This is not a joke-- I could truly use some expert wisdom here. We
put a deposit on a nice '86 Mako with a new Yamaha 225, and stopped at
the boat supply store to pick out goodies for it on the way home.
When the salesman (OK, he was a kid, but still...) heard us say
"Mako", he warned us to stay away from Mako's, then launched into a
tale of how both he and his "friend Darryl" had split their respective
Mako's in two by taking them offshore (in this case, the Hudson
Canyon). My husband and I must have gone fish-belly white at that
point; needless to say it put a total DOWNER on our excitement over
the new boat (our first CC). This kid says all Mako's have a
structural flaw that makes them split right across forward of the
console. Aaaakk!! Have we made the total mistake of our lives, or
should we not be listening to someone who is actually younger than the
boat is?? Is there any truth to this?

MJ Mandrano wrote:

This is not a joke-- I could truly use some expert wisdom here. We
put a deposit on a nice '86 Mako with a new Yamaha 225, and stopped at
the boat supply store to pick out goodies for it on the way home.
When the salesman (OK, he was a kid, but still...) heard us say
"Mako", he warned us to stay away from Mako's, then launched into a
tale of how both he and his "friend Darryl" had split their respective
Mako's in two by taking them offshore (in this case, the Hudson
Canyon). My husband and I must have gone fish-belly white at that
point; needless to say it put a total DOWNER on our excitement over
the new boat (our first CC). This kid says all Mako's have a
structural flaw that makes them split right across forward of the
console. Aaaakk!! Have we made the total mistake of our lives, or
should we not be listening to someone who is actually younger than the
boat is?? Is there any truth to this?


The kid and his friend Darryl are smoking hemp. Every boat manufacturer
has had a lemon or two, but I've never heard of any numbers of Makos
failing that way. In the 90's, Mako QC fell a few notches, and I don't
know if it was restored, but that had little to do with the integrity of
the hulls.

On 30 May 2004 20:15:05 -0700, (MJ Mandrano)
wrote:

This is not a joke-- then launched into a
tale of how both he and his "friend Darryl" had split their respective
Mako's in two by taking them offshore (in this case, the Hudson
Canyon). This kid says all Mako's have a
structural flaw that makes them split right across forward of the
console. Is there any truth to this?

I doubt it. I had a 21 Mako slightly older than yours and had it in
10' + seas on numerous occasions in the Gulf Of Mexico without any
structural problems. Hydraulic trim tabs helped "roll" it over waves
rather than drop it but it still took some pretty healthy pounding
without a problem.

It's a 1986 boat. Almost 20 years old.
Don't you suppose that if it had a "structural flaw" that was going to cause it
to split in half it would have done so by now?

Learn to pay no attention to anybody who purports that a single descriptive
phrase or
defect applies to every boat ever made by manufacturer, X, Y, or Z. Those same
people will be quick to tell you why *all*
categories of every other item can be summed up with a two-line observation as
well.

If you have concerns about that specific hull, spend a few hundred bucks to get
a surveyor to tap out the full and do a thorough visual inspection. If there
are any
major structural defects, they will show up at that point.

A friend of mine has that same boat. It is solid as a rock (and heavy as hell
for a 23' boat). He also has a Yamaha 225 that he installed a year ago after
his Yamaha 200 finally bit the dust. I have been on it at least a dozen times
and in some very rough water on many of those trips. Aside from some stress
cracks from years of service and a few chips in the floor compartment doors,
it's still in amazing shape for its age.

At the Miami Boat Show a Mako salesperson (keyword 'salesperson') told us that
Mako was returning to its roots. He admitted a poor build quality in the last
few years and said that they were now back to building solid, high quality,
boats. If any of that is true, the "kid" may have had some experience with the
more recent Makos. They are now part of the Tracker family and have moved out
of Miami in the last 18 months or so. I'm not sure when Tracker picked them up
or if it's good or bad but there is some serious money behind them now.

http://www.trackermarine.com/index.c...tion=home.mako

I would still get the transom checked out at a bare minimum. Even the best
boats can go to hell if the previous owner(s) improperly drilled holes in them
or didn't maintain them.

Also... get, or do, a compression check on the motor. The numbers are rather
irrelevant - they just need to be close to each other.

Dan


MJ Mandrano wrote:

This is not a joke-- I could truly use some expert wisdom here. We
put a deposit on a nice '86 Mako with a new Yamaha 225, and stopped at
the boat supply store to pick out goodies for it on the way home.
When the salesman (OK, he was a kid, but still...) heard us say
"Mako", he warned us to stay away from Mako's, then launched into a
tale of how both he and his "friend Darryl" had split their respective
Mako's in two by taking them offshore (in this case, the Hudson
Canyon). My husband and I must have gone fish-belly white at that
point; needless to say it put a total DOWNER on our excitement over
the new boat (our first CC). This kid says all Mako's have a
structural flaw that makes them split right across forward of the
console. Aaaakk!! Have we made the total mistake of our lives, or
should we not be listening to someone who is actually younger than the
boat is?? Is there any truth to this?

Thank you all for exactly the calm logic I was looking for. The
quality of responses and information on this message board are truly
impressive. We're picking up the Mako tomorrow (it's my 49th birthday
present) and I can't wait! Thanks again.

Enjoy it and Happy Birthday!

Dan


MJ Mandrano wrote:
Thank you all for exactly the calm logic I was looking for. The
quality of responses and information on this message board are truly
impressive. We're picking up the Mako tomorrow (it's my 49th birthday
present) and I can't wait! Thanks again.