2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

[Al19067]

can this boat be used for nj bays? im sorry i dont know anything about boats and im looking to get one soon to use for bays

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?id=2660

that's a nice looking rig. Like all boats, it has advantages and disadvantages. As far as operations, it will be like the ever-popular 17' whaler and the newly popular Carolina Skiff DLX series.

Looks lightweight which means it can get away with a little less power, but don't under power and don't get a smaller engine to save money (or fall for the bass pro underpowered package trick). Let's let the 17' whaler guys recommend the HP.

You will be able to go anywhere, and get home safe in bad conditions, but you will get wet. To me, it looks like the bow will throw spray forward which will then blow back. The ride will be bumpier than a deep V but maybe that hull design tempers it some. (Don't let anyone tell you it will "beat you to death"; if that was true, the 17' whaler would not be a top seller for what 50 years?)

It's roomy and makes good use of space. Great family boat for general use. Easy to run, store and maintain.

I can't speak to price/value and I am a true believer in buying used, but like cars, it's just opinion. Mako does nopt have the good reputation it used to and is seen as a cheap-o. Go compare the price of a new 17' whaler to get the other extreme (top quality, astronomical price).

Your direct question "use on NJ bays" needs to be supplemented with "for what?" your boating conditions are the same as mine. No you can't go out in more than 15 mph winds striper fishing at night in December. You have to pick your days to go out in big water. Most people with boats like those go to big water on the few calm days, but enjoy them on the lee of the shores, in the creeks and marshes, etc.

 

[Philster]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

Which bays? You don't see skiffs on the Delaware Bay.

You don't see skiffs on NJ Intercoastal Waterways (much).

You do see them tending to marinas and in/around coves and sounds.

Tell me more about your geography.

NOTE: these are generalizations. Sure, people do anything from time to time, but I haven't seen many skiffs in/around NJ. Boated there for 39 years.

 

[Al19067]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

Which bays? You don't see skiffs on the Delaware Bay.

You don't see skiffs on NJ Intercoastal Waterways (much).

You do see them tending to marinas and in/around coves and sounds.

Tell me more about your geography.

NOTE: these are generalizations. Sure, people do anything from time to time, but I haven't seen many skiffs in/around NJ. Boated there for 39 years.

Im thinking more like delaware bay, and mostly spring and summer fishing, its only gonna be used for fishing, this would not be good for the delaware bay??

 

[Philster]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

No.

But, mind you, this board will inevitably have someone who chimes in to brag about how it is okay, provided you are as experienced a seaman as they are, and will reference nasty ocean adventures from which they returned unscathed in their 9' tenders.

You need a V-bottom boat, and 22? of deadrise is the recommended minimum. This is an excellent starting point for you.

Fishing in Spring finds one in some snotty water, and summer too, and I think your experience will be a positive one in a v-bottom boat with 22? of deadrise or more. Otherwise, you'll feel miserable every time you go out.

You can find plenty of center consoles with high gunwales (prounounced 'gunnels') and a dry ride that is safer and doesn't batter your brains out.

(deadrise: refers to the angle of the V at the transom or near it). Small differences are huge. For example, in snotty Del. Bay water, with 20? of deadrise, you'll get your as# handed to you. You'll feel battered and beaten. With 22? of deadrise, you will find moderately snotty water to be ok. With 24? of deadrise, you probably won't even slow down much in moderately snotty water. You might never feel the hull 'slam'.

 

[Al19067]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

No.

But, mind you, this board will inevitably have someone who chimes in to brag about how it is okay, provided you are as experienced a seaman as they are, and will reference nasty ocean adventures from which they returned unscathed in their 9' tenders.

You need a V-bottom boat, and 22? of deadrise is the recommended minimum. This is an excellent starting point for you.

Fishing in Spring finds one in some snotty water, and summer too, and I think your experience will be a positive one in a v-bottom boat with 22? of deadrise or more. Otherwise, you'll feel miserable every time you go out.

You can find plenty of center consoles with high gunwales (prounounced 'gunnels') and a dry ride that is safer and doesn't batter your brains out.

(deadrise: refers to the angle of the V at the transom or near it). Small differences are huge. For example, in snotty Del. Bay water, with 20? of deadrise, you'll get your as# handed to you. You'll feel battered and beaten. With 22? of deadrise, you will find moderately snotty water to be ok. With 24? of deadrise, you probably won't even slow down much in moderately snotty water. You might never feel the hull 'slam'.

thank you, i was alson thinking about a carolina skiff

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

I would recommend a carolina skiff. Philster would not.

 

[Philster]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

Home Cookin', you hedged in your first post within this thread:

"Most people with boats like those go to big water on the few calm days, but enjoy them on the lee of the shores, in the creeks and marshes, etc."

Additionally, I surfed around and the boat posted in the OP subject is targeted towards just what I indicated: Sounds, coves, back bays, etc.

Much comes down to opinion... but in this corner, in addition to me opining about hulls, manufacturers and boaters/fishermen of the waters in question (Delaware Bay) have opined as I have: Get a V-bottom boat.

Skiffs and such are nice for the waters that have already been highlighted. Additionally, if you ever want to expand your horizons, forget it. Ain't taking no skiff through any inlets in Cape May County and/or surrounding counties.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

Take the advice of people that boat there. Philister is correct and I will refer you to your opening post where you stated " im sorry i dont know anything about boats"

I doubt Philister wants to read any local story where a boater gets hurt and in-particular in his area.

A good boater will know his her limitations and a wise boater will adhere to them.

A v-bottom in your area is probable a better choice as a starter rig.

Please take a boater safety class BEFORE you purchase.

Merry Christmas

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

maybe we both need to temper our advice some. If he's talking about going out into the middle, or across, the Delaware Bay, which is no different from the lower Chesapeake Bay, then the real problem is not hull design as much as boat size. For a novice, 17' is too small regardless of hull, and I don't think that a V over cathedral hull is going to make the difference, nor will 2* of dead rise. In other words, you and I should not be sending him out in any 17' boat to the middle.

If on the other hand he's talking about the edges, either style will work. His first post was not at all specific; his second suggests big open water.

We may disagree whether a 17' whaler is as safe as a 17' parker, but neither is the boat for him if he, as an inexperienced boater, is set on getting away from shore, right?

Here is a Delaware Bay fishing forum, although it isn't as active as the Chesapeak Bay sites: http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/6-Delaware-Angler
nevermind the guy who caught all the fish from the 18' Parker

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

I was more focused on the new to boating aspect

Weather changes fast!

 

[Philster]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

Meh -- I am not a Whaler fan.

The OP can weigh the feedback accordingly and acclimate himself with locals. Fishing grounds in the Delaware Bay are out in the middle of the bay. That's miles out. Or, farther on the DE side, along shipping lanes. Other tempting areas are Cape May Point (The Rips) and some inlets (um... we're talking dangerous water).

Inland, behind the barrier islands of NJ, I'd have no issue, ergo the 'sounds, coves, etc" advice. As soon as the OP said "Delaware Bay", I scratched Skiffs off the list.

I mean, if he comes back and says something so narrow and specific as, "I just want to fish right on the Delaware Bay right where the Maurice River delta is", then the Skiff becomes a viable option. Just constrains you to almost no opportunity to expand one's territory.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

Oh the whaler design is safe however.......... not the best for cutting waves and I would opt for larger V-hull in the new to boating status......

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

I love it when people start talking about a boat they know nothing about. The boat in question has a inverted V bottom/hull. It will be fine in a bay, atleast alot better than a carolina skiff. The boat will ride through choppy waters alot better than a v hull or flat bottom boat. It will also be a stabilier fishing platform and turn better than the other boats mentioned. Not to mention can run on less hp because of the design of the hull. Is it a deep water boat, no. But pick your days on the bay and you will be fine. Boston whalers, carolina skiffs and many others in this size group will beat you to death!

That being said, I think the new makos are built cheap and look terrable. Go look at the new skiffs and see if its worth 14G to you. Mako's in general since about the mid 90s just are not what they use to be.

 

[Philster]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

"Pick your days on the bay and you will be fine."

"Is it a deep water boat, no."

Does chriscraft254 boat on the Delaware Bay? No.

Where is Louisville's big water bays?

.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

Sorry, but a 10 degree deadrise will beat you up in a chop....... regardless on how it is marketed.

I grew up on salt water in bays and the ocean and being hammered even as a kid was a pounding

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

"Pick your days on the bay and you will be fine."

"Is it a deep water boat, no."

Does chriscraft254 boat on the Delaware Bay? No.

Where is Louisville's big water bays?

.

Umm, you question my experience by looking at the place I live now?? I grew up in Norfolk Virginia, Connecticut and North Carolina. So I will let you figure out what bays I have been on and what waters I have experienced. I was basically born with a boats steering wheel in my hand. I have been boating since I was about 10 years old by myself! I was probably concieved on a boat,lol I know bay waters well and gave my opinion on the style boat the op asked about because I have first hand knowledge of there performance compared to others. This isn't the first inverted V hull boat ever made and it won't be the last.

I invite you to come see how nasty the waters can get here in the louisville area as well. I spend about a hundred days on the water a year, and most of those days are days that most people would rather stay home. The best fishing is when it is the worst weather in most cases. Except when it floods here and muddies the river.

I have beaten myself to death many times on small skiffs over the years, that doesn't mean they arent sea worthy. Would I chose to do that today, no, I prefer a boat that meets all my needs from inshore lakes and Rivers to offshore riggs. My opinion is exactly that, my opinion. But it does have some experience behind it.

I also don't agree with your quote about a dead rise needing to be 24 Degrees to be a smooth ride through rough water. Though dead rise is a factor, it isn't the only factor that makes a boat ride smooth. The weight, style of hull, trim tabs, speed, etc all are factors. Not to mention the time between swells, wind, current etc.

 

[Philster]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

I question you because we have an inexperienced OP asking about the waters of the Delaware Bay for fishing, and if I were 'New Guy' I wouldn't want to be the only guy with a particular configuration of boat.

An experienced Salt with intimate knowledge and who understand the nuances and pros/cons (beyond a crash message board course) could step outside the bounds of what is normal and move forward.

I don't think you're wrong; I thing you are operating from an ideal, theoretical position formed over years of experience -- experience that is working against you in lining up the best suggestion for an inexperienced boater who wants to fish in a bay that is never nice. Granted, the Whalers and more advanced inverted V hull boats and skiffs referenced might be better than a basic flat bottom boat that will always rattle one's spine, but if I have to send a new guy out in his first boat into a bay that is always crappy and is averse to skiffs and their modified types, I am sending him out in a reliable, well-gunwaled, dry and stable boat -- one that is typically found and operated in the waters in question. I believe meeting the bolded criteria is important and necessary in this case.

I don't think I have anything else to add. Thanks. ~Phil

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

Chriscraft and I are on the same page on this one. and I think we have the same experiences and prefer the same kinds of boats.

Except I don't think whalers are that bad as far as "beating you" but then when I was in them more frequently than now, I wore a younger man's shoes.

One of my favorite fishing memories was in the early 70's going out of Rudee Inlet a few miles out in the Atlantic, my dad and me, his friend and his 2 boys, in the 17' whaler in the early spring. We got into those big old chopper bluefish and filled the cooler like cord wood. It was the blue hull whaler with the wooden console and the windshield tilted forward. Maybe we did get "beat up" but it was too much fun to remember that part.

 

[dingbat]

Re: 2012 MAKO? Pro 17 Skiff CC

The things you learn on some of these threads. I just learned that I'm supposed to feel battered, beaten and miserable when I run the Delaware Bay because my Grady has inadequate deadrise to deal with the conditions. I?ll have to remember that the next time we fish the Rips

A 17' boat is too small and the freeboard on the Mako is nowhere close to adequate for the open waters of Delaware Bay. Having said that, in my younger days we fished the "Outer Wall" and the "Ice Breakers" on a regular basis with a 17' tri-hull. We got our butts handed to us once or twice but I'm here to say it's possible to do in a boat that size. Just not fun at times.