The Hunt Weaponized: A Raw Look at the Chittum 18 Islamorada 

This isn’t your buddy’s poling skiff with a cool sticker and a hull slapped together by someone who’s never poled a flat in their life. The Islamorada 18 is a predator’s tool—purpose-built, engineered like a weapon, and deadly in the hands of someone who knows how to use it. And for guides like Captain Alonzo Sotillo, it’s more than just a boat. It’s the edge he needs in a fishery that doesn’t hand out second chances.

Born for Versatility, Built for Battle

“So the main thing I like about my boat is the versatility that it gives me,” Sotillo told me, scanning the water with sharp eyes, just after we missed a mudding fish by inches. “I can fish in a shallow with 7 inches of water for tailing fish, on out to deeper water for big game like tarpon. I can do all that without sacrificing anything.”

That’s the core of it. No compromise. No fluff. The Islamorada 18 lives in two worlds—the whisper-quiet shallows where redfish and bones ghost along the marl, and the rougher, open stretches of Gulf where tarpon roll like silver freight trains. Most boats are built to do one thing well. This thing does everything with a chip on its shoulder.

It eats chop and spits it out. It floats like a feather. And when it planes out, it hauls ass like it’s late for a gunfight.

Speed. Stealth. And That Ride.

You don’t buy a Chittum if you just want to get to the flat. You buy it because you want to get there fast, quietly, and without arriving soaking wet and sore. And that’s what separates the Islamorada from the rest of the herd.

The ride is soft. Not “soft” like a pontoon with grandma and a margarita—soft like the hull was carved by a sniper who knows what it feels like to take a hit at 60. Even when you’re running long stretches to hit backcountry tarpon or bounce from one bank to the next chasing tides, the Islamorada keeps you dry, smooth, and dialed in.

Let’s Talk Draft

Seven inches. That’s all it needs.

That number isn’t just for bragging rights. It’s tactical. You want to get to where the tails are flicking and the push is fresh? You need a skiff that can slide in under the radar. The Islamorada drafts like a shadow—quiet, clean, deliberate. Perfect for technical poling in places where a heavy hull would run aground and blow the spot before you ever had a shot.

Sotillo doesn’t even blink when he takes it into water that looks more like a salt puddle than a flat. “It’s stupid how skinny I can get,” he says. “And still, I can bomb out to the edge and jump tarpon without changing rigs.”

No Sacrifices

That’s what makes the Islamorada deadly. It doesn’t make you choose.

You don’t have to give up the ride for the draft. You don’t have to give up speed for silence. You don’t have to give up performance for looks. It does all of it. And it does it while turning heads at the ramp because, yes, it also happens to look like a damn fighter jet.

When you get a skiff that nails performance in shallow and deep water, gives you a whisper-quiet pole, runs dry, and still moves like a missile—you’re not in a flats boat anymore. You’re in something else.

Built by Mad Scientists (and Guides Who Know Better)

Chittum didn’t build this skiff in a vacuum. The Islamorada is the result of decades of obsessive refinement, trial by fire, and listening to the guys who spend more time on the water than most people spend at their jobs.

Every curve, chine, and corner of this hull was carved with intention. Not marketing. Not hype. Just pure fish-hunting physics. They used high-end materials, vacuum-infused tech, and a construction method that cuts weight without losing backbone. That means less draft, more fuel efficiency, and more strength when the water gets mean.

Deck Layout: Functional. Clean. Nothing Wasted.

The deck is wide open, lean, and tough. There’s no clutter. No gimmicks. Just clean surfaces that give you confidence to move, cast, and fight fish without tangles, trips, or noise.

Storage is smart and dry. Hatches are flush and sturdy. Everything is where it should be, not where some designer thought it might look cool. Because when you’re standing on the bow trying to drop a crab in front of a 100-pound tarpon, you want silence, balance, and control. The Islamorada gives you that in spades.

Who It’s For

Let’s be clear—this boat isn’t for everyone. If you just want to drift and drink, look elsewhere.

This is a hunter’s boat. It’s for the guide who needs to put clients on bonefish at sunrise, then bomb to the edge for migrating tarpon by noon. It’s for the die-hard who wants to push harder, run farther, and fish smarter than the rest. It’s for someone who knows that in the game of inches and silence, your skiff is either an asset or a liability.

Captain Sotillo summed it up best: “Having a boat that is that versatile enables me to tap into many different styles of fishing in a single day.”

That’s the whole game. Flexibility without compromise. Performance without excuses.

Final Thoughts

The Chittum 18 Islamorada isn’t a boat. It’s a decision. A decision to chase the hardest fish in the nastiest places and still come back dry, fast, and grinning. It’s for the obsessive. The addicted. The water-worn.

It’s the edge. And in a world where the next shot might be the only one you get all day, having the edge matters.

If you want to fish like it’s life or death, the Islamorada is your blade.

Specs Snapshot:

• Length: 18′
• Draft: ~7″
• Material: Carbon/Innegra composite
• Power: Recommended 70-90 HP
• Hull: Vacuum-infused, ultra-light
• Use Case: Shallow flats, backcountry tarpon, technical sight fishing