# Ankona Cayenne Review



## 024H6 (Jan 28, 2018)

Good review. Pics?


----------



## Guest (Apr 4, 2019)

Good, honest review. Great company!


----------



## BudT (Jun 29, 2018)

Gotta see some pics Big Daddy........... those are the same people that build the Salt Marsh skiffs. I have heard nothing but good reports on them, and I understand that they do build a very good quality skiff. I'll probably run into you at some point, I fish Sabine alot..........when I have a boat, lol!


----------



## jonterr (Mar 24, 2013)

mrbacklash said:


> Better late than never i suppose..... I picked up my Cayenne back in October about a month earlier than expected because there were two people in front of me that cancelled. We got the boat to fish mainly the Sabine Lake area, and Louisiana marsh with my wife and 4 year old son. I placed the initial deposit back on 14 May with an estimated pick up of November. When I moved down to Texas in June I was able to get a ride on a Cayenne in Houston and it was an amazing boat so I was happy with the deposit I made months before lol. The entire build experience was excellent, Erin was always quick to return emails and phone calls, I’m sure I set a record for the number of emails exchanged. I went with the 60 Etec with Icon Pro Tachometer. I added the jack plate with blinker style switch, seadek on poling platform, sissy bar and the continental aluminum trailer with a galv tongue so I can add a hinge if needed later on. My brother and I drove out there from Texas to pick it up on a Monday morning, we took it out on a sea trial with Mel and discovered a small issue with fuel that they quickly resolved. The boat was exactly as we discussed and looked to be in great shape with a pretty good fit and finish. I supplied a Garmin 54CV, Ram Mount, and Power Pole Micro to install. I was surprised to see that the NMEA 2000 fuel level sensor was added to the network which was a nice bonus. The stock Rogue 4 blade 17 pitch prop did a pretty good job but it would cavitate a bit in turns and with the jack plate up all the way. Also I could hit 6000 RPM at 75% throttle with 2 people and gear. I took it to a local prop shop and they added a med heavy cup to it and it is even better now stays hooked up much better and gained a little speed out of it as well, I can make 36MPH pretty consistently with 2 people at WOT which is still making 6000 RPM. The cupping on the prop also got rid of a strange occurrence at WOT where the boat would slide sideways all the sudden freaked me out the first time it happened. I am going to try a 18P 4 blade if i can find one. I have also raised the engine to the top hole on the jack plate giving it an extra 2.5” of height and can still run with it all the way up the engine does start to get “warm” 146deg which is still pretty cold for an engine. I will probably add a cavitation plate at some point. I am very impressed with the trailer, it has 0degree torsion axles and all aluminum and stainless hardware except for the bunk mounts and tongue which are galvanized. I have added liquid rollers to the bunks and can dry launch and dry recover the boat pretty easily. The first time I did it I had the engine down too far which dinged up the prop a little bit lesson learned. I have not really paid attention to draft numbers yet but I would guess 7-8” with 2 people. I have been able to get on plane by my self in a foot of water jack plate all the way up, tabs down a bit, and engine trimmed up a little, it cavities for a second and then it is gone. As far as fuel milage, at 4500 RPM I’m running 26 mph @9.5 mpg which is great. The aft hatches are excellent dry storage as the bow storage and console can get damp because of the doors being vented not bad though. The boat is plenty stable with the three of us on it and I can walk the gunnels fairly easily if I am alone, it does heel over a good bit but manageable. The issues I have found are pretty minimal, some of the gel coat was a little rough on the bottom of the hull in a few places where it wasn’t polished after being pulled from the mold I assume, those were easy fixes, and then a couple of screws were stripped out which happens and is an easy fix as well. Now obviously if you go looking under the gunwales and in the nooks and crannies it isn’t going to be finished like a $60k skiff and that is fine and I knew that going in. These are amazing skiffs for the price mine was a little over $25K which you can not come close to in anything else that I found when I was looking, on top of that it is a small family owned company that is extremely passionate about their skiffs and customers.


I know exactly what you mean about it sliding sideways!
Freaked me out too
Wot without trim tabs it was a little scary


----------



## LtShinysides (Dec 27, 2018)

Thanks for the review. I looked pretty heavy at these when I was shopping last month. Really good looking boat. Wasn't a big fan of the ride and wetness though, so I ended up with the salt marsh heron and really like it. I will say that I have talked to Rose and Mel a few different times now with questions or concerns on multiple boats and always got a quick and helpful answer. Top notch people to deal with.


----------



## mrbacklash (Nov 1, 2008)

BudT said:


> Gotta see some pics Big Daddy........... those are the same people that build the Salt Marsh skiffs. I have heard nothing but good reports on them, and I understand that they do build a very good quality skiff. I'll probably run into you at some point, I fish Sabine alot..........when I have a boat, lol!


I fish Keith Lake after work mostly since I work down in Sabine Pass. There are quite a few skiffs down there usually.


----------



## JT McStravic (Jun 5, 2018)

I’ve had mine for 3 months now and the slide can definitely be sketch at full throttle but it is a great skiff overall. I get 37mph WOT but a 4 blade is my next project. I was coming from a Gheenoe when I bought the cayenne and was worried about draft with this being my first center console skiff but if your smart about it this thing drafts plenty shallow I always pole from the bow when by myself which helps. Definitely fuel efficient it always surprises me when filling it up, which is my only real complaint about this skiff is it’s a pain to fill with the epa valve that’s inside which makes you fuel very slow


----------



## 024H6 (Jan 28, 2018)

I


mrbacklash said:


> View attachment 68058
> View attachment 68056
> 
> 
> I fish Keith Lake after work mostly since I work down in Sabine Pass. There are quite a few skiffs down there usually.


 I work in Nederland and fish the area after work often as well. Say hi next time you see a center console Sabine, it’ll be either myself or @blittle


----------



## Marker10 (Oct 29, 2017)

View media item 3866
Love my Cayenne, and I appreciate your review. I’ve been most impressed with fuel consumption and poling abilities. I fish lower Hillsborough and Pinellas and I am fully confident running 25 miles out to the Skyway or tucked into the Little Manatee.


----------



## mrbacklash (Nov 1, 2008)

024H6 said:


> I
> I work in Nederland and fish the area after work often as well. Say hi next time you see a center console Sabine, it’ll be either myself or @blittle


Will do, I met Brian at the fishing show a while back very impressed with the skiffs he is making., very hard to beat aluminum. Pretty sure i was just infront of you getting on 69 going south around 4:45 this afternoon small world.


----------



## BudT (Jun 29, 2018)

I like the boat, should do the trick!


----------



## Chris F (Nov 28, 2018)

I’m pretty sure that was you dry launching at Keith lake one morning. I was in white Mitzi that came over to check it out. Good looking skiff


----------



## mrbacklash (Nov 1, 2008)

Chris F said:


> I’m pretty sure that was you dry launching at Keith lake one morning. I was in white Mitzi that came over to check it out. Good looking skiff


Yep it sure was thanks!


----------



## BGrange (Feb 25, 2021)

mrbacklash said:


> Better late than never i suppose..... I picked up my Cayenne back in October about a month earlier than expected because there were two people in front of me that cancelled. We got the boat to fish mainly the Sabine Lake area, and Louisiana marsh with my wife and 4 year old son. I placed the initial deposit back on 14 May with an estimated pick up of November. When I moved down to Texas in June I was able to get a ride on a Cayenne in Houston and it was an amazing boat so I was happy with the deposit I made months before lol. The entire build experience was excellent, Erin was always quick to return emails and phone calls, I’m sure I set a record for the number of emails exchanged. I went with the 60 Etec with Icon Pro Tachometer. I added the jack plate with blinker style switch, seadek on poling platform, sissy bar and the continental aluminum trailer with a galv tongue so I can add a hinge if needed later on. My brother and I drove out there from Texas to pick it up on a Monday morning, we took it out on a sea trial with Mel and discovered a small issue with fuel that they quickly resolved. The boat was exactly as we discussed and looked to be in great shape with a pretty good fit and finish. I supplied a Garmin 54CV, Ram Mount, and Power Pole Micro to install. I was surprised to see that the NMEA 2000 fuel level sensor was added to the network which was a nice bonus. The stock Rogue 4 blade 17 pitch prop did a pretty good job but it would cavitate a bit in turns and with the jack plate up all the way. Also I could hit 6000 RPM at 75% throttle with 2 people and gear. I took it to a local prop shop and they added a med heavy cup to it and it is even better now stays hooked up much better and gained a little speed out of it as well, I can make 36MPH pretty consistently with 2 people at WOT which is still making 6000 RPM. The cupping on the prop also got rid of a strange occurrence at WOT where the boat would slide sideways all the sudden freaked me out the first time it happened. I am going to try a 18P 4 blade if i can find one. I have also raised the engine to the top hole on the jack plate giving it an extra 2.5” of height and can still run with it all the way up the engine does start to get “warm” 146deg which is still pretty cold for an engine. I will probably add a cavitation plate at some point. I am very impressed with the trailer, it has 0degree torsion axles and all aluminum and stainless hardware except for the bunk mounts and tongue which are galvanized. I have added liquid rollers to the bunks and can dry launch and dry recover the boat pretty easily. The first time I did it I had the engine down too far which dinged up the prop a little bit lesson learned. I have not really paid attention to draft numbers yet but I would guess 7-8” with 2 people. I have been able to get on plane by my self in a foot of water jack plate all the way up, tabs down a bit, and engine trimmed up a little, it cavities for a second and then it is gone. As far as fuel milage, at 4500 RPM I’m running 26 mph @9.5 mpg which is great. The aft hatches are excellent dry storage as the bow storage and console can get damp because of the doors being vented not bad though. The boat is plenty stable with the three of us on it and I can walk the gunnels fairly easily if I am alone, it does heel over a good bit but manageable. The issues I have found are pretty minimal, some of the gel coat was a little rough on the bottom of the hull in a few places where it wasn’t polished after being pulled from the mold I assume, those were easy fixes, and then a couple of screws were stripped out which happens and is an easy fix as well. Now obviously if you go looking under the gunwales and in the nooks and crannies it isn’t going to be finished like a $60k skiff and that is fine and I knew that going in. These are amazing skiffs for the price mine was a little over $25K which you can not come close to in anything else that I found when I was looking, on top of that it is a small family owned company that is extremely passionate about their skiffs and customers.


I just purchased a use Cayenne the other day and i am experiencing the same issues with sliding and in turns. Do you have a picture of what the prop shop did to correct the issue?


----------



## mrbacklash (Nov 1, 2008)

BGrange said:


> I just purchased a use Cayenne the other day and i am experiencing the same issues with sliding and in turns. Do you have a picture of what the prop shop did to correct the issue?


I had them add a medium cup to the prop that helped with it not blowing out in turns the cavitation plate helped with sliding its hard to have a skiff with a tunnel not slide in turns


----------



## Permit.Me (Feb 25, 2021)

mrbacklash said:


> Better late than never i suppose..... I picked up my Cayenne back in October about a month earlier than expected because there were two people in front of me that cancelled. We got the boat to fish mainly the Sabine Lake area, and Louisiana marsh with my wife and 4 year old son. I placed the initial deposit back on 14 May with an estimated pick up of November. When I moved down to Texas in June I was able to get a ride on a Cayenne in Houston and it was an amazing boat so I was happy with the deposit I made months before lol. The entire build experience was excellent, Erin was always quick to return emails and phone calls, I’m sure I set a record for the number of emails exchanged. I went with the 60 Etec with Icon Pro Tachometer. I added the jack plate with blinker style switch, seadek on poling platform, sissy bar and the continental aluminum trailer with a galv tongue so I can add a hinge if needed later on. My brother and I drove out there from Texas to pick it up on a Monday morning, we took it out on a sea trial with Mel and discovered a small issue with fuel that they quickly resolved. The boat was exactly as we discussed and looked to be in great shape with a pretty good fit and finish. I supplied a Garmin 54CV, Ram Mount, and Power Pole Micro to install. I was surprised to see that the NMEA 2000 fuel level sensor was added to the network which was a nice bonus. The stock Rogue 4 blade 17 pitch prop did a pretty good job but it would cavitate a bit in turns and with the jack plate up all the way. Also I could hit 6000 RPM at 75% throttle with 2 people and gear. I took it to a local prop shop and they added a med heavy cup to it and it is even better now stays hooked up much better and gained a little speed out of it as well, I can make 36MPH pretty consistently with 2 people at WOT which is still making 6000 RPM. The cupping on the prop also got rid of a strange occurrence at WOT where the boat would slide sideways all the sudden freaked me out the first time it happened. I am going to try a 18P 4 blade if i can find one. I have also raised the engine to the top hole on the jack plate giving it an extra 2.5” of height and can still run with it all the way up the engine does start to get “warm” 146deg which is still pretty cold for an engine. I will probably add a cavitation plate at some point. I am very impressed with the trailer, it has 0degree torsion axles and all aluminum and stainless hardware except for the bunk mounts and tongue which are galvanized. I have added liquid rollers to the bunks and can dry launch and dry recover the boat pretty easily. The first time I did it I had the engine down too far which dinged up the prop a little bit lesson learned. I have not really paid attention to draft numbers yet but I would guess 7-8” with 2 people. I have been able to get on plane by my self in a foot of water jack plate all the way up, tabs down a bit, and engine trimmed up a little, it cavities for a second and then it is gone. As far as fuel milage, at 4500 RPM I’m running 26 mph @9.5 mpg which is great. The aft hatches are excellent dry storage as the bow storage and console can get damp because of the doors being vented not bad though. The boat is plenty stable with the three of us on it and I can walk the gunnels fairly easily if I am alone, it does heel over a good bit but manageable. The issues I have found are pretty minimal, some of the gel coat was a little rough on the bottom of the hull in a few places where it wasn’t polished after being pulled from the mold I assume, those were easy fixes, and then a couple of screws were stripped out which happens and is an easy fix as well. Now obviously if you go looking under the gunwales and in the nooks and crannies it isn’t going to be finished like a $60k skiff and that is fine and I knew that going in. These are amazing skiffs for the price mine was a little over $25K which you can not come close to in anything else that I found when I was looking, on top of that it is a small family owned company that is extremely passionate about their skiffs and customers.


Great review! I've heard nothing but great feedback from dealings with Erin and Mel. The Cayenne is on my radar!


----------



## Go4noles (Mar 7, 2021)

mrbacklash said:


> I had them add a medium cup to the prop that helped with it not blowing out in turns the cavitation plate helped with sliding its hard to have a skiff with a tunnel not slide in turns


Is this slipping you guys are referring to with the jack plate all the way up? Or at regular motor height?
Is in the turns or does it occur when running straight also?


----------



## grass bass (Aug 29, 2017)

The cayenne can feel like it wants to slide off a little bubble running wot with motor high and no tabs. It’ll happen running straight line on glass.


----------



## Go4noles (Mar 7, 2021)

grass bass said:


> The cayenne can feel like it wants to slide off a little bubble running wot with motor high and no tabs. It’ll happen running straight line on glass.


So then, tabs will solve that problem?


----------



## jonterr (Mar 24, 2013)

Go4noles said:


> So then, tabs will solve that problem?


No


----------



## grass bass (Aug 29, 2017)

Go4noles said:


> So then, tabs will solve that problem?


that’s what I do. A little tab keeps it hooked up.


----------



## Go4noles (Mar 7, 2021)

grass bass said:


> that’s what I do. A little tab keeps it hooked up.


That’s great to know. Trying to decide between the Cayenne and the Advent. But like the idea of a little more clearance on the Cayenne due to the tunnel when driving.


----------



## Megalops (Oct 23, 2011)

Go4noles said:


> So then, tabs will solve that problem?


I ran a Cayenne for 6 years. It was spartan no tabs or JP. It would slide only when the water was glass. Everyone who I’ve talked to that put tabs on says it doesn’t slide. 

Fun little skiff with amazing range. It does squat in back and it’s a very wet ride. Just giving my honest 0.02.


----------



## mrbacklash (Nov 1, 2008)

I wouldn’t say the sliding is unsafe or a negative about the skiff.


----------



## jonterr (Mar 24, 2013)

mrbacklash said:


> I wouldn’t say the sliding is unsafe or a negative about the skiff.


Me either
It just freaks u out the first time🤪


----------



## grass bass (Aug 29, 2017)

They (Ankona, Rory specifically iirc) told me about this, so the first time was whoa what the oh that was what he was talking about...


----------

