I wanted to post this in the microskiff section, but that section is still closed/locked so posting here for now.
Basically, just a review of the 173 that I owned.
2019 173, 50hp tiller, grab bar, TM, live well.
I purchased this skiff from the original owner on FB marketplace, in 2022 out of the Sebring area with about 250 hrs. The skiff was well maintained and garage kept. the owner was a former Air Force crew chief so he did his own maintenance. I believe I sold it approximately six months later in 2023 to a prior forum member.
The skiff was amazing and I wish I held onto it. Only reason for selling is it was a bit of a timeline thing for me. I made a deposit on a Drake and then purchase the 173 as a hold over until the Drake was ready.
I first looked at Cayo boats and visited their Saint Petersburg Warehouse close to 10 years ago and always wanted one but finances were not proper for me to make a new boat purchased. I owned a 1980s dolphin backcountry at the time. I wanted out of the dolphin because for the size of the boat it drafted way too much and it had a two stroke.
Fortunately in 2022 I found myself in a position where I was able to put a deposit down on a Drake and purchased a holdover boat so I was finally able to get my hands on a 173 which I had been eyeballing for almost a decade.
The skiff did everything that a small poling skiff is supposed to do. It polled well, it floated very skinny, it was comfortable for two people. Lots of storage, well built, rode great, turned predictably, and could eat reasonable size chop with a little bit of tab down. 173 is what I would consider to be the larger of the smaller poling skiffs. At 17’.3” long with a 62” beam, 2° deadrise and about 2” more freeboard then other skiffs in the same category
Aesthetically the boat had what I wanted, spray rails and clean lines. It was made with vinylester resin and VIT/bagged.
The original owner had an issue with the way the grab bar was mounted. It ripped out on him and he took it to the skiff shop and had it repaired.
There was also a few minor gelcoat imperfections in a few areas. I’m not sure what these exactly were, but probably left over wax in the mold before the gel coat was sprayed or something similar to that. Basically it looked as if small grains of rice were in indented in the gelcoat in a few areas. Nothing major, but I’m a bit OCD and noticed things that others would just dismiss.
I reached out to Cayo and they put me in contact with their gelcoat supplier fiberlay. I ordered a small can of new gel coat that was color matched. I took the boat to a local shop that I work with and these areas were touched up.
Some of the hatches were not mounted perfectly symmetrical and the edges contacted the gutters. I had these straightened out.
I thoroughly cleaned then polished the entire boat and ceramic coated it. Removed much of the hardware and bedded that down with caulking and used stainless washers where applicable.
Some things to note for new owners on this boat that I paid attention to because if left unnoticed, it could create issues
Depending on how the boat is left on the trailer, it will have a tendency to hold water in certain areas. underneath the fuel tank on the fuel tank shelf, back in the bilge area and in the rear facing rod tubes.
To get around this, I lifted the trailer jack up and tilted the boat down so that the water underneath the fuel tank would come out, basically the fuel tank shelf just needs a small drain hole under it. Same applied to the rear facing rod tubes when the trailer was tilted down at the bow, water came out of the rod tubes.
Then I did the opposite putting the jack down and lifting it all the way up, so any water in the bilge area would drain out of the bilge drain. The the port and starboard aft corners have tendency to hold a little bit of water in them so I put a microfiber in there to absorb that.
Basically, when I received the boat, the entire bilge area was discolored with mildew due to old standing water. This cleaned up easily and with a little bit of attention to angle the boat on the trailer, this didn’t happen again.
At the time, I don’t think Cayo was putting seacocks or ball valves on the drain for the Livewell. I believe they have since started doing this. Basically to prevent water from coming in the live will hatch. I just needed to install the drain tube and that raised up the water level high enough that it would not flood.
All in all, it was a solid sled and I would recommend.
If I built a new one, I would probably build it one of two ways
- with a side console and a 60 HP and a trolling motor.
- 30 hp side console no trolling motor.
I don’t think I have the patience for 30 hp but the boat would probably draft about 4 inches.
This is the kind of boat where you can equip it with a fair amount of accessories to do a variety of different kinds of fishing, but still float very skinny.
Or keep it very simple.
