Mako 284 CC Review

One of the most respected nameplates in boating, Mako has long been known for building serious center consoles designed for serious offshore fishing. The company’s reputation as a leader on the big water goes back decades, and many of Mako’s innovations have gone on to become standard features industry-wide. The Mako 284 CC sits about midway through the brand’s extensive line of offshore center consoles that range from 18 to 41 feet in length. But the 28 has long been a favorite because it’s sized just right, providing a near-ideal balance of interior space and big-water seaworthiness against being compact enough to handle well in small spaces and be easily trailerable.

Having an MSRP that starts at just under $100k with twin Mercury 200 four-strokes doesn’t hurt either. That’s a lot of money, to be sure, but it brings the buyer a whole lot of boat in return.

The Mako 284 CC follows a traditional center console layout, with twin bow storage compartments serving as raised casting decks or, with the addition of available cushions, twin front seats.

For starters, and let’s just be clear about this right up front, the 284 CC is a Mako, and that alone counts for a lot. It means the boat, like all Makos, is built on a foam-injected hull with an integrated one-piece fiberglass stringer grid for tremendous strength and rigidity when running in big waves. The Mako 284 CC rides on an aggressive deep V-hull design complete with performance lifting strakes for enhanced handling in rough seas. The Mako name also assures an extraordinary attention to detail throughout, from the self-bailing cockpit design that sheds rain without requiring power or pumps, to simple things like gas rams that support hatch lids, and fully gasketed seams to keep the hatch contents dry.

A huge in-floor storage compartment features a lid supported by a gas ram and sealed with a gasket to keep rain water out. Note the twin drains.

The Mako 284 CC follows a fairly traditional center console layout, with an open bow with raised platforms on either side that convert to seating with available cushions, each concealing a 99-quart insulated storage space below. There’s also a massive 470-quart in-deck storage compartment between the two front seats. Low-profile brushed anodized aluminum bow rails are a thoughtful touch.

A large seat on the center console face offers yet more storage in its base, or can serve as a convenient built-in cooler.

Facing the two bow seats is an oversized forward-console seat, complete with an insulated storage compartment in its base and two drink holders. The flooring throughout is fiberglass non-skid for long life, zero maintenance and fast end-of-day clean-ups.

The helm offers plenty of space for mounting electronics, including an available Lowrance package.

The large helm console houses a head compartment accessed through a port-side door. The compartment interior is nicely finished and provides a sink with faucet and on-demand fresh water, and a full six feet of head room.

Still more secure dry storage space for valuables can be found under the helm seat.

The helm itself is provided with Mercury SmartCraft gauges as standard equipment, along with the controls for the recessed electric trim tabs, a pair of drink holders, and a 12-volt DC outlet. Up top, that’s a safety glass windshield with a full aluminum frame – no plastic here. There’s a ton of space on the console face for mounting aftermarket electronics, including the available Lowrance MFD package that includes all sorts of goodies like HDS-9 and HDS-12 touch-screen fishfinders, a Link-8 DSC VHF radio, Point-1 GPS antenna w/compass, SonarHub sounder module, Broadband 4G radar and a Sirius satellite weather and radio module. Add the optional Fusion AM/FM/WB stereo with four speakers and your time on the water just doesn’t get any better. Overhead, a standard outrigger-ready fiberglass hardtop comes complete with five rod holders, an electronics box and three spreader lights.

The aft side of the leaning post houses the 284 CC’s integrated bait prep station, complete with a 50-gallon bait well.

The Mako 284 CC’s fiberglass leaning post also deserves special mention. The helm seat has the expected flip-up cushion with storage below, but what’s really exciting is the integrated bait prep station on its aft side. That’s where you’ll find a freshwater sink with a removable cutting board, a huge 50-gallon aerated anti-slosh bait well, four rocket launcher rod holders, tool storage and space to hold a couple of water bottles. It’s still fairly compact, allowing plenty of space to access the 290-quart insulated port and starboard in-deck fish boxes (each with a macerator) or the under-gunnel rod racks that hold three rods per side, each up to seven feet in length.

Dual 290-quart insulated fish boxes with macerators located in the aft cockpit floor handle the catch of the day.

As you’d expect from this brand, the Mako 284 CC comes with a long and appealing option list, with all sorts of niceties like a removable folding stern bench seat to accommodate extra passengers, and engine upgrades up to twin 350 Verados. But even in its base form, this is one extremely well-equipped offshore fishing boat that any angler would be proud to own.