Tin Boats are the way to go but what about inflatables?

[PATRIOT]

Anyone own or have first hand knowledge about any inflatables.
Looking at the Intex Mariner 4 with the rigid floor, rub rails, square seats and motor mount.
Seems that size would be ideal for 2 people. Don't need military quality but not a pool toy either.

 

[Keith1]

I have been diving in an inflatable a few times and they are not for me, they just are uncomfortable.

Keith

 

[Tallpine]

I had a 16' NRS cataraft for a while. It was great for drift fishing on shallow rivers but slow with a motor on it. A raft with a frame and decent seats might not be too bad. I'll stick with tin.

 

[PATRIOT]

I heard that . . . keeping all my tins as well . . . just looking into something I can take to remote areas without trailering and wraps up in a smaller package. Of course then I'll have to research the best and fastest inflating method.

 

[Tallpine]

For remote fishing with difficult launch conditions inflatables are great. Check out some videos on youtube.

 

[Jim]

Would a huge kayak work in that situation Patriot? I have seen some really neat setups!

 

[Attwanl]

Almost every time I think about getting an inflatable, I think about my Dad telling me this story (several times) about him and my Uncle going frog gigin' in a rubber raft. A snake ended up inside the boat, well... You can figure out what happened after that, they lost most of their gear and had find their way back to the truck in the dark. Still brings a smile when I think about it.

 

[Kismet]

Some years ago, I used a big water inflatable one-person kayak, owned by a friend who was in the apprentice stage of Colorado river guide certification. We were on a lake and switched.

It was like floating about the water; waay tooo responsive to paddle strokes for my taste. It needed the current to be a viable craft in my uneducated opinion.

I was happy to go back to my solo canoe.

Different strokes for different folks.

Be safe, have fun.

 

[deadkitty]

I used to have that almost exact same setup, I had the slightly smaller seahawk II, it was small, fit in the trunk of my eclipse and was easy to take anywhere. About 15 min setup time and 15 min takedown. I even built a fold up plywood floor and added a couple of triangle seats. Ran it with a 36lb trolling motor and took it to just about every lake within 3 hrs of me. Super stable when standing while fishing, trolled pretty well. Those index boats are made of some pretty good rubber, I rammed it (on accident) into countless logs, sharp sticks and not even a scratch. The only time I got a hole was when I stupidly dragged it up a boat ramp and the floor was overinflated and caught a sharp rock. But that was an easy fix and I was still able to fish perfectly out of it with the floor deflated. Only reason I sold it was to help pay for new goodies on my tinboat.