[Capt. Moose]

Buy a Pro and find a friend with a 12° Chittum.

 

[ifsteve]

MHO is that unless you are a guide and get a big discount or a trust fund baby I can't imagine spending the coin for a HB or Chittum. There are plenty of boats that are every bit or at least dang near as good for way less money. Way less. Flame away.

 

[sotilloa1078]

Buy a Pro and find a friend with a 12° Chittum.

but the 12 degree will float right there with the pro. Especially a mangrove!

 

[Stevie]

but the 12 degree will float right there with the pro. Especially a mangrove!

Thank you @sotilloa1078. Been trying to say that subtly for quite a while. Mangrove 12 degree with a Tohatsu 60. Will run over 40 mph and float in 7 or less. Fully loaded. Poles well into the wind because it’s level. With the Chittum 12 degree, you avoid the very hard choices which this thread raises.

Had a 178... gorgeous, stately boat...but got caught poling anything but 0 degrees into the wind and came about.

 

[BCPD199]

I did a fairly mild price out on a 21 and it got into almost 6 digits. For that I get a pathy and A used v hull small mav.

I looked at the 21 as well, and it easily passed 105k. Even the Legacy 18 got over the 100k mark. My problem is, I tend to over option things. Works out great for the next owner! Ended up with the Marquesa. Goes into the mold beginning of April. I think Hal builds a great boat; but, in my case (YMMV), I couldn't justify the extra cost.

 

[Matts]

I priced out a new Pro (65K or so), new Maverick (don’t remember) and a new 1/2 carbon LM 2 with tunnel like the Pro. At the end of the day, the LM 2 fished so much more stable, quiet and super shallow that an extra 10K would have been meaningless over the long haul, had I purchased new. I carry wading boots in my skiff but in 6 months of use, have never had to get out of the skiff to push, even in 4-5”’of water. Hal has literally answered numerous emails regarding his product and does so expediently. Even after expanding their facility by more than double, from what I’ve heard, they have still gone from a 3 to 12 mos build time. You don’t do that with poor customer service and an average product. The new HB are just so much heavier than the old ones that I could not justify spending that kind of money to have to get out and push.
All the best,
Matt

 

[Caleb.Esparza]

I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I can say objectively that a great friend loaned me his Chittum for a week in the keys and I was SHOCKED how much I liked it.

There is a HUGE difference between riding on a skiff that someone else owns (we’ve all been on good boats with bad drivers), and running the absolute piss out of a boat yourself for an extended period of time in varying conditions. Oceanside and backcountry that boat was more well rounded than any skiff I’ve fished to date, and I’ve literally ran and poled just about all of them at this point even to include the Marquesa and 18 Maverick referenced in this thread. I was even lucky enough to spend some time on the new Floyd 10wt recently (VERY intriguing skiff, I can’t wait to spend some more time fishing one).

If I was dead set on a HB which I’m not, the pro wouldn’t be on my list to begin with.. It would be a toss up between a lightweight marquesa and a lightweight biscayne for my purposes. I already have a super minimal skiff that will out skinny 98% of what’s out there and poles like a canoe.

 

[sotilloa1078]

I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I can say objectively that a great friend loaned me his Chittum for a week in the keys and I was SHOCKED how much I liked it.

There is a HUGE difference between riding on a skiff that someone else owns (we’ve all been on good boats with bad drivers), and running the absolute piss out of a boat yourself for an extended period of time in varying conditions. Oceanside and backcountry that boat was more well rounded than any skiff I’ve fished to date, and I’ve literally ran and poled just about all of them at this point even to include the Marquesa and 18 Maverick referenced in this thread. I was even lucky enough to spend some time on the new Floyd 10wt recently (VERY intriguing skiff, I can’t wait to spend some more time fishing one).

If I was dead set on a HB which I’m not, the pro wouldn’t be on my list to begin with.. It would be a toss up between a lightweight marquesa and a lightweight biscayne for my purposes. I already have a super minimal skiff that will out skinny 98% of what’s out there and poles like a canoe.

Well said.

 

[DBStoots]

I have a Professional and have fished on the Marquesa several times--in the bayous of Louisiana, on the beaches for tarpon, and in Biscayne Bay for bonefish and permit. If I lived and fished the areas you are talking about, I would probably go with the Marquesa. If you ever want to talk about the Professional or come down to take a look at mine shoot me a DM. I am very happy with the Professional. C.A. will be down in Ft. Myers soon for a seminar. Perhaps you can arrange a charter or just a test ride.

 

[SC on the FLY]

I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I can say objectively that a great friend loaned me his Chittum for a week in the keys and I was SHOCKED how much I liked it.

There is a HUGE difference between riding on a skiff that someone else owns (we’ve all been on good boats with bad drivers), and running the absolute piss out of a boat yourself for an extended period of time in varying conditions. Oceanside and backcountry that boat was more well rounded than any skiff I’ve fished to date, and I’ve literally ran and poled just about all of them at this point even to include the Marquesa and 18 Maverick referenced in this thread. I was even lucky enough to spend some time on the new Floyd 10wt recently (VERY intriguing skiff, I can’t wait to spend some more time fishing one).

If I was dead set on a HB which I’m not, the pro wouldn’t be on my list to begin with.. It would be a toss up between a lightweight marquesa and a lightweight biscayne for my purposes. I already have a super minimal skiff that will out skinny 98% of what’s out there and poles like a canoe.

where did the 10wt rank in your opinion?

 

[13385]

No dog in this fight either but for my only boat I'd take a Marquesa. You can push or pole either boat back to deeper water and unless you're in knee deep muck like in Flamingo, you can always get out and wade that last 30-50 yards where the water goes from 11" to 7" on a flat. You can't make the Pro ride better when the wind picks up or give it more room when a 3rd person wants to go.

I ran into this situation in a 21' flats boat with a trolling motor (and no push pole) 2 days ago. Very low tides and a school of reds came up to feed on what was exposed ground 20-30 minutes ago. I only caught one because it didn't occur to me at first to stop seeing how shallow I could sneak up on the TM and just get out in shin deep water and walk 20 feet. The hull was floating but the TM needed more water. If I had a push pole much less a Marquesa, Pro, or any other skiff small enough to push just 30ft or just gotten out of the boat I would have caught more fish.

Perspective is a funny thing, when I went with CA Richardson I thought to myself how I wouldn't want anything smaller than his Marquesa but I guess if you're coming from something like a 16ft 0 degree skiff it may seem large.

 

[Rod_Gentry]

The part I don't get is if you just talked your wife (or HB personel did), out of her boat, how does a harsh running, poling specialized, skinny water boat, even come into consideration. You buy that thing as an all purpose boat, and by all rights you should have a Boston Whaler in you drive within a year.

Does she know you post here?

 

[B_ONE]

Agree with your interpretation of the other companies. chittums aggressive attacking social media marketing strategy just turns me off and I won’t support a company like that no matter what their product is. Plus I think they are ugly. HB is a work of art. Just my opinion you are entitled to yours so simmer down fanboy.

Hells Bay is top notch and worth the extra pennies for me. Great company top to bottom. I enjoyed the entire process of my build and love my marquesa. I personally love the big water capabilities and don’t need a boat to get in ultra skinny areas. I think it poles well and I love the innegra build I have. The resale is worth it.

 

[WylanB]

Resistance is futile. I was all ready to put my deposit in at HB this week prior to joining this forum. After some very good advice, I have gone back to Hal to set up a test ride on the Mangrove 12 degree in April. I'm not picking any winners yet. But I have a feeling that once I try this boat, I will be sold. From what Ive heard so far, it just seems to be the best blend of everything that I'm looking for in both the Pro and the Marquesa. All skiffs are compromises. It just kinda seems less so with the Chittum. I'm looking forward to trying it myself.

Also, to address the elephant in the room, I have to say that Hal has been such a class act in communicating with him directly. He responds promptly to phone calls, spends a lot of time putting together responses in his emails, and never even mentions other companies even if I bring them up. So I don't know who is to blame for the social media BS, but I would be surprised if it is coming from Hal himself. My experience has been nothing but positive.

I have revised the poll - feel free to update your vote.

 

[MariettaMike]

.....I don't know who is to blame for the social media BS, but I would be surprised if it is coming from Hal himself.

He used to USE his name.

https://www.microskiff.com/threads/chittum-islamorada-18-vs-hb-marquesa.31779/page-5

Great post, But remember, Hal Chittum was the real founder of Hells Bay and he knows that product better then they do.... as I have been schooled by Hal I believe we or he can use them as a comparison and I can give you a real world comparison between the skiffs in question. We have not been wrong yet!

I am not bumping on Hells Bay,, Hal did a great job putting that company where it is today, anything I post is factual. Its your responsibility as a buyer to investigate for yourself.

 

[SC on the FLY]

MHO is that unless you are a guide and get a big discount or a trust fund baby I can't imagine spending the coin for a HB or Chittum. There are plenty of boats that are every bit or at least dang near as good for way less money. Way less. Flame away.

Exactly, I’m pretty sure the Chittum is similar bottom to the Mavericks never rode on one though , I just took a ride on Brian Floyd’s 10 wt and that thing was ridiculous for quite a bit less, I’ve ran both the pro and marquesa

 

[sotilloa1078]

Exactly, I’m pretty sure the Chittum is similar bottom to the Mavericks never rode on one though , I just took a ride on Brian Floyd’s 10 wt and that thing was ridiculous for quite a bit less, I’ve ran both the pro and marquesa

Chittum bottom is significantly different than a maverick.

 

[Matts]

Chittum bottom is significantly different than a maverick.

Yep and the Chittum 2 degree full carbon WILL certainly float in 5", fully loaded and I can tell you first hand that the Maverick HPX-S will not come close.
Best,
Matt

 

[SC on the FLY]

Chittum bottom is significantly different than a maverick.

Thanks for the info ,not familiar Though Apparently you can’t always believe what you hear, is your 12° a true 12 or does it have a flat spot in the center?

 

[Stevie]

Photos of the 12 degree. No “flat spots”, except the narrow pad. To me it’s the very light weight of Chittum’s hulls and that they are a full 18 foot boat (with that light weight) that makes the 7” draft for the Mangrove w/ Tohatsu and Snake Bight w/ F70.