# Ankona's Boats, and Inshore Power Boats



## Charlie (Apr 5, 2010)

Ok everyone, as I said in my last topic (Gheenoe Limits) I have decieded to wait till after the summer to purchase a boat. Because of this dicision I am able to raise my budget to include a few more boats I have been considering. So now I want everyones takes on these three boat:

Copperhead
Native SUV
and Inshore Power Boat's 16

List any plusses and minuses that come to mind on each boat, and if you feel like it, how you rigged yours (if you own one, of course).

Thanks for all the help!  ;D

Charlie


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## Alonzo_Sotillo (Oct 9, 2009)

the copperhead is a bad mamajama!


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## skinnywater3 (Feb 8, 2009)

IPB has my vote, simply because they offer AMAZING customer service...!


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## rashouri87 (Jul 2, 2009)

IPB all the way! they make great hulls, use vacuum infusion for superior weight reduction and evenness of the resin, and they are generally good dudes with excellent customer service. When I picked up my boat yesterday, Brad took me and my brother out to lunch while the guys put the last touches on the boat!

Even though the accident on the way home was depressing, I could immediately get in touch with Brad and the whole things all gonna get taken care of, you can't beat that.


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## East_Cape (Jun 3, 2008)

> Ok everyone, as I said in my last topic (Gheenoe Limits) I have decieded to wait till after the summer to purchase a boat. Because of this dicision I am able to raise my budget to include a few more boats I have been considering. So now I want everyones takes on these three boat:
> 
> Copperhead
> Native SUV
> ...



Take ride in all of them and vist each place and your mind will be set...
That is the best way to find what YOU will like/want...
I look forward to meeting you. ;D


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

Fit and finish goes to the SUV.
By far the nicest overall.

I love the look of the IPB hull wise, just something about drop in decks that remind me too much of a carolina skiff.
Although I'm sure they're bad ass anyway.

Copperhead pros and cons.
The finish isn't 100%, but the performance is out of this world. 
I had concerns with rod racks and a rear hatch on mine and Mel is taking care of it for me.
It was a bad latch on my skiff that is being replaced. 


Everything else on the skiff is great.
Extremely quiet hull, poles effortlessly. 
I would definitely go with the aluminum gas tank upgrade over the plastic 6 gal tank.
I got the rear locker box, the center console with grab bar and huge front deck.
There's PLENTY of storage space.
I wasn't too happy with the look of the non-skid but it works great, and is extremely comfortable barefoot. 
I planned on re-doing it myself the way we do non-skid at work but I changed my mind.
I'll leave it like this and maybe in the distant future put some SeaDek. 

I went with Medium Gray cockpit walls to cut the glare down.
It works great for the glare, but I stepped on the gray the other day and it was hot.
The white doesn't get hot at all. 

I would definitely get the center console and grab bar. It's handy storage for lures, nice place to mount controls and electronics, and grab bar is a must when using a tiller in sporty conditions. 



Only thing I don't like about my outboard is that in the bright sun, it's actually purple, not black....lol


It appears to be a black paint with a purple pearl.


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## jcfisher (Nov 11, 2009)

I have no complaints with my SUV. 
As stated, the fit and finish is top notch.
Performance is good. 

Storage is an issue on mine, but a rear box is now available  with access by lifting the hinged rear deck. 

I also have the center console with grab bar and it works perfect. Will be removing the rod holders from the side of center console as there is not much room to walk around a spinning reel.

Future plans include getting some SeaDeck for the cockpit, or a "slippery when wet" sign.  Last time out, I brought a nice trout to the boat, my buddy netted it and when I stepped down from the back deck my foot slipped and down I went, but still holding the rod straight up.

As far as colors go, mine is Marlin Blue with Pearl Grey interior.  Down side of the blue exterior is an orange registration sticker. Orange and blue don't look good together. Wish I would have got black to match the truck.

http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1257910039

Definately visit, inspect and ride in each.


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

> Take ride in all of them and visit each place and your mind will be set...
> That is the best way to find what YOU will like/want...


East Cape said it best. What is your realistic budget for boat, motor, trailer & immediate goodies? And which boat feels the best for your style & is laid out the best for your style.

I've visited several factories and have my opinions, but I'll keep them to myself as ECC is not one.


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## Charlie (Apr 5, 2010)

Definatly planning on visiting all the factories and trying the boat out in the relativly near future. 

I really like all three boats, so I want an idea of what other people thought of the boats and their preformance.

How's the draft on the boats? This is important since I like to fish skinny water.

Thanks for all the opinions and advice guys! ;D


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

I have been enjoying my SUV...I really love it. I can't write a complete review because I haven't gotten a chance to do everything that I plan on in this boat (pole for reds). I can't say how it poles or how shallow it can go or how tippy the boat feels when up on the platform with an anlger moving around the boat. What I can tell you is that this boat rides soo smooth / dry and has enough giddy-up to keep me smiling. It behaves awesome through turns and really sticks. With one person it does 30 and doesn't porpoise. With a passenger it will do 28.

The Cons (what you'd expect in any small boat):
lack of dry storage (keep in mind they can add it), limited passenger capacity (2 passengers is a stretch), high free-board (suseptible to cross winds), and it's very sensitive to weight distribution....that's all that I can come up with. I can't comment on the components used to build this boat or the techniques used to build this boat, because I don't know about either... so I have no idea how long it will last, etc. I will say that whatever non-slip surface I have locks on to any dirt and thorough scubbing doesn't get it all out...also it's beginning to chip which is nice given that I'd to remove it soon anyway! 

Good luck....If you plan on having 2 or more passengers get an IPB or Copperhead.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> Definatly planning on visiting all the factories and trying the boat out in the relativly near future.
> 
> I really like all three boats, so I want an idea of what other people thought of the boats and their preformance.
> 
> ...



I'm down in Miami. 

Feel free to come by and check out my skiff.


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## DJ (Nov 10, 2009)

Try them all, I will say the Copperhead is very stable for a boat this size. It does float shallow 5" depending on load. I do enjoy having gunwales to walk on with the copperhead.
I know IPB and the Copperhead promote a $9900 starting price, I would be curious to see each decked out with similar options (livewell,trolling motor,front and rear deaks trim tabs, etc.)out the door price.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> Try them all, I will say the Copperhead is very stable for a boat this size. It does float shallow 5" depending on load. I do enjoy having gunwales to walk on with the copperhead.
> I know IPB and the Copperhead promote a $9900 starting price, I would be curious to see each decked out with similar options (livewell,trolling motor,front and rear deaks trim tabs, etc.)out the door price.



x2! 
I enjoy walking across my gunwales. 
And don't hesitate to do so in any depth of water.
It's extremely stable, not even one of those relatively stable for it's size.
It's stable.


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

i'd like to see a copperhead up close without driving 287 miles but cant seem to find someone in jax. thats willing to show theirs   ::-/


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## Charlie (Apr 5, 2010)

Thanks for the info on the Native SUV, especially about passangers. I like the look of the boat, and heard good things about it, but I would like the capacity to fit three people on the boat. I wasn't sure how it was since Ankona doesn't have capacities listed on their site.

In this case I'm more inclined to go with something like the copperhead or IBP, which go for comprable price. I'm still probably going to test ride all three, just to see what they're all like.

Once again, thanks for the help! Keep it coming!  ;D


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> i'd like to see a copperhead up close without driving 287 miles but cant seem to find someone in jax. thats willing to show theirs   ::-/



Have you kindly asked Cru? 

Unless that was a not so direct way in hinting that you were wondering if he would allow you to check out his skiff. lol


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## DJ (Nov 10, 2009)

Southbound let me know when you want to check out the copperhead. I plan on it being @ Ankona mon-fri next week but other then that let me know. We can get you out on the water to wet test it, not just look it over. I am only about 10 min from most heckscher drive boat ramps.


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