# Anyone own or know someone with a Mako 17 Pro Skiff?



## tguasjr

What issues are you experiencing? Just curious.


----------



## Williamgon

What issues are you having? 
I have one ( 2012, 60 hp merc). I live in miami and issues so far has been some of the hardware is corroding like the eyelets or loops where the straps for cooler, battery and gas tanks go through. I added to mine a second 6.6 merc fuel tank. only other issue has been two blemishes or air voids on starboard side of the hull which i just got it back from bass pro and they fixed it no questions asked. looks like a good repair. 
This little thing pretty darn good out there, I've taken it out to stiltsville and alll around key biscayne and virginia key and took 2-3 ft wave from large yacht that blew passed us.  no problem, a little rough but not bad. good hull design. but what do i know its my first boat. LOL. i was skeptical of engine because its a merc that they assemble in china, (merc build 40-90 hp 4strokes in their china plant), but engine has been great aside from loose propeller hub which has been resolved.
I'm looking to add the trolling motor, bimini top and bow fishing seat in the future. btw the trailer is pretty nice also.


----------



## sparknasty

Well them main issue was the intake for the aerator is placed to high on the transom so it sucks air when you get on plane. They covered it free of charge, but mako/tracker's fix for the issue was a pvc that extends the intake a little lower. The fix is not very pretty but you cant see it in the water and it keeps my bait alive. 

Overall I couldnt be happier with this boat, I put a 55lb minn kota trolling motor on and a transducer. I love this boat and the price was right for a brand new. I mainly fish the flats here in clearwater and tampa, but I take it offshore quite often to fish the entrance aids, 2-3 ft is definately max but it is very stable with such a wide beam. If you need any pointers on putting the trolling motor on hit me up.


----------



## Williamgon

funny you mention that about the aerator, i took mine cause i thaught the pump took a dump on me when i was in john pennekamp. shop said it was just and air pocket. Now i what what to do next time it happens. I'm having another issues now :'( i just noticed there is water stuck in the bow that doesn't drain out. its right under the top shelf storage. I hope its nothing major, but check yours just in case. i noticed mine when moving trailer and listening water slooshing around in the bow. I will let u know what the out come is.


----------



## Williamgon

hey what prop do you have on your motor, stainless steel or alum?


----------



## sparknasty

I have a SS prop. I believe it is called a Savage. I shook my boat back and forth to see if I could hear any water up in the bow, and did not hear anything. Did you ever find out what was causing this? Also with the aerator problem it will keep sucking in air until you have mako/tracker fix the problem. I believe it is anything above 1700 rpm's and the aerator intake will be above the water line. I would call the cooporate office, which is what I did to finally get them to fix it.


----------



## sparknasty

Also do you know anyone else with this same boat?


----------



## Williamgon

I have a mercury spit fire 14 in pitch, thats what it came with. I'm looking to upgrade to the stainless steel. when did you buy your boat? i believe the stainless was standard and than later in the year they change it to the aluminum spit fire with 14 inch pitch. For the 2013s the stainless is optional (Mercury Vengence). I believe the stainless steel is a 13 in prop. check and see if u can get a part # off the prop hub. I got mine in july, production date of may.

As far as water in the bow its still at bass pro since friday waiting on their reply regarding the matter and no i dont know anyone else with this boat other than you. LOL. i did see a customers boat like ours there and this guy installed speakers and a radio!  
speaking with the service guys they told they had one case where water was getting in through the hull from an air void on the fiberglass it self! i guess the resin didn'y bonded the fibers well and delaminated. i didn't ask what was the outcome on that though. i just hope its something stupid and not a hull defect. I will mention about the aerator to my service guy. 
Thanks.


----------



## BANGING_OUT

I have one and havent had any issues. I did speak with one of the techs at bass pro and he stated that many of the issues with water in the hull are due to people drilling hole in the bow deck and not properly sealing them.


----------



## tomahawk

I looked at one at Bass Pro and the gel coat under the non skid was bubbled up in several palaces....big bubbles like 3-6". Looks like a cool boat but there appear to be quality control issues.


----------



## Dsmethie

> Just wanting to get in contact with some owners or people who know owners of the new Mako 17 Pro Skiff.  I own this vessel and have had some issues with it, and am just wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same issues, and what they have done to resolve them.  Thanx


aparrey, check out 2coolfishing.com forums. it's a texas site and there are quite a few guys running the pro 17.


----------



## joebucko

Newbie to microskiff and I own a Mako Pro 17 Skiff CC. I really like the boat because it is incredibly stable and simple. Haven't had any problems with the hull de-lamination but did want to comment on the rusting hardware on the holddown strapeyes. I believe the factory just used aftermarket chromed strapeyes that came along with the straps so I replaced mine with inexpensive Seadog stainless strapeyes from http://www.downwindmarine.com/Sea-Dog-Tie-Down-Eye-Strap-Stainless-Steel-p-91002073.html.

I added a nice SS folding bow cleat. I'd add a picture but being new have not figured out how to do that as yet. As previously mentioned there are a lot of Mako Pro Skiff owners on the 2Coolfishing.com site.


----------



## Williamgon

here is an update from the last few months since i posted
I bought a 2012 proskiff 17 in july of last year(horrible buying expierence at Bass pro Dania Beach)and a month or two later i shook the the hull while it was on the trailer and heard water inside the hull inside the bow. I took it in and it spent there a month and all they did was lift it up at 45 degree angle and oncluded it was my fault the water got in the hull







[/img][/img]because my hitch is too low( which it isn't and i always take the plug out when i pull it out the water). it sat for dry no watre in the hull until fan 25 and i took it out in calm seas for a spin and anchored to fish. I pull it out 3-4 hours later and pull drain plug a little bit of water comes out( a cup or so) i shake the hull and you can hear water inside. called tracker and they had me drop it off at Bass pro so that they can truck ship to another part of the state for diagnosis. boat been sitting for over 2 weeks waiting on the transport truck and nothing all this while i'm still making payemnts. i've include pics of the lower bow under the gunnel where some fiberglass defect can be seen. very poor quality and craftsmanship if you ask me. does anyone know how to add pics


----------



## Salty_South

I ran several charters out of the pro 17.  I liked the ride, draft, and the nice open layout.  Super stable.  The baitwell and bilge setup was awful.  The glassjob was terrible (cosmetically).  The skiff (an older one) was ok.


----------



## Williamgon

I agree the glass job is horrible, like i told everyone at bass pro and at the Miami boat show,  I'm NOT expecting CONTENDER like quality, but i expect a boat that is water tight to a certain extent. I had a friend that use to build boats look at it and his conclusion was water is coming in from the bow. when running slow or hitting waves, basically anytime water splashes up into the gunnel on the bow, where the seam for the deck liner and hull meet, it is held by rivets and its seperating away from each other, it was not even sealed with any sealeant from factory. if you see the pics you'll noticed it. I got to figure how to post pictures LOL, I've been without the boat for 3 weeks just this tuesday or wednesday it was picked up by truck to be transported to Bradentown bass pro for diagnosis(still waitng to see what there own diaggnosis is?) and repair. all while i'm still making payments, they'll give it a half as* repair and after 6 weeks probably send it back to me and expect for to bend over and take it and put my family onboard!  I can honestly say avoid the newer makos at least in this size catergory , the quality and customer service is definitely not there. :'(


----------



## swampfox

I had a Mako inshore for years. Quality of fit and finish is not what a it used to be with Mako. There were cosmetic issues with the gel. The battery platform came loose and punched a massive hole into the liner. The intake for the aerator was plumbed about six inches down with PVC pipe. Just looked cheesey. I think I had it about 5 or 6 years. And it was great little skiff despite these issues. Especially for the money. Check your shark eyes if you have em. They are known to leak. I sealed mine on my Lostmen as soon as I got it. It sounds as if the deck to hull seam is not sealed good if its getting that much in. My Granddads Tracker bass boat did that. We noticed that it was running odd. Like it had no power. So we stopped to check the prop. Then I noticed we were sitting kinda low. I popped the rear hatch. And Holy Shiat! It was slam full! So we hauled ass back to the ramp. Luckily we were on the way back in. And not too far from the ramp. We were on lake Jesup in aligator alley. Not a good place to go for a swim. we actually had a hard time finding it. The way we finally did. Was I would stick my head in the hatches while running. Saw where it was coming in on the rear left side. My Lostmen holds water on each side from the sponsons. So I take my old Noe bilge(large sponge) and get the water out. Look for areas that in the water when running. Unless you store it outside. The you may have some plugged drains. And the water gets past the hatch seals. I get most of my water from the car wash


----------



## firecat1981

I'd start looking at Lemon law stuff now, or try to sell it off, things can only get worse with age.


----------



## jms

> I'd start looking at Lemon law stuff now, or try to sell it off, things can only get worse with age.



it's a boat - not a car

"lemon law" doesn't apply...


----------



## firecat1981

Lemon laws can be applied to more then just cars. I've "lemon Lawed" a laptop and a lawn mower before. They do apply to most consumer products as long as certain requirements are met even though they are mostly applied to cars and trucks.

http://www.boatlemonlaw.net/

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/how-to-use-the-federal-lemon-law-to-get-rid-of-lemon-boat

http://www.lemon-law-types.com/boat-lemon-law-laws-boats.html

I'm not trying to be negative, but my confidence in the boat would be weakened by all the issues and bad customer service.


----------



## jms

> Lemon laws can be applied to more then just cars. I've "lemon Lawed" a laptop and a lawn mower before. They do apply to most consumer products as long as certain requirements are met even though they are mostly applied to cars and trucks.
> 
> http://www.boatlemonlaw.net/
> 
> http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/how-to-use-the-federal-lemon-law-to-get-rid-of-lemon-boat
> 
> http://www.lemon-law-types.com/boat-lemon-law-laws-boats.html
> 
> I'm not trying to be negative, but my confidence in the boat would be weakened by all the issues and bad customer service.



if any of those "lemon laws" could actually be applied,there would certainly be a lack of complaints concerning manufacture's problems...


----------



## Williamgon

UPDATE: boat has been back from the Brandentown florida shop since last week and i went to pick it up last weekend but i didn't accepted it. more on why later on.

Here is what they found while up in bradenton all this time, they found that there was foam blockage in the center of of hull drain tunnel around rigging tube or ahead of it, that wouldn't let water drain from the inside bow. they cleardd this out. they stated water was getting through all the components mounted to the deck like console, fuel tank and cooler eyelets, so they sealed them with 5200 like it should've been done at the factory, none of these boats come with those sealed. theyre just screwed into hull, no sealeant. boat still came back with the gaps on the bow where the hull and liner are sealed together and missing rivet. the BPS in miami is adding marine tech sealant and the missing rivet and fixing the scratch on starboard hull that occured in bradenton. hopefully this will be the end of water in the hull issue. more to follow and pics to follow


----------



## Fragger

wow just bought a 2013 pro 17 and was very impressed with the style and looks of the boat. it had no motor as it was a theft recovery. the boat had been stolen in 2013 and siting in storage minus console and motor. So i am having a 60 hp mercury big foot installed. Just doing research, sold my Whaler to buy this boat so we'll see.


----------



## Smackdaddy53

Fragger said:


> wow just bought a 2013 pro 17 and was very impressed with the style and looks of the boat. it had no motor as it was a theft recovery. the boat had been stolen in 2013 and siting in storage minus console and motor. So i am having a 60 hp mercury big foot installed. Just doing research, sold my Whaler to buy this boat so we'll see.


They are known to have a lot of issues so I’d research and get familiar with what to check.


----------

