When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Shallow Sport 20 ft. Flush Deck 2009 and the Shallow Sport 21 ft. Sport 2010 are tunnel designs with fiberglass construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 200 hp for the Shallow Sport 20 ft. Flush Deck 2009 and 200 hp for the Shallow Sport 21 ft. Sport 2010. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 43 gal and 43 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.

For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Shallow Sport 21 ft. Sport 2010 is rated for 7 passengers, while the Shallow Sport 20 ft. Flush Deck 2009 caps at 6. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Shallow Sport 21 ft. Sport 2010 could be the deciding factor.