Mako 21LTS, one year later

It’s been a little over a year since I received the 2014 Mako 21LTS from Tracker Marine and Bass Pro Shops.  There’s been a lot of water “under the hull”, so to speak, and I’m happy to report that she’s served me well.

I’m a busy fishing guide and even when I’m not scheduled for a charter I still like to hit the water on my own with friends and family.  I’m guessing that I spent about 250 days out there looking for and catching fish.

The Mako, christened “Soulstice”, preformed well.  There were quiet days and then there were the not so quiet days.  Together we outran a few storms and navigated over some rough seas.  It wasn’t intentional, mind you, but it really showed me what the boat is made of.  She got us home, even in the worst weather. 

After a solid year of use she’s just as fit as when she was delivered.  I’ve had only a few issues here and there, but all easily repaired without a call to the service department.  On that note... I’d like to point out that my year on a boat is equal to about 5 years for the normal user and that number is based on you fishing for at least one day every single weekend.  This boat is solid!

The new version of the 21LTS will be in showrooms shortly.  I’m looking forward to seeing it and wondering how Mako can improve on something that works so well to begin with.  It should be a great addition to the lineup!

Note:  Mako has restarted the Mako Funaments.  These family fishing events were very popular over the years and unfortunately were shelved.  Not anymore!  Last year, two were successfully held and another two events were added this year.  The next one in the series will be held September 18-21 in Islamorada, FL and following that, another will be held in Fort Myers, FL October 16-19.  The Funaments are open to all types of boats and are a great way to take a look at the Mako boats under working conditions.  There are also rides available and you might even get the opportunity to fish on one during the event!  For more information go to www.mako-boats.com/fishingfunaments.

Want to see my Mako 21LTS in action?  Click here!

This past July I was honored to join the Mako Boat Team as a representative in the southwest Florida region.  It’s a dream that every professional angler hopes for and it requires dedication and hard work to get to this career point.  Thanks goes out to the folks at Bass Pro Shops, Mako Boats and Tracker Marine for making this happen.

That being said, I was still quite nervous about taking delivery of the 2014 Mako 21LTS powered with a Mercury 150 four stroke engine.  I was pretty happy with my good ol’ Skeeter bay boat I’d been driving since 2006, and deep down inside I was wondering... what if the Mako isn’t as nice a ride?  Then again, it’s a sponsored boat and motor.  In other words, it’s free.  My fears and trepidations were soon a thing of the past.  The Mako 21LTS is one hell of a boat.

This first thing I noticed on delivery was the fit and finish.  A great deal of care has been taken with the small stuff like latches, retractable cleats and the quality of the brightwork and aluminum rails.  The storage doors are nicely aligned and piston lifts have been added so that if you drop a lid, it won’t slam shut.  That’s a real plus when sneaking up on spooky redfish.  The decks are non skid and there’s plenty of room on both the forward and aft deck for fishing.  As a matter of fact, two anglers can easily share the space on the bow.  There’s plenty of storage, including a large lockable rod locker.

Then there’s the ride.  The first word that popped into my mind on the first run was “smooth”.  The Mako is all that and then some.  A newly designed "Rapid Planing System" transom helps the boat get on plane with very little bow rise and that’s handy when you are trying to get the boat powered up in very shallow water.  It also helps the hull ride level, no matter where people are sitting.  As a matter of fact, there are no trim tabs on my boat and quite frankly, none are needed.  The new hull design is also a plus for gas mileage.  The boat runs flat and has very little resistance as it moves across the water.

Fishing the Mako is great.  It runs very shallow under power and I use a jack plate to decrease draft even more.  With the motor up and the trolling motor down, I can easily move across a grass flat that an 18 foot skiff travels over.  Pretty impressive for a 21 foot bay boat.  The hull is very quiet with minimal water slap and tracks easily while using a trolling motor.  There’s almost no sideways movement, even in a breeze. There’s also plenty of what I call “runaround space” in the center of the boat.  Big fish have a bad habit of moving around you with burst of speed.  That means you have to move quickly around the deck of the boat to keep up.  The Mako 21LTS has an eight foot four inch beam and a small console.  That gives you plenty of room to move without having to twist and turn to get around the console area.

All in all I’m very happy with the Mako and I’d stack it up against the other bay boats in its class.  If you are shopping for a new boat, take the time to visit Tracker Marine at Bass Pro Shops.  They can go over the details and let you have a test drive.  If you happen to be on Fort Myers Beach, stop by Fish-Tale Marina.  I’d be happy to show you my Mako.