When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Southern Skimmer 1970 Skiff 2009 and the Southern Skimmer 21 Skiff 2008 are modified vee designs with composite 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?
On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Southern Skimmer 1970 Skiff 2009 at 19,1 ft versus Southern Skimmer 21 Skiff 2008 at 21,0 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Southern Skimmer 21 Skiff 2008 tips the scales at 125 lbs — 114 lbs less than the Southern Skimmer 1970 Skiff 2009 at 11 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.
Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 100 hp for the Southern Skimmer 1970 Skiff 2009 and 115 hp for the Southern Skimmer 21 Skiff 2008. 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 — 26 gal and 26 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.
For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Southern Skimmer 21 Skiff 2008 is rated for 14 passengers, while the Southern Skimmer 1970 Skiff 2009 caps at 1. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Southern Skimmer 21 Skiff 2008 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the Southern Skimmer 21 Skiff 2008 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 14 passengers and at 21,0 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Southern Skimmer 1970 Skiff 2009 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 1 that costs less to run day-to-day.