed hull and deck joint. Waves don't rattle the boat ' you can feel its substance in the chop.

It hits a top end of 41.6 mph with the 150-hp Yamaha SX- OS. For now, Seaswirl's only building its boats with Yamahas, but that'll change when the old OMC engines go back into production under new owner Bombardier. The 150 gets this boat on plane fast, running from idle to 25 mph in just more than five seconds. The 105-gallon fuel tank gives it plenty of range, and the optional trim tabs would be good if you run in rough water.

Visibility from the helm is excellent, and the easy-to-view format of the gauges is much appreciated. Another treat is the nice cut-out space on the helm console to install electronics.

The cuddy fills in with cushions into a V-berth, and has a standard portable head. The only thing that's missing is a table, which Seaswirl took out of this year's model because of owner's surveys. It should at least be an option, considering a galley with sink and stove is on the options list.

There are a couple of thoughtful details worth noting. One is the gunwale from the bow back. The channel turns outward, so that any water running back from the bow ends up overboard, rather than in the cockpit. Another is the fact that you can remove the hatch around the gas tank.

One dislike is the bow seat up front. It might be fine for casting and sitting, but it could be dangerous when the boat's running, especially since the seat doesn't have any handholds.

Otherwise, the new Striper is a winner. It's half the price of some other boats its size with quality built in. That's key when you need a boat to measure up in tough conditions.