# Experience with Ankona



## Sillygirl68 (Feb 3, 2018)

I know that Ankona Boats is a relatively new company out there and in a different class than Maverick, Hells Bay or Beaver Tail but in terms of price and quality, any opinions? Maverick is my first choice but quite a high price tag.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Mel and his crew are very stand up guys. They assisted me years ago after I got in a wreck, and I wasn't even a customer.


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## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

Mel and crew are AMAZING !


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

Happy customer here and after 2 years boat still looks new. Customer service is phenomenal. Heron 18 is probably most similar to HPX, it’s a new model.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Cant go wrong with this boat company quality product fair price some other boat companies should pay attention


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

I would not hesitate to do business with them again. Been very happy and they are great to work with.


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## Panama1one (Dec 11, 2014)

Have a ‘15 Native17 I bought new. Found some issues I didn’t see during walkthrough at factory couple of days later. Called Erin and sent pix of issues. She ask me if I knew of a fiberglass guy in my area that I trusted. I did. She told me to have him call her and they would setup payment for repairs. I live 8 hours from factory. First boat company I have dealt with that didn’t make me bring boat back to them for warranty work. Whenever I get ready for another skiff it will be from Erin and Mel.


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## Icroc (Feb 23, 2013)

I have a Shadowcast 18. It's been a great boat! I have had it for a little over 1 year. No issues here! Customer service is phenomenal!


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## [email protected] (May 19, 2015)

Have a ‘16 Cayenne here. Been a great boat so far with no issues.

To me, Mel and crew have fit a nice niche in the market. They are producing a well thought out and reliable boat for a realistic price. It opens the new skiff market to many more people.

I don’t know a ton of people that can realistically afford $50-80k for a skiff.
Sure you have your guides and fair share of wealthy individuals but that’s a ton of $$$ for a hobby.

My Cayenne isn’t as refined as the Beavertails or Hell’s Bays I’ve fished off of but it was less than 1/3 the price. 
It fishes the same water as the high end boats and doesn’t have a bank note attached to it.


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## Sillygirl68 (Feb 3, 2018)

Sillygirl68 said:


> I know that Ankona Boats is a relatively new company out there and in a different class than Maverick, Hells Bay or Beaver Tail but in terms of price and quality, any opinions? Maverick is my first choice but quite a high price tag.


Thanks everyone! Going to checkout the Salt Marsh Heron 18 or the Ankona Copperhead. Build time is a bit long but I think worth it. Hopefully going to get an eye on them over the holiday weekend.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Sillygirl68 said:


> Thanks everyone! Going to checkout the Salt Marsh Heron 18 or the Ankona Copperhead. Build time is a bit long but I think worth it. Hopefully going to get an eye on them over the holiday weekend.


If you contact Ankona they may be able to hook you up to someone in your area with a boat you could see I know paint it black is in Miami area and has a Heron but his is a 16 the 18 is still in production.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

@Sillygirl68 I may be a bit biased as an Ankona sales rep, but the company and the family of owners is second to none. You have people in this company who really enjoy bringing a vision or an idea of a customer's skiff to fruition. I was an Ankona owner before I was a rep and would still be an owner even if I wasn't a rep. The best thing to do is call one of us and have that conversation about your vision. You will see the passion and dedication to detail and customer service just through a simple phone call. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. 863-860-7250
Jon


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## Sillygirl68 (Feb 3, 2018)

Shadowcast said:


> @Sillygirl68 I may be a bit biased as an Ankona sales rep, but the company and the family of owners is second to none. You have people in this company who really enjoy bringing a vision or an idea of a customer's skiff to fruition. I was an Ankona owner before I was a rep and would still be an owner even if I wasn't a rep. The best thing to do is call one of us and have that conversation about your vision. You will see the passion and dedication to detail and customer service just through a simple phone call. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. 863-860-7250
> Jon


It is because of the things in your post and other’s experience with the company that this is now the only company being considered. 
Thank you all for the great recommendations!


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## GG34 (May 2, 2014)

I love mine and worked through Jon (shadowcast). Great experience.


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## Captclif (Feb 1, 2018)

Today I spoke with Jon (shadowcast) about Ankona and Salt Marsh. I am looking forward to working with them and my experience so far has been prompt and professional. 
Looks like a Heron 16 may be in our future !!


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## Guest (Feb 8, 2018)

My build started this week on my cayenne. My experience has been great so far. I have made several changes along the way and as a business owner I know how annoying it can be at times with last minute changes. Customer service is top notch. The wait is well worth it in the end because it's your skiff and you decide how you want it. I was blown away by all the options available. If you want it they can make it happen. Bare bones or fully loaded.


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## jhreels (Apr 20, 2017)

Another Ankona Cayenne owner here. Can't say enough good things about Erin and Ankona. If you have any issue with your boat rest assured you will be taken care of no matter where in the country you are.


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## t1ightl1ines (Mar 5, 2016)

shadow cast 16 is a bad *** capable little skiff and of my favorite boats to pole all day


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## bone1fish (May 8, 2016)

Another happy Ankona customer here. I bought a SC-16 a few years ago and fish regularly on it. I have no complaints. I WOULD BUY ANOTHER ANKONA.


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## secretsquirrelflyfishing (Nov 9, 2015)

I told Erin when I got my Shadowcast 18 that they gave me a “Hell’s Bay like experience” it’s been a great boat. Not as refined as a top dollar skiff, but you definitely get your money’s worth.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Hmm no negative reviews yet must say something about the company and their customer service.


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## Sillygirl68 (Feb 3, 2018)

Thanks everyone. Each of you confirmed out thoughts. Cannot go wrong with the Ankona/Salt Marsh Family. Heading there next week to check out a few models in hopes of getting in line for s build.


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## secretsquirrelflyfishing (Nov 9, 2015)

Backcountry 16 said:


> Hmm no negative reviews yet must say something about the company and their customer service.


 The only complaint I have is they miss small things like tightening down some bolts, didn’t put enough sealant around the plug, and little things like screws not cut off after putting them through the rub rail but the boat is priced to a level where I would expect small details to be overlooked and those things were easy to fix by me. I figured I got a Hells Bay Glades Skiff for less than half the price and it has a tunnel on it which is an improvement.!


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## Marker10 (Oct 29, 2017)

I have a Cayenne on the build list and am looking forward to getting it soon. The list of available options is well beyond what many other companies are offering in the price range. Excellent experience, prompt contact, and if you need anything literally email or call them and they are great at responding. I fish Tampa Bay regularly and haven’t seen an Ankona on the water here, but their appearance at several shows and after a couple of hours of decision it was an easy pull of the trigger. Glad to read others think highly of these skiffs. The upside to the wait is that you can decide on what options you want vs. need and do research in the interim to figure out what works best for you. In all of my experiences with builders, Ankona is at the top of them of all.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

@Marker10 There are a few Ankona owners in the TB area. I'll be looking for you when I am out and about!


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## Charles Argenbright (Jun 1, 2017)

[email protected] said:


> Have a ‘16 Cayenne here. Been a great boat so far with no issues.
> 
> To me, Mel and crew have fit a nice niche in the market. They are producing a well thought out and reliable boat for a realistic price. It opens the new skiff market to many more people.
> 
> ...


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## Captclif (Feb 1, 2018)

Shadowcast said:


> @Marker10 There are a few Ankona owners in the TB area. I'll be looking for you when I am out and about!


Went down to meet with Erin on Monday 19th. What a great company and customer service. Our experience was so great and the quality I saw in the different stages of builds in the shop convinced us we would not find better. 
Can’t wait for our SaltMarsh Heron 16 !!!


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## Ken T (Dec 10, 2015)

Have a Cayenne which gets heavy use in Tampa Bay. Had it built in 2015.

Still looks great and runs like new.
Excellent people to deal with. Would not hesitate to recommend or do another build.

Ken


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## JT McStravic (Jun 5, 2018)

For all cayenne owners what prop are you guys using on the e-tec if that’s what your running and what speeds are you guys getting? I’m currently on the build list for a cayenne and just putting feelers our


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## ShaggyPalm (Sep 30, 2021)

Solid boats for the price


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## gunandrally (Mar 1, 2021)

They were quick to answer any of the questions I had.


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