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12/01/2006

BOATING MAGAZINE Tests Mako ^® 264 CC

TIGER TANK. Run It Up the Gut

Mako, now a Tracker company, appears to be building boats like the Makos of old: The new 264 CC is a ride-’em-hard and put-’em-away-wet kind of fishboat designed for durability and angling efficiency. Proof can be found in construction touches such as the use of Trevera backing for the stainless-steel cap screws and other fittings; it’s a dense composite that grabs onto fasteners like glue. The transom is Coosa Composites high-density foam encased in multiple layers of fiberglass. And Airlite coring is used extensively—√" in the decks, Π" in the hatches.

My prototype test boat was built heavy by about 800 pounds, according to Mako engineers; design weight is 4,500 pounds, but the test boat weighed 5,300. Production models will cut this weight, most of it near the transom, to give some added flotation back there where it’s needed with the heavy Verado outboards. The boat ran well despite the extra weight and a full load of fuel, coming on plane in a few seconds with four-bladed Revenge props and topping out at 48.9 mph at 5500 rpm. Note that this was not close to the 6400 rpm redline for the Mercury Verados—a swap to three-bladed props probably would add rpm and speed, though perhaps at the expense of some holeshot. The boat will plane and run on one engine should you ever need it to do so—about 20 mph at 4000 rpm with our test loading and props.

A likely-to-be-copied feature on the 264 CC is the walk-in slot in the front casting deck; this makes it far more secure to get up front and handle the anchor or fight a fish in rolling seas than the standard elevated deck in that area. Like most Mako center consoles, the 264 CC has the rocker switches for all the breakers mounted low under an overhang on the console. This puts them out of the way and protects them from washdown water, but you have to bend over to read the labels and work the switches. The leaning post includes a molded, padded backrest that’s comfortable, and the built-in jumbo baitwell and sink aft are standard. A grabrail on the back of the well provides a good spot to stand when you’re making one of those long, ride-’em-hard offshore runs. — Frank Sargeant

View 317_Mako264CCBT0612.pdf

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