Big Little Bay Boat

TIME TESTED
Big Little Bay Boat
t
JOHN BILDAHL
he origin of the center-console
skiff is a matter of some debate.
Boston Whaler and Aquasport
might have been the first to introduce this practical design in the early
1960s. Shortly after, in 1968, a new company in Hialeah, Fla., named Mako
Marine Inc., began offering 17-, 19- and
22-foot center-console skiffs for sale.
Powered with twin 85-hp engines and
equipped with a then-unimaginably-large
52-gallon fuel tank, the 22-footer became
one of the first blue-water-capable outboards, while the 19 built a solid reputation as a good all-around family-fishingutility boat. Today, Mako Marine builds
highly evolved descendants of those two
models, though the “big” 22 is now considered only medium-size at best among
today’s offshore center-consoles. Current
Makos range up to 28 feet long.
Meanwhile, the 17 has had a nearly
40-year run as a tough little skiff that
performs well with modest power, but
when operated prudently can handle
much rougher seas than the dedicated
skinny-water hulls. It trailers easily behind medium-size pickups and SUVs,
and like its larger sisters, it serves waterloving families well in a variety of activities. Despite several changes in company
ownership and a host of new model introductions in other sizes, the current
model, the Mako 171, is only slightly
changed from the original, a testimony to
the fundamental value of the boat.
Even though the 171 is still very much
available as a new boat, there are plenty
by John Page Williams
of older 17s still active in the hands of
appreciative owners, some of whom have
gone to considerable lengths to customize
them for their particular uses. Rainmaker
is a good example of the latter, a 1975
17-foot Mako that served its owners,
Sherman and Diane Baynard of Centreville,
Md., so well that instead of buying a new
boat seven years ago, they sent the ’75 off
to a fiberglass shop for modifications that
precisely fit their needs (they like to go
fly-casting in shallow water).
By the way, if it sounds as though I
have some opinions of my own about
Mako 17s, it’s because I lived with a 1972
model for 21 years, using it for water-skiing,
swimming, picnicking, island and river
exploration, fishing and even education.
It’s no accident that her name was School.
▼
The Mako 17 is one tough cookie that can
tackle Bay waters with the best of them.
TIME TESTED
For its entire history, the Mako 17 hull has
had a semi-V bottom with a transom
deadrise of 12 degrees, a sharp forefoot
and molded-in chines to knock down
spray, plus low sides and a self-bailing
cockpit (a universal Mako characteristic).
The curved sheerline and graceful bow
flare give it a classic look. In 1976, Mako
Marine raised the sheer several inches,
increasing the hull’s weight from 1,050 to
1,200 pounds but preserving the boat’s
attractive appearance.
Rainmaker came from the last model
year of the originals. The Baynards like
their hull’s low windage, since they
spend considerable time drifting across
grass flats and along marsh banks in the
Chesapeake. The shallow-V bottom gives
them good access to these places. When
they get there, the combination of hull
shape and molded chines make the hull
a stable fishing platform.
People who shy away from low-sided
skiffs should spend some time in a Mako
17. The bow has more than enough
buoyancy to rise to large seas, while
heavy spray and the rare bucketful of
green water coming over the bow runs
right out the aft scuppers. The boat inspires what might be termed prudent
confidence. It certainly qualifies as a
“little big boat.”
The hull is not, however, without its
vulnerabilities. Any 17-foot boat is going
to bounce around in the kind of short
chop that nearshore waters frequently
produce. Driving this hull hard into 2- to
3-foot washboard seas will rattle teeth,
kidneys and gear. It’s important to learn
how to make it happy, especially by
slowing it down and balancing it carefully so it can ride the seas instead of
skipping from crest to crest. There’s no
coincidence that after running our boats
in stock condition for a number of years,
both the Baynards and I installed 9-by12-inch trim tabs. Mine were hydraulic
and perfectly satisfactory, but Sherman
Baynard wanted to avoid their complexity and opted for Lenco electric models
instead. Either way, the tabs make a
good boat better. (They are an option on
the current Mako 171.) “They’ve made
30 CHESAPEAKE BAY MAGAZINE June 2006
JOHN BILDAHL PHOTOS
Design
Rainmaker more seaworthy and improved its ride,” Sherman says.
The Mako’s rod storage space (top) and unclut-
Construction
Preceding page: Rainmaker in action.
Mako construction has always been
hand-laid fiberglass. Though modern
171s have integrated fiberglass stringer
systems, Rainmaker’s stringers are marine plywood, heavily glassed into the
bottom and transom. Following Coast
Guard regulations, the space between
the hull and cockpit liner is filled with
closed-cell foam. The hull-deck joint is
fastened with both stainless steel hardware and adhesive, with a heavy-duty
rub rail over the joint. Mako Marine was
one of the first builders to place aluminum fuel tanks under the cockpit sole,
foamed into place in a fiberglass tray.
The cover for the tank and the base for
the console is a balsa-core hatch, bedded
in silicone rubber caulk and fastened
down with stainless steel screws. Decks
were and are still cored with balsa.
The construction is robust, but over
the very long working life that many of
these boats and their owners enjoy, problems crop up. An obvious one is water
intrusion into the balsa core via deck fasteners that have worked loose over time.
Check to see that these fasteners have
been carefully rebedded periodically to
keep the core dry. Another is that the aluminum fuel tank will, sooner or later,
corrode and begin to leak.
tered helm station (bottom).
Rainmaker’s helm station (note the “custom”
cooler-seat).
When I repowered School after 16
years, I pulled the tank as a precaution.
Corrosion was well advanced, and
though it was still leak-free, it would not
have lasted another season. A local yacht
yard fabricated a new one, and I installed
it, but it was a nasty job for a do-it-yourselfer with modest skills. When Sherman’s
tank let go last fall, he wisely finished the
season with portable tanks and then had
a new one (aluminum, coated with polyethylene) professionally installed.
Water intrusion into the plywood
stringers and transom is a more serious
issue, in part because getting full access
to them is difficult. It is, in fact, the problem that caused me to part with School
after all those years. The condition is
often repairable, but it is not for the faint
of heart or the impatient, and it involves
a lot of cutting. If a picture is worth a
thousand words, visit www.classic
mako.com/ and look through the photos
of the project boats. You’ll get an immediate idea of how loyal some Mako
owners are to their boats, and the
lengths they go to in restoring and customizing them.
On Deck
Speaking of customizing, consider Rainmaker before and after its visit to Martin
CHESAPEAKE BAY MAGAZINE June 2006
31
TIME TESTED
Hardy of Composite Yachts in Trappe,
Md. It is (and School was) Mako’s 17
Standard model, with an open cockpit
from the aft end of the bow deck all the
way to the transom. From 1972 through
1995, Mako also offered a 17 Angler
model, with a bulkhead containing a
fishbox and a livewell molded across the
transom. The boat was popular, but that
big bulkhead required the scuppers to
run into internal hoses that could become clogged and interfere with water
running out of the boat.
Rainmaker came with a single swivel
helm seat that interfered with anglers in
the stern. Sherman Baynard removed it
and ran the boat standing. (School
actually came without a seat. Neither of
us ever missed having one.) To make
his boat fly-fish-friendly, Sherman had
Composite Yachts replace all of the
standard cleats with pop-up models and
remove the teak step pads, with their
line-snagging screws. The standard
console remained, but it lost its windshield and gained a flush-mount compass and a low-profile grab rail. Sherman
mounted a Lowrance LMS337 combination GPS/fishfinder with silicone adhesive.
A handheld VHF and a cell phone
round out the minimalist electronics
inventory. The helm seat is a cooler with
a cushion on top. When I asked what
holds it down, Sherman replied “my
butt.” While fishing, he can slide it
against the console, out of the way for
the stern angler.
One important new feature for Rainmaker is rod storage. Sherman designed
a horizontal pocket for fly rod storage.
Composite Yachts built a special mold for
it, laid it up and installed it. It will hold a
surprisingly large number of rods, if they
are stowed carefully. The starboard side
of the console holds vertical holders for
six spinning or plug rods.
Power and Performance
When the Baynards spotted Rainmaker
on the used-boat market in the late 1980s,
it had a 48-hp Johnson, which provided
marginal power at best. They replaced it
with a Johnson 70, which mostly did a
fine job, though Sherman notes that it
32 CHESAPEAKE BAY MAGAZINE June 2006
labored getting onto plane with four
people and a full livewell aboard. When
they had Rainmaker reworked, the Baynards installed a three-cylinder Yamaha
90 two-stroke, an engine known for
power with light weight. In a test ride,
Rainmaker turned in an easy cruise of 25
to 28 mph at 3800 to 4200 rpm, burning
5 to 6 gallons of fuel per hour. Top speed
was 35 mph at 4900 rpm.
Today, a new 171 comes with a broad
choice of new clean two- and four-strokes
up to 115 hp, but for anyone who lives in
chronically choppy waters, the top-end
speed of the larger engine may be wasted,
unless the boat does double duty with
slalom or barefoot skiing.
Prices and Availability
Mako Marine offers a new 171 with a
Mercury 90 Optimax direct-injected twostroke for $20,195. From there, prices
drop all the way to a $1 bid on eBay for
a project boat in poor condition. Ten-tofifteen-year-old boats with motors and
trailers range between $5,000 and
$12,000. To find a new-boat dealer,
check the Mako Marine website. For a
used boat, search the web and keep an
eye on the classified ads.
Conclusion
“I don’t have any interest in a larger boat,”
Sherman Baynard replied when asked.
Diane added “Rainmaker is a big seventeen-foot boat. It meets all of our needs.
It’s an ideal shallow-water Bay boat, a
good tool for what we use it for.” Simple
and direct, that’s a strong reference. ■
MAKO 17
Manufacturer
Mako Marine
2500 E. Kearney
Springfield, MO 65803
417-873-4555
www.mako-boats.com
Production
1968–present
LOA
17'3"
Beam
7'2"
Transom
deadrise
12 degrees
Weight
1,500 lb
Fuel
37 gal
Price range
$5,000–$20,000
Maximum
engine weight
420 lb
Draft
9"