Review - Magma Bait/Filet Mate Table

My Magma table came with the boat. The original builder had it installed, and when I first looked at it, my initial reaction was somewhat negative. In all my years on the water, I had never had a boat with anything like that on the transom, so at first glance it just looked like it would be in the way all the time.

In fact, even after finalizing the purchase, as the boat and everything on it was virtually brand new, I told him outright that he could remove the table and keep it for a future build if he wanted to. This was not a negotiating tactic, I just didn’t think I wanted that table in that position.

Boy, was I wrong! And I was just lucky that he kindly left the table on the boat, as it has indeed proven to be absolutely indispensable.

First off though, let’s get the “cleaning table” idea out of the way. As a salmon charter boat, for my purposes, most of the fish which come aboard are simply too big to be efficiently cleaned or filleted  on a 31” x 12.5” table. This is not bragging. Most legal size salmon are too large for this table and indeed, one of my filet knives is longer than the table is deep. So, if finding an onboard cleaning table for any medium to large size fish is your primary purpose, I would not recommend this product.

I would however strongly recommend this product for just about anything else!

Working room on a boat can be limited at the best of times, and I just can’t overstate the convenience and luxury of having a 31” x 12’ surface at my disposal in the cockpit. The Magma table is also indestructible, incredibly stable, and well designed. The side rails are good height with appropriate drain holes in the sides, and the slot for the pliers is handy and secure. The one small feature that has not worked well for me are the two small side straps meant to hold small knives. Where these straps are positioned makes knife handles stick out where they are easily knocked, and knives just generally fall out of these straps all too easily. This is not a big deal, but I think a few more small slots in the table itself, like the plier holder would be a far more efficient solution for holding small knives.

Day to day, my Magma table is in constant use. First, it is a great location for my remote control fob for the autopilot. This frees me from having to wear the fob around my neck, which is an annoyance at best, and it positions the fob right where I need it to be in the back of the boat, so I can easily steer remotely from the stern. Second, it is an indispensable and incredibly convenient staging platform for setting up baits, lures and other fishing tackle, which makes my operation way more efficient and effective. This table also holds my jerry cans when I re-fuel (which I do almost daily), which weigh about 40 pounds, with no issues at all.

Further to all that, mine has been used for just about anything else you could imagine from a drone launching pad to just holding lunch, as depicted below.

For boats under 25’, any kind of flat space to securely put things on without having them go overboard is always at a premium. And this is exactly where the Magma table really comes into its own. Again, I would not be looking at this item as a cleaning table, and would even go as far as to say that on boats of this size, cleaning anything but the smallest of fish is a job best left for when you get back to the dock. For everything else however, the Magma table is just an incredibly welcome luxury to have. I love mine and if you have the space for it, Im sure you will too.

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