# Mako flats boat......



## Weedy (Dec 11, 2006)

http://www.classicmako.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2575&SearchTerms=backcountry










Pretty cool!


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## islander1225 (Jun 15, 2008)

i saw one of these in person over in steinhatchee at sea hag marina i believe a guide was using it, they are cool boats the boat is still over there up in the racks for dry storage.


Alex


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Adds new meaning to the words: "All decked out!"


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## billhempel (Oct 9, 2008)

The very first of these Mako flats boats was a modification of a standard hull with the sides cut down to eliminate catching wind. Hal Chittum did it when he was guiding in the keys, circa 1980's.


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## billhempel (Oct 9, 2008)

Another picture of it. Flip's Challenger in background. Believe this was at the Lorelie in Islamorada (or ees-la-morada per Flip)


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## billhempel (Oct 9, 2008)

And one more


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

That all decked over Mako is very similar to a special Mako that was modified by Perdue Dean (years ago, they were located at Ocean Reef and had a tackle shop there). The ones that I saw had a small side console with just a little well for seating while everything else was decked over. Just another step along the road to developing what's in use today... That PerdueDean was quite heavy....


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## billhempel (Oct 9, 2008)

Adding a bit more lore to the photo of Hal Chittum and a "sport". Hal Chittum was doing a bit of re-design work back in the 80's as shown here by his complete reworking of a Mako hull. He used it for quite a bit of guiding back then and John Donnell worked a lot of it out with Hal. Note that the push pole was a "pole vaulters" model done as the first poles offered by J. Lee Cuddy and Associates in Miami on NE 79 Street. I'm not sure who made them, but I know that Bill Marks, that owned and ran "Moonlighter" made great one's later on. They came in red and a odd yellow color. I had a red one. The original point and foot for these poles were made of a heavily anodized cast aluminum. The foot was actually a welded up affair. Most of us put "rubber crutch caps on the feet. Later on, I and others used sort pieces of black "Hypalon" (like you have as grips on a lot of todays rods) glued over the feet to deaden the noise of a metal foot. 
The trolling motors were 12 volt Mercury Thrusters that put out about 35lbs thrust each. You normally used two of them for Tarpon fishing to catch up to them while you directed the skiff with your push pole. Foot operated "air switches" up on the poling platform deck were used to "on-off" the trolling motors. We've come a long way from those days, haven't we!



> The very first of these Mako flats boats was a modification of a standard hull with the sides cut down to eliminate catching wind. Hal Chittum did it when he was guiding in the keys, circa 1980's.


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

Thanks for the info! I have to say we have it quite easy these days. I love to see the customizations and modifications done back in the day.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Those early fiberglass pushpoles were built by Gatorglass. They were located for years up in north Dade county. It was a "one horse" operation and the man was just named Gus. He'd build you a pushpole in any length (or color if you had the money). Originally they were actually hot sticks for FP&L - the poles that linemen would use to handle the high voltage stuff (the glass poles didn't conduct electricity). They were relatively soft and springy but many a skiff came equipped with one of them in the seventies and early eighties. I still have some short pieces from those early sticks. You'd buy the blank from Gus, then make a fork from mangrove, guava, or other natural material. You'd have to find someone to turn down a point for you. The commercial versions all had aluminum forks and points. I don't think I ever paid more than $35 for one of those blanks in the 18 - 20' range. Gus would even add an extra layer of glass if you wanted something a little stronger (and of course, heavier).

The pushpoles were just a sideline. His real business was making the fiberglass blanks that every rodbuilder in south Florida used back then. If you had the time he'd show you all of his operation from mandrel wrapping all the way through the baking process (with a big vertical oven that the mandrels were pulled through) all the way down to the hydraulic puller that removed the mandrel from the finished blank and then the water sander for final finishing. Old Gus was a treat and he'd take the time to explain the various things you were seeing. As a beginning rodbuilder he was an important part of my early education. Those rod blanks weren't the highly sophisticated things that are available now but they were sturdy, well designed, and were used for early rods from light bonefish stuff all the way up the unlimited blanks for 130lb and heavier gear. He did it all...

I believe Gatorglass is still in business, but has re-located south. Gus can't still be alive. He was an old guy thirty years ago... I'm feeling old just writing about him...


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## TomFL (Oct 2, 2007)

This is a really cool thread, lots of neat info here from days past. 

Thanks for sharing guys. I miss those days when things were a lot simpler, the waters less crowded and the fish a little thicker.

-T


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