# Sticky  Shipoke 14 Micro-skiff review



## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

Shipoke 14 Micro-skiff review
Capt. Jan Lemieux

In a departure from tradition this review is posted within the confines of the community forum. Also it is with a heavy heart this will be the last “official” microskiff.com® review I’ll do for the foreseeable future. For my last review a better micro could not be found in the 2011 Skipoke 14’ Micro-skiff.

Four decades ago the first Shipokes plied the gin clear waters of the Florida Key’s. Derived from the venerable Sidewinder hull as the brainchild of Fred Archibold. Many of these skiffs are still in use to this day. However with the economic downturn in full swing Shipoke as a skiff building company was lost as a causality of poor times. Then in 2011 business partners Chris Homer, Tri Pham and Eugene Son revived the brand. Their intentions were simple, keep what made the original 18’ Shipoke legendary, throw out everything that didn’t.

As with any acquisition they got more than one skiff or one name. They ended up with a solid family of skiffs. One of which is another classic revival their 14’ Micro-skiff. The lineage of this skiff also has roots in the 1970’s as a derivative of the Banana River skiff. 

The Shipoke 14’ Micro-skiff is purpose built as a shallow water, poling skiff. Sight casting and fly anglers take notice; this skiff was designed with you in mind. There are no openings where you stand and cast. No creaky hatches to spook the wary game fish, no hatch corners to snag loose fly line. 

Shipoke tips their hats to the bait angler as well with a livewell. While not unique to Shipoke, including a fully plumbed livewell in the base price of a 14’ skiff is. In the test model the livewell was located on the rear deck, in future models it can be located in the front to reduce the need to go back and forth to refresh your hook with another tasty morsel. 

Price includes items such as side console, 25 HP Etec outboard, trailer, trim tabs, livewell, LED running lights, and custom poling platform. The custom platform has two push-pole stake out tubes included in the base price. Storage for up to four fly, spinning or bait casting rods, two rods per side. More rod storage would be nice though.

The skiff is assembled as three parts, hull, top cap and cockpit liner. Fit and finish is good overall. All wiring uses quality components but more importantly every wire is tagged with what it connects to. This is a very nice addition for anyone who has ever had to chase an electrical gremlin. 

Running characteristics of the 14’ Mirco-skiff have been massaged over the decades and it shows. I shouldn’t do this, but this is the best running microskiff I have run in the 15’ and less range. The skiff we tested had an Evinrude E-TEC 25hp and bone stock prop. With over 400lbs of persons onboard the boat easily scooted along at 31+ mph. With trim tabs, tilt and trim and judicious use of power time to plane was quickly achieved in less than 4 seconds. I found it next to impossible to throw the skiff into a turn that it didn’t eat up. 

This is also one of the beamiest 14’ skiffs out there. The beam is 70” which, when compared to its LOA of 14’ has a beam to length ratio of 2.4:1. Using this ratio, an 18’ skiff would have to have a 7’ 6” beam. By comparison the 18” Shipoke’s beam is 7’. This ratio makes for a very stable fishing platform. It also increases the footprint, which reduces the skiff’s draft. Less draft equals getting a little closer to those shallow tailing fish. 

Being lightweight, the 14’ is a breeze to pole. Short LOA makes for quick and precise turns. Beam also lends to a stable feel on the platform. If the angler has to quickly readjust their stance the person poling the skiff won’t have to play acrobat artist to remain balanced. 

There is no such thing as a perfect skiff. Microskiffs are notorious for their lack of available storage. This means that builders must use every inch of available space wisely. Skipoke does a good job if making use of available space however a few item need to be mentioned. The plumbed livewell is a great touch, but does take up a lot of space. Portable fuel tanks increase the use of available space versus purpose built ones. The cockpit liner gives the skiff a very nice finished look, but add weight and reduce storage somewhat. The side console is nice as a standard feature, but makes access to one of the two rods that can be stored under it tight. Lastly the walking gunwales are very generous, a little too generous. This makes the cockpit seam smaller that it really is.

Shipoke 14’ Micro-skiff is a solid little skiff with an all inclusive price which makes it a compelling option to add to anyone’s search for their next micorskiff.

Cheers
Capt. Jan 

Manufacture Specifications: 
Model: Shipoke 14' Micro-skiff
Length: 14'
Beam: 5' 10"
Dry Weight: 400 lbs
Draft: 5"
Max Horsepower: 25 HP
Max Speed: 34 mph
Useful Load: 950 lbs. (motor, gear, people)
Occupancy: 3 people (700 lbs.)
Base Price: call for pricing
Side Console Boat, 25 HP Etec Motor and Trailer

727-560-7688 
http://shipokeboats.com/
Email: [email protected]





































































































(microskiff.com® is a registered trademark of microskiff.com and has no connection to Shipoke Custom Boatworks, LLC or the Shipoke 14’ Micro-skiff)

[edit]prices removed[/edit]


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

Gotta be the nicest 14'er out there!


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## EER (Jul 16, 2011)

A true micro, a lot of nice features and a good looking skiff. I like it.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

Sweet ride!


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## Dsmethie (May 8, 2011)

What a beautiful piece of 14' eye candy! Capt. Jan didn't get pics of any nook & cranny storage places if there were any..lol Seems like a Yeti tied down on the casting deck would be mandatory for food, beverages etc.


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## sageman (Sep 8, 2011)

Flatscat, the storage is limited but if you arent using bait the livewell does a great job for food and drinks. Otherwise we can build it without the livewell and it adds a fair amount of storage.
Thank you all for the kind words we appreciate it.


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

Thanks for another great review.


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

Stellar review Jan. That is one sweet boat.


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

Looks good ...

That price is as shown ? 

Thanks for all your hard work and time ...


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## sageman (Sep 8, 2011)

NoeEttica.
Yes, that price is as shown.


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

That is really nice !

Looks like a good value ...

I come through Safety harbor often 

It used to be the home of "spaulding Craft"

back in the Day


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## sageman (Sep 8, 2011)

Drop by for a visit next time you are in town


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## Flyguru420 (Jan 4, 2012)

Shipoke,

Great looking skiff. I like the polling platform you guys used. The hull does seem a little flat which would lead me to think it would slide in turns but Capt. Jan said it ate up the turns. I know micro skiffs are not built for big seas but how does she handle in a bay chop? Why is the max power so low. I know people will say 30 is all you need but max power should at least push the boat in the 40's. It should definitely hold a 40 etec. Glad to see shipoke back in business.


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## sageman (Sep 8, 2011)

Flats Maniac,
first off, thank you for the nice words. The boat holds it's own in a bay chop. As far as the speed and hp go, it's not really built for speed. The 25hp gets it up and out of the hole in a hurry and holds a good steady speed. I like hauling the mail as much as the next guy, but i'd rather be in a bigger boat while doing it. We realize this boat isn't for everyone, but it does what it's built to do very well.


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## davefishing (Dec 16, 2011)

Does anyone know if there are any you tube videos of this boat running, slow speed, trolling speed, like to see how it performs at slow speeds as all the pics show the stern low in the water except high speed. How many gallons is the livewell?


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## sageman (Sep 8, 2011)

It's a 12 gal. livewell and I will put together some vid this week. I've been meaning to do it anyway.


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## [email protected] (Jun 23, 2011)

Saw the boat at Fl Sportsman show in Ft Myers on Sat. but no one was around to answer any questions. Well not ready for a new boat now anyway. It was a nice clean looking boat.


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## sageman (Sep 8, 2011)

I'm really sorry we missed you. Please give me a call with any questions you may have and I will be happy to answer them. Just so you know the 14 is down at Trapper Marine in Naples if you'd care to see it again.
Chris


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## stasponge31 (Apr 24, 2012)

Does anyone fish one of these in North Florida? I've been really checking these boats out and would love to know how they handle the fishing in my area. I know that a 14' flat bottom boat isn't made for long, comfortable runs but, how does this boat handle a chop? Can you stay on plane in a 15-20mph wind(I don't want to start quantifying chop size as I know it can be a touchy subject) and not get beat up too bad. I know it would get a wet and bumpy, that is expected. Just wondering if you would have to limp back at idle speed to keep your teeth from getting knocked out. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Tight Lines!


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## sageman (Sep 8, 2011)

Boney,
There is one at Sadler Point Marina in Jax. I am sure Brooks would be happy to show it to you.
4669 Roosevelt Boulevard 
Jacksonville, FL 32210
(904) 384-1383
If there is anything we can do in the meantime, don't hesitate to let me know.
Chris
[email protected]


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## johnathanhulsey (Mar 27, 2012)

Anyone seen any of these out in Texas? Or any videos up yet? Looking for a new boat and this looks to fit the bill.


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## RAWWATERFIHING (Jul 19, 2012)

What's the price range?


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

This is an "entry level" Gheenoe 

If you want to play at 20 mph in a light chop move up to an LT-25 at many times the price rigged ...

But you MUST also possess the skill set to operate safely ;-)

_



Does anyone fish one of these in North Florida? I've been really checking these boats out and would love to know how they handle the fishing in my area. I know that a 14' flat bottom boat isn't made for long, comfortable runs but, how does this boat handle a chop? Can you stay on plane in a 15-20mph wind(I don't want to start quantifying chop size as I know it can be a touchy subject) and not get beat up too bad. I know it would get a wet and bumpy, that is expected. Just wondering if you would have to limp back at idle speed to keep your teeth from getting knocked out. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Tight Lines!

Click to expand...

_


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

also ... as soon as the fab shop gets my camera_ "Jib"_ finished expect some new videos ...


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## racer04 (Aug 31, 2013)

How long is the front and rear deck on these?


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## sageman (Sep 8, 2011)

64" Front deck
48" Back deck.


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## Damon (Mar 24, 2014)

Looks like a great boat. I think I'd have to put a bigger motor on there.


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## KurtActual (Sep 25, 2017)

Rather than start a new thread, did this hull mold get sold to IPB/Bonefish Boatworks?


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

KurtActual said:


> Rather than start a new thread, did this hull mold get sold to IPB/Bonefish Boatworks?


Rocky Creek, Shipoke, Bonefish, IPB and Sabolo are/were all part of the same boat group
5 Companies that all have models that compete with each other.

You can see on IPB's website they still list the 18 as "shipoke 18" and the shipoke 14 is not the "Inshore 14"
https://www.inshorepowerboats.com/inshore-14

The hatch layout they show in the pictures is different from the Shipoke 14's that I saw. The shipokes had a solid flat deck which in my opinion looks a lot nicer than the IPB molded cap.

They are cool boats. Really beamy and stable. A friend of mine had one for a very short period and I see the general lee orange one on the water here.


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## KurtActual (Sep 25, 2017)

Thanks for the reply!
The Inshore 14 shares some of the same photos from earlier in this review, which is why I believe the hull mold is the same, IPB just put a different deck on it.


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## KurtActual (Sep 25, 2017)

IPB has removed the Inshore 14 from the website. Any clue who has these Shipoke 14 molds? The one in this thread is just beautiful


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## rks36 (Mar 6, 2021)

That is a sick boat!


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## Earle Waters (5 mo ago)

iMacattack said:


> Shipoke 14 Micro-skiff review
> Capt. Jan Lemieux
> 
> In a departure from tradition this review is posted within the confines of the community forum. Also it is with a heavy heart this will be the last “official” microskiff.com® review I’ll do for the foreseeable future. For my last review a better micro could not be found in the 2011 Skipoke 14’ Micro-skiff.
> ...


I only ever saw around my parts the ones Freddie build picked up a used jet boat skiff he build and it was skinny running for sure but did not work for all the floating grass we get🥱😎🇺🇸


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## Earle Waters (5 mo ago)

The pictures looks like it would have been the best choice of the line for me👀😎🇺🇸


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