The 21 Peconic was born to leverage the myriad opportunities that exist along the diverse coastlines in the Northeast, from DelMarVa, to the numerous back bays that dot the Jersey shore, Long Island’s north and south shores, bays and twin forks waterways, plus New England’s coastal estuaries. Developing a trailerable and efficient, weather-protected platform to support this traditional coastal fishery focus is what the Steiger Craft 21 Peconic is all about. The hull is based on a stable and easy-to-power 14-degree aft deadrise running bottom, with plenty of cockpit space for efficient fishability, fuel-efficient performance and easy clean-up at day’s end. Another benefit of the modified-vee hull is enhanced stability and reduced draft, to be able to fish low-traffic spots close to home base that few other boats can.
Standard features on the 21 Peconic include an enclosed vee-berth in the forward cuddy, with optional Porta-Potti. Insulated boxes set into each transom corner will chill your bait and beverages for the day, plus there’s a removable cockpit-mounted cooler aft of the starboard pilot seat to chill your catch. A roomy dry stowage area is positioned under the port-side helm seat, and the cockpit area aft of the twin pedestal seating will support a wide range of water activities. The built-in hardtop/pilot house offers a quartet of spacious glass windows for both welcomed weather protection on windy or early/late season trips, with an excellent panoramic view of the surrounding waterways. Other notable standard features on the Steiger 21 Peconic include an anchor locker forward, auto bilge pump, stainless steel bow rail, hydraulic steering, recessed trim tabs, port and starboard windshield wipers, opening front windows, plus a pair of flush gunwale mount rodholders. Popular options include a five-rod overhead rocket launcher ($800) which is a must-have option for any serious angler, pop-up cleats ($200), V-Berth cushions ($1,325), a cabin hatch ($525) and tackle box ($400), among other add-ons.
AFFORDABLE PERFORMANCE
Even though optional power packages on the 21 Peconic include Yamaha’s proven in-line 2.7L four cylinder F150 four-stroke and their newer 2.8L F200, the basic power package on this 21-footer is Yamaha’s tough little F115. While your initial impression might be that this 1.8L powerplant is a tad underpowered for this ride, the 21 Peconic’s modified-vee running surface with 14 degrees of aft deadrise makes very efficient use of the 115 prop shaft sea ponies. According to recent factory tests with Yamaha’s field techs, the Steiger 21 Peconic will hit a top speed of almost 38 mph at wide open throttle (6,100 rpm) with a half tank of fuel (30 gallons) and two crew onboard, spinning a 13.25 D x 17 P 3-blade aluminum propeller. That’s impressive considering that this hull is outfitted with a standard fiberglass pilot house setup that definitely increases drag when running out on an open waterway. Dialing it back to a more sedate four grand, she’ll cruise along at 21.5 mph while burning only 4.3 gallons per hour, which translates to 5 mpg. If you need to get to a hot bite with more urgency, dialing in 4,500 rpm will increase your speed to 26.4 mph while consuming 5.3 gph, for a net of almost 5 mpg, so there’s no penalty for going with a more aggressive throttle hand.
If this were my rig, I would probably opt for the F150 four-stroke upgrade ($3,751), which would increase both top-end and cruising speeds, as well as provide a bit more punch when taking a larger crew onboard for a day of bending the rods, tubing it or spending the day at a favorite beachside hideaway. The 2.7L F150 is 105 pounds heavier than the smaller F115 (491-pounds versus 386 pounds) but is arguably Yamaha’s most popular (100,000 sold to date) and proven four-stroke outboard. Whatever powerplant you prefer for your brand of waterborne activities on the 21 Peconic, it’s always a good idea to go with a more durable stainless steel propeller when working with a solo engine in the shallow waterways that this boat was designed to negotiate.
Steiger Craft and their local dealers have been running a summer clearance sale on the Peconic 21 in recent weeks with prices starting at $39,999 outfitted with a Yamaha F115 four-stroke outboard, so be sure to check one out if this vessel is on your short list. For more information, visit the website
Specifications:
Length- 21 feet
Beam- 8 feet
Weight- 2,500 pounds (dry, without power)
Deadrise Aft- 14 degrees
Draft- 9 inches (engine drive up)
Fuel Capacity- 60 gallons
Max HP- 200 horsepower (single outboard)