# 2nd generation Copperhead



## copperhead

Well, after 7 long months, Ankona is pleased to announce our 2nd generation Copperhead.  So what's different?  Just about everything, since the skiff has totally new tooling for every component.  Every change was to improve performance and upgrade the fit and finish.  Length is now 16' 4” with a 70” beam.  Still 11” wide walk around gunnels, but larger front deck and cockpit interior space.  Molded toe rail on the front deck. Twin stern hatches with the port side a standard  20 gal live well ready for plumbing.  All hatches have tight tolerances with flat gasketing underneath for a really dry compartment.  Speaking of compartments,  inside of each have smooth molded structural liners for a great finish and helped us keep the skiff at its same poling draft.

New hull mods include a new drop nose sharp V to give a really smooth ride for a skiff in this class.  Sharp edges on the bottom chines and stern edges (along with other 'secrets') make the hull more efficient.  It planes quicker, turns tighter and is about 10% faster at full throttle with 30hp.

The result?  Large uncluttered deck, faster, dryer and smoother ride, great fit & finish while keeping it a great poling technical poling skiff.

Mel & Crew
Ankona Boats

Ft. Pierce, Florida
772.579.7214


----------



## johnmauser




----------



## makin moves

Nice work guys


----------



## capt_gordon

Sweet!


----------



## rkmurphy

BEAUTIFUL!! Price?! And what HP is she rated for?


----------



## jrod0785

Very very nice! Beautiful boat! Cant wait to see some more pics.


----------



## Cody_F

Needs a bigger logo


----------



## paint it black

Nice! Great to finally see it capped. 
Can't wait to run it!
Hopefully I will be a proud owner of a gen two if i can sell mine.


----------



## thawk

> Nice! Great to finally see it capped.
> Can't wait to run it!
> Hopefully I will be a proud owner of a gen two if i can sell mine.


How much you gonna ask for it?? ;D


----------



## cutrunner

Your gonna have to PAY for all that fish mojo!!! Jk


----------



## Cody_F

Cant wait to get mine.


----------



## copperhead

A couple more pics....

Detail of stern area with finished glass hatch over motor well to keep a really clean look










New hull in a slow speed turn staying on a plane, shows some underneath hull detail (including some masking tape we missed   )










And most of all, thanks for the compliments!

M


----------



## oysterbreath

Mel, I have TWO statements to make:
1.) Thank you for building a sweet skiff at a price that makes a fella like me whose cheap AND poor smile!

2.) Dude you are making it really difficult for me to continue with my plan to build a freaking boat! Really, what are you trying to do? Sabotage my future boat building bragging rights? I was looking forward to a future in which I could say, "yeah, I tie my own flies, build my own rods, and built my own boat!" Now, instead that I'm might have to say, "I tie my own flies, build my own rods, and I watched Mel build my boat!" lol

Great Job!


----------



## Guest

Nice job Mel, that is a fly fishermans wet dream waiting to happen. Oops too late  : keep up the good work and keep moving forward.


----------



## winyahjay

Good call on the motor well hatch - looks nice


----------



## kstovall82

Really nice boat Mel, I had made up my mind on a SUV 17 but now you aare making me rethink. love the motor well, that is one beautiful boat!!


----------



## captd

great lookin


----------



## Surfincb

Pretty darn nice! Still liking the SUV 17  Would love to see that boat in the water along side!


----------



## copperhead

The new Copperhead would not be the skiff it is without experience we had with the SUV 17. The 17 (IMO is a simply great hull underbody, very much under appreciated except for those that own one) and we took those attributes and applied that experience to the new CPH hull.


----------



## Chevystroked383

When's my blueranium one with the forty gonna be done


----------



## johnmauser

> The new Copperhead would not be the skiff it is without experience we had with the SUV 17.  The 17 (IMO is a simply great hull underbody, very much under appreciated except for those that own one) and we took those attributes and applied that experience to the new CPH hull.


Mel, please throw a cover over the new copperhead when I come pick up my 17...my wife would leave me if I bought 2 boats. ;D


----------



## Surfincb

Haha John!! You're gonna love it!


----------



## riptide

boat looks sweet ,very clean ,simple layout .This is how i like to see boats built , i can't stand clutter or a bunch of gadgets


----------



## brew1891

So when are you going to make an 18 foot long, 73-78" wide Copperhead?  ;D

Love the rear double hatch set up. Simple and effective. Looks like you stepped up the fit and finish for sure!

Any hull slap?


----------



## TomFL

I've always liked these boat, and the new changes are really sweet. You guys have designed a sexy boat with a clean and uncluttered interior. 

Should fish like a dream.

Congrats!

-T


----------



## capt_gordon

Mel continues to make a boat for the fisherman. Not for the guy who wants to impress people with how much he paid for his boat. I can tell you from 3 years experience now that the Copperhead is a great boat. Floats as shallow as you could ever hope for. Runs nicely. Poles quietly. If you are a person of character who believes that it's "The man that makes the clothes" ... then this is the boat for you. Good job again Mell. Like I told you 4 years ago, you hit it out of the park. 
PS
Thanks for helping me out last week.


----------



## Guest

Good looking boat. As a new member to the "micro" community what exactly sets this boat apart from others in its class? Sorry if this is off topic by the way.


----------



## makin moves

check out the home page of ankona's web site and I think you will see what sets it apart from others


----------



## Guest

> check out the home page of ankona's web site and I think you will see what sets it apart from others



Checked out the website. Website was mediocre, the boats look good though. I didnt find to much that completely made Ankona as great as I find on THIS website. Most builders offer the same materials and all. I was just wondering if there was something special about them.


----------



## Surfincb

Did you see the asking prices??
Fully custom/completed prices?
Compared to...


----------



## Guest

First off there are no prices on the site as far as I can see. 
Second, fully CUSTOM mean that you can do whatever you want not pick a bunch of parts and have them set in.
There are several other builders that offer the same options and price and a few actual custom builders who do the same. Do your homework. Sorry to shake the Ankona tree, but I asked what sets these boats apart and have received nothing.


----------



## Chevystroked383

Well I have looked at all the others out there and you cant get the anything for what you get an Ankona for I ordered a 2nd hen copper head and got every thing I wanted for under 16000.00 an that's every thing I wanted so keep looking and his craftsmanship is awesome if you don't like it don't bash it there is a boat for every one out there


----------



## firecat1981

gitinit, what other companies have you found that even compair let alone list there prices? I've looked at them all and haven't found one for atleast double the price you can rig an ankona for! We love them here because we all did our research and there is no other builder out there that gives you what Ankona does for the price point! If you really want to see what sets them apart go take a test ride! The difference will be obvious.

PS. if you pay attention to the bragging section you will see every option offered by them started as someone's custom order, and they aren't just stock parts bolted in, he will build whatever anyone wants from gun boxes to towers.


----------



## Surfincb

That's funny, all I did was ask Mel and I got an entire price sheet with all options available. I also spoke first hand with Mel and he was able to do anything that I asked him to do, listed or not on the option sheet. So my homework was done quite well, hence the new Custom Ankona sitting in my garage. You asked for the difference but guess you didn't like it!


----------



## copperhead

Well this thread was really about the 2nd Gen Copperhead.  Something we've worked really hard on.

At Ankona, yes, you can get absolutely any configuration of a skiff your imagination (and wallet) can design.  When possible we use our molded components to achieve the customers' design intents without reinventing the wheel each time.  Just plain common sense to save the customer some $$$.  But if you can imagine it (and have the financial resources) we can build it.

Regardless of the configuration, the customer's skiff will be built upon one of our own refined hull designs.
I'm a nut about having a correctly performing poling skiff and each of our offerings does just that.

So it seems the question was, what makes Ankona different?  Well, just more boat, more performance, more quality for the money.  And to back it up, I'll bring one of our designs anywhere in the state to run with any comparable skiff, regardless of the price, regardless of name.   

So sorry for the less than exotic website, I'm just an engineer, not a marketing guru.  If someone needs a specific quote about their needs, I'm pretty sure those contacts are on the website.

But most of all, our customers are our best testament to what we've been trying to accomplish in the skiff market today.  Couldn't be here without their experiences and feedback.

Thanks to them!

M


----------



## Cody_F

Well Gitinit if you Take time to look at bragging spot there are plenty of CUSTOM ankonas... My build Especially....Mel can build what you can imagine  Enough said


----------



## iMacattack

The troll has left the forum but I can guarantee he is still reading. It very bad form to register on a forum under an assumed identity then proceed to bash your competition. Please feel free to remain an ex-member.


----------



## High + Dry Adventures

I could rain down $1,000,000.00 in $1 Bills and there we be at least one person complaining that they are not $20 or $100 dollar bills. 

If your serious about any boat, go to the plant, see how its made, meet the people behind the scenes, and learn the story of the boat/company from the owner. No website can do all that.

I cant wait to take delivery and belong to this family.

Thanks alot Mel
;D


----------



## capt_gordon

> It very bad form to register on a forum under an assumed identity then proceed to bash your competition.


That's pretty funny right there I don't care who ya are.


----------



## firecat1981

Curious? So who was it? [smiley=stir-pot.gif]


----------



## oysterbreath

I hope gitinit is with Hells Bay and they decide to lower their prices to compete! I'd love to buy a brand new yet stripped down glades skiff at Ankona prices! lol


----------



## Guest

> I hope gitinit is with Hells Bay and they decide to lower their prices to compete! I'd love to buy a brand new yet stripped down glades skiff at Ankona prices! lol



Thanks not going to happen! ;D The nee Glades Skiff is now a mix between the Glades Skiff and the Gordon Ambush.


----------



## johnmauser

> I hope gitinit is with Hells Bay and they decide to lower their prices to compete! I'd love to buy a brand new yet stripped down glades skiff at Ankona prices! lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks not going to happen!  ;D  The nee Glades Skiff is now a mix between the Glades Skiff and the Gordon Ambush.
Click to expand...

The hell's bays are beautiful, but you may as well save some cash and buy a new copperhead, and an SUV17.


----------



## TomFL

> Well this thread was really about the 2nd Gen Copperhead.  Something we've worked really hard on.
> 
> At Ankona, yes, you can get absolutely any configuration of a skiff your imagination (and wallet) can design.  When possible we use our molded components to achieve the customers' design intents without reinventing the wheel each time.  Just plain common sense to save the customer some $$$.  But if you can imagine it (and have the financial resources) we can build it.
> 
> Regardless of the configuration, the customer's skiff will be built upon one of our own refined hull designs.
> I'm a nut about having a correctly performing poling skiff and each of our offerings does just that.
> 
> So it seems the question was, what makes Ankona different?  Well, just more boat, more performance, more quality for the money.  And to back it up, I'll bring one of our designs anywhere in the state to run with any comparable skiff, regardless of the price, regardless of name.
> 
> So sorry for the less than exotic website, I'm just an engineer, not a marketing guru.  If someone needs a specific quote about their needs, I'm pretty sure those contacts are on the website.
> 
> But most of all, our customers are our best testament to what we've been trying to accomplish in the skiff market today.  Couldn't be here without their experiences and feedback.
> 
> Thanks to them!
> 
> M


I, for one, am more *turned off* by fancy websites and a big corporate marketing program than I am turned on by them. 

Build me a good boat, with the features I want, that I can afford to buy and operate. Everything else is fluff. 

I've never been out on your hulls, but I've stood on them and looked 'em over real nice. If they perform 1/2 as good as they are built and look (and I'm sure they do because you guys are building a loyal following) then word of mouth will be the best advertising you can have. 

Keep up the good work, love seeing all the custom touches you guys come up with. Very customer oriented. 

-T


----------



## oysterbreath

> I hope gitinit is with Hells Bay and they decide to lower their prices to compete! I'd love to buy a brand new yet stripped down glades skiff at Ankona prices! lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks not going to happen!  ;D  The nee Glades Skiff is now a mix between the Glades Skiff and the Gordon Ambush.
Click to expand...

It was a joke...
I think the copper head moved up in my list of my top 10 skiffs.


----------



## Capt_David

Very nice Mel....


----------



## Shadowcast

I got to dig around the new Copperhead last weekend down in Ft. Pierce....awesome little skiff!!


----------

