It won’t do 40mph in a 4’ chop. Stop reading now and go back to LOLCats, Angry Kitty, POW or whatever it is that wastes time on the internets. This isn’t the boat for you.
There has been a lot of ShadowCast 18 (SC18) love and hate on forums recently. Much of it makes for funny reads but it masks a deeper problem. While a lot of talk has revolved around the 18 few can offer a true first hand experience. Who is the SC18 built for? Why is this boat unique? What does it offer that others don’t? These questions and others I intend to answer. (UNofficial disclosure: I have no business relationship with Ankona. Anokna is not a site sponsor. Ankona does not sponsor Captain Jan. Ankona will sell me a boat for the exact same price as anyone else. I do not get a discount. I do not own microskiff.com® anymore. The following is EXACTLY what I think. No marketing, no hype, no BS. It’s a trip into my mind… buckle up!)
I hadn’t seen Mel and crew at Ankona for some time. They assisted in a little project a year back when it was time to modify the dismal rod storage on my 192 Scout. The plan was to get out on the skiff, do a little fishing and catching up. Heck I didn’t even bring my camera. From that visit and experience I offer the following.
I last saw the SC18 it was no more than an idea halfway plotted on a cut up donor ShadowCast 16 hull. See, Mel had this ludicrous idea of taking the ShadowCast 16 and pulling two more feet out of it and adding a tunnel. What the heck was he thinking? Why pull off another hull when the ShadowCast 16 was just introduced. Why dilute the product line? Was the Copperhead v2, Native SUV 14 & 17, the Cayenne and the ShadowCast 16 not enough? I guess not.
This is one of the reasons I like talking to Mel. At (an age I’m not going to publish) he has more drive than many people in this industry half his age. A typical conversation with Mel goes like this:
“You know, if I just take _________ and make a cut here, then _________ the _________ by _________ I bet it would make a great boat for _________ customer.”
Or
“Yea, the idea for that came one night while I was watching Star Wars®…”
He’s either a genius or one bump on the head away from a padded cell. Mel would tell you that either way he’d still be thinking of crazy idea formed out of fiberglass.
Who is the ShadowCast 18 built for?
Simple answer is whoever wants one. That’s the beauty of a capitalist society! If you can afford it and it is what you want, buy it. Don’t buy it because of some flashy website or semi-professional You Tube® videos. Don’t buy it because it got 8 million “likes” on FaceSpace, MyBook, Twittle or any other social mental website. Don’t buy it because some TV guide happens to be on that skiff this season. Don’t sway your decisions by those of the internet keyboard cowboys (and girls) who have never actually been on a particular boat. Don’t buy it because you read this post. Buy it because it fits a need, want or desire in pursuit of your style of fishing.
But I digress…
The more accurate answer is not “who” was the SC18 built for but “where”. Ankona builds boats that have gone to many states across this great nation of ours. One such state is Texas.
Our friends in the Lone Star state have a need that us Florida Crackers (The term is used as a proud jocular self-description.) don’t understand. According to them everything is Texas-sized, as in bigger, in their state. This is true of their shallow water fishing flats. They have massive expanses of shallow water. Simply put, miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles of shallow water.
Ankona listened to their customers. Not the internet keyboard cowboys, not so called “experts”, not people who spent the night at a Holiday Inn®, heck not even little old me. Their customers want a shallow running skiff, WITH a tunnel. This is what the SC18 was designed for. They are the “who” Ankona listened to when building this skiff.
To address this market the easy answer would have been to take the greatest skiff ever, which was designed to perform without a tunnel and drop one in. Then call it the greatest skiff ever, now with tunnel.
I can see the nighttime infomercial. “Introducing the greatest skiff ever… NOW with tunnel! Order today and make 66 easy monthly payments of only $666.66. Act now and get the exclusive “I just bought the greatest skiff ever, NOW with tunnel!” T-Shirt. Operators are standing by.
I warned that this was a journey into my mind; please keep arms and legs inside the ride at all times.
I have to beg the question with this logic as does dropping in a tunnel into a great running and poling skiff make it better or worse? Some will argue that dropping a tunnel into an already great skiff will make it better. Does this mean the new skiff with a tunnel is now better than the original thus making the original no longer the greatest skiff ever?
Not wanting to enrage the late night infomercial gods, Ankona took the ShadowCast 16 and pulled the ShadowCast 18 out of it.
What does the SC18 offer that others don’t?
Nothing. It floats in the same water, run in the same water and catches fish out of the same water as other boats. This is true of any skiff from any manufacture. That is IF other skiffs can get into these same waters. It’s not what the SC18 offers that buyers should consider. It is how the SC18 is unique and is this uniqueness right for the buyer.
What is so unique about the SC18?
Many years ago I had the opportunity to experience what, in my opinion, was and still is the finest most refined shallow water poling skiff ever designed. It has poise, balance and performs beyond what one may think by merely looking at it. The irony is that the boat was originally conceived as a duck hunting boat. The skiff I’m referring to is known as the Glades Skiff by Hells Bay. This singular skiff in one glorious day of fishing change my entire notion of what a true poling skiff could do and where it could take me. It set the bar in my opinion. If a skiff could perform like this then it was a true shallow water poling skiff. It was my epiphany. It also was one of the most depressing days, as I knew then that to obtain such a skiff would undoubtedly require doing a double nickel in a Federal Prison Camp. Such is the price for shallow water nirvana when not within budgetary reach.
Why is the SC18 unique?
The most unique part of the SC18 is not the tunnel, not the length, not the layout; heck not even the performance. It is the price. For near as makes no difference 10 grand a buyer can have in their driveway a new skiff, new motor and new trailer that will run to, fish out of and bring them back from the same waters as a Glades Skiff. At a price half what 10-year-old used Glades Skiffs are being offered. If the buyer wants to trick out the SC18 with skiff porn worth bling, the price is still less than half a new Glades Skiff.
Some of you out there in internets land are think; “Yea, but what do we have to give up to get everything you claim there Capt. Jan?”
What about fit and finish compared to the competition?
The SC18 does not have the fit and finish of boats twice or three times the price. Should it? For the price, when comparing the product to competitors at the same or even slightly higher prices I have yet to see a complete package that in my opinion can compare. This makes me a bit mad. Competition is a good thing. It makes mediocre products better. It requires that manufactures innovate. Push the boundaries. Ankona has been in the boating spotlight for a few years now, where the hell is the competition? Without solid competition good products become mediocre.
Let me fill you in on a dirty industry secret… fit and finish is not what they tell you. Fit and finish is not a liner in the hatches that hides all the nasty construction methods to build a boat quickly. Fit and finish is not a closed cell foam filled hull without rigging tubes to pass wires through. Fit and finish is not gel coat so thick that is spider cracks after a few years in the sun. Fit and finish is not what the buyer sees looking from the top down on a shiny new boat. Fit and finish we don’t see is what matters. It is infinitely more difficult to finish a boat where every nook and cranny is easily accessible than one where drop in hatch liners and false bulkheads obscure views of what is behind them. I can count on one hand, with a finger left over, the number of skiff manufactures who in my opinion get what fit and finish means. If you want a test of fit and finish, do these two things when you are SERIOUS about your next skiff purchase. Have the manufacture remove then replace a bilge pump for you. Watch how easy or hard it is to access. What tools or number of hands are required to get access to the pump. Also time them. Many times simple accessories like bilge pumps are installed before the top deck are installed. Next look not only in but also under every hatch. What you find may shock you. Price is not always a determining factor in the fit and finish discussion.
What about performance?
There are two parameters to consider for performance. First running to a fishing hole. Second once you are there.
The first parameter is mostly easy. With myself and Mel in the SC18 rigged with a Tohatsu 4-stroke 20hp and 4 blade prop we ran the boat up and down the IRL both in shallow water where no other boat could run and in the middle of Memorial Day boating traffic. The little skiff is most at home running in the shallows. This should not be a surprise as this is what Mel designed it to do.
The first ¾ of the skiff shares itself with the 16 ShadowCast it’s the last ¼ of the running surface which really sets this skiff apart for the 16. The skiff is wider at the rear adding almost 4 inches of surface. This surface counteracts reduced displacement from the tunnel. Poling strakes help to plant the skiff. The biggest challenge is the prop. There are very limited choices for propping a small hp outboard like the Tohatsu. This limit is being addressed with a custom prop, which Mel hopes to have very soon. If long range running is in the future I would suggest upgrading to a 30hp outboard as the increased power and prop selection will help tune the skiffs performance.
With the 20hp Mel claims 24 mph with him and his dog. How fast did we go? Don’t know. We were not timing it. The reality is that if short runs and shallowest of shallow poling are in the future go with a lightweight 20hp such as the 94lb Suzuki. If a constant run of over 45 minutes is required, power up.
When running in the slop and chop of Memorial Day IRL channel traffic the 18 held its own. The added length and slight deadrise helped to ease through the nasty conditions. Was it magic carpet ride smooth? No. Did I get wet? Ever slightly as the wind was good and strong and we hit some cross chop which caused some spray to sneak over the gunwale. In the right conditions I get spray over the side of my 192 Scout. Big deal. If you don’t want to get wet take up indoor badminton.
The second parameter is once the skiff is stopped and stealth is required. There are a couple of things to consider when discussing stealth. A hull is only as good as the balance and effort required to move it through the water. While we use the term tippy it is not until the pushpole is in hand on the platform that tippy really counts. If the balance of a tightrope walker is required to steady oneself on the platform then fatigue and sloppiness will set in. This will mean that less time will be spent stealthy stalking fish as apposed to watching them burn off the flat due to excessive noise.
The other requirement is effort. A skiff that can effortlessly glide across a flat with minimal input is the sign of a quality poling skiff. The effort required to pole the SC18 was as good if not better than any skiff I have ever been on. Bold statement, bold fact! When all factors are considered it’s been many years since I expended so little effort to glide a skiff across a flat.
If you are done serving Cool-Aid, what are to negatives to the SC18?
First the skiff floats to shallow. Not that this is a negative in itself but drawing so little water, 5” plus or minus, the tunnel is not completely submerged. With a strong wind at the stern of the skiff at rest waves splash around in the exposed portion of the tunnel. Dreaded hull slap. Is it the end of the world? No. Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve caught fish out of much louder skiffs. Just know it may happen and address it accordingly. Fortunately unlike many other tunnel skiffs the SC18 hull was designed not requiring sponsons. These can act like echo chambers and yet fish are still caught off skiffs with sponsons.
Second as mentioned before propping small hp outboards. This is not a limitation of the SC18 as much as need from a prop manufacturing perspective. Just be aware that if a 20hp outboard is in the build the selection of props will not be as diverse as 30hp.
I’d like to see better access to under deck storage. The Yeti cooler cutout is great but it required that the cooler be removed if access is needed to any items stored under the deck. Cut out hatches can be added. This will reflect in the price. Of note the demo boat we took out did not have the new finished top deck. I’m looking forward to seeing a version of it soon.
Are you done yet Capt. Jan?
Yes, that pretty much sums up my experience and thoughts on the skiff. Agree with me; don’t agree with me it’s up to you. Simply put, in my opinion, there is no complete package 18’ poling skiff that can compete with the SC18 for the price. Alternatives are available, however we need to ask what are we really paying an extra $12,000.00 or more for?
Cheers,
Capt. Jan