There are four main criteria most folks use when considering a boat
purchase: price, quality, performance and features. What many people forget, though, is that
especially with smaller boats and boats in the lower price ranges, those four items are
inextricably linked. You want a lower price? Then you have to give up some quality, some features
or some performance. It's cruel math. This is why price alone shouldn't be a deciding factor; you
have to look at all four ingredients and find a boat that gives you a good mix. For an example of
how this works, just look at VIP's new Victory 2102 XL RE, a boat that does a pretty good job of
hitting the right blend.
Start with the quality, because that's the one thing you can't improve later. The Victory
2102 XL RE comes with a full deck liner and all-composite construction for durability and a ride
that sounds and feels solid, even in fairly rough conditions. This type of construction costs more
due to the added molds, but the long-term benefits of strength and stamina make it worthwhile. And
while VIP may not have the name recognition of some brands, the company has been building boats
since 1968. You don't survive in the marine market that long if you crank out inferior products.
While some features can easily be improved or added a year or two down the road, such as
gauges or pop-up cleats, some can't, and those deserve a lingering look. The Victory 2102 XL RE has
one feature that's pretty impressive for a 21-foot runabout ' an enclosed head. Okay, a head with a
pop-up privacy tent, but still, it's something you don't expect, even as a $300 option. Lift the
rear bench seat, fold out the tent and voil', there's a head. Granted, it's not something that
adults will get a lot of use from, but the kids probably will, and shy folks will appreciate a
private changing room. The head can even be opened with the Bimini top up (a nifty little piece of
engineering).
The Bimini top, by the way, is standard, and is tall enough for a 6-footer to stand at full
height underneath. Also standard are a cockpit and a bow cover, as well as a four-speaker Sony CD
player, a sink, a flip-up bolster seat for the driver, docking lights, and a glove box and in-floor
ski locker that both actually lock.
Another feature that will be appreciated is the transom walkway so you can get from the
cockpit to the swim platform without clambering over the sunpad. It does come with a price ' the
rear bench seat loses one person's worth of room ' but it's a price willingly paid for the added
ease of access. The walkway is put to good use, too, as VIP has put a self-draining cooler in the
transom walk-through floor.
To an extent, performance can be added or improved down the road by doing something as easy
as switching props, or something as extensive as upgrading the entire engine. But unless you're a
habitual tinkerer, it's probably best to start with the best performance package you can get up
front. On the BW test boat, power comes from a 260-hp, 5.7L MerCruiser EFI with an Alpha drive ' a
package that performs well. In slightly choppy conditions, the test boat accelerates impressively,
going from 0 to 30 mph in 4.4 seconds, and reaching a top speed of 51.2 mph.
The Victory 2102 hull delivers a good ride at all speeds. It smooths out the chop as well as
could be expected for its size, keeps the cockpit nice and dry, and responds well to steering
commands. Its high-speed turns are confident.
The most notable aspect of the Victory ride, though, is how secure and cozy it feels inside
the cockpit. The cockpit is very deep, with extra-high gunwales and a windshield that's tall enough
for even a 6-footer to actually look through while at the helm. And it extends forward quite a bit,
so that the overall sense is one of sitting 'in' the boat instead of 'on' it.
You'll appreciate the design from the view at the helm, where that tall windshield is a
serious bonus. There are few things more aggravating for a tall boater than having the windshield's
top line fall right into the center of your field of vision. What a pain to have to constantly
crane your neck to see over it or hunch down to see through the windshield. Full instrumentation,
including rocker switches for the electronics, and a stereo remote so you can override the bonehead
who keeps changing the station on you, are all right in front of you. You can monitor everything
without taking your eyes off the water ahead.
Finally, there's the price. With a price of $32,600 (with the 260-hp, 5.7L MerCruiser engine
package BW tested; base price is $28,900 with a 190-hp, 4.3L MerCruiser), the Victory 2102 XL RE
isn't the least expensive boat on the market, but it's not exactly a budget-buster, either. Some
recommended options, such as the enclosed head ($300), a stainless-steel prop ($340), and snap-in
carpet ($360) will drive the price up a little, but they're worth it. Sure, some of those items
might be found on similar, less expensive boats, but that's when you have to ask exactly what
corners may have been cut to get that price down. With the Victory 2102 XL RE, you're getting what
you pay for ' a solid, well-built boat that's going to last a while.'