Inflatable Boats (Try Not to Laugh)

So, I grew up on boats since I could walk (saltwater), and I'm sick of feeling restricted on the shore.

Thought about getting a Pelican Bass Raider, but it kept going back to the fact that neither I nor my fishing buddy drive a truck or want to have to think about trailer hassles, prices and storage space right now.

So it hit me like bricks, (even though I laughed at myself a little) and I went looking for info and reviews. Actually seems many people have gone this route.

What do you think? Safe? Anyone ever used a good one? This is what I've been looking into. http://youtu.be/723JsGH3cuc

This set up including the mount and Minn Kota all from Amazon will run me just under $300. How I can I beat that when I have no real way of transporting and am not big on dropping a pretty penny for a craft right now.

My buddy had a cheap inflatable and called it the inflatable death trap. What kind of car do you have? This was my first setup.

If your going with inflatables you have to look at the float tube from bass pro shops there cheap a realible

Inflatables are nice, will work and it will be a lot of fun, buuut if that is your price range, I would seriously try to find a kayak instead. Craigslist it, and you should be able to get a NICE one for ~$300.

Only downside is you are going to need a roof carrier.

For kayaks they sell foam blocks the you take on and off the roof and cheap at dicks

Ah, that first set up (transporting a Bass Raider on top of my car) was exactly what I had planned on. I found a 10E on Craigslist for $400 including the trolling motor, oars, seats....but I didn't jump on it fast enough. Now I'm having trouble finding one for under $600-$700. I usually drive a fairly new Nissan Altima so I was planning to borrow my father's older Ford Taurus for a car top boat.

I've looked into both the float tube and kayaks. If I was mostly fishing alone and without much gear I'd jump on either one of those options in a heartbeat. These are all great suggestions and things I've researched. I fish all the time with my best friend so I've been wanting something pretty spacious that will fit both of us and plenty of gear.

Shawneramone, I wonder if your friend's inflatable death trap was a Sevylor. They're popular amongst anglers but small and easily take on water from what I hear.

It actually amazed me they're selling the Mariner 4 on Amazon for $155. The Minn Kota C2 30 for $100 on there, the mount for $20 and the power center for $53. So just over $300 for all that. It's hard to pass up. Just wish it came with a lifetime warranty like the Intex mattress I bought!
It does have excellent reviews. http://www.amazon.com/Intex-Person-Mariner-Inflatable-Boat/product-reviews/B001CRBNEC/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Hard not to bite the bullet and take the risk right now.


(They don't make em with those cylindrical seats anymore. They're rectangular, but you can pretty much customize the seating anyway you want; wooden boards, storage benches, swivel chairs...)

I have a Sevylor Fish Hunter, it's 12 feet long and very comfortably fits two if not three. Highly recommended, they're about $180 last time I looked, a Bass Pro trolling motor is about $99, mount is $60 and a few accessories will got you on the water. One reason I like the Sevylor is that it's very customizable, easy to transport, and has a simple design. Been serving me faithfully for about 4 years now.

i had the same setup as shawn but mine was only 8' and about 115-120 pounds. you should be able to find them on craigslist. keep looking actively. too bad this didn't come up sooner. i would've dumped my old boat to you for nothing. i had an inflatable as well (profile pic). it was a sea eagle.

don't get me wrong, i actually had a great year fishing in the thing and caught more fish over 4 and 5 pounds than i ever would've imagined. caught my PB in it too. the setup sucked though. it was just a real hassle and wind wasn't very fun.

the thing that got me was the summer of its 2nd year. i think even the really high quality ones get wear and tear from the heat and sun even though they all say they're UV resistant. it seems really fragile when it's hot out. you have to be very careful. one day a small bass came off and its fin barely nicked the side wall. it created a very slow but audible leak that was fixable but made me nervous. eventually, it happened again and it was a bigger hole. i tossed it after about 1.5 years of use.

First time a big pickerel puts her teeth into that thing it's gonna pop like a balloon

Just kidding. It seems like a low risk proposition. So maybe you use it for a season, you can reuse the motor, mount and power center on another boat. And if you sell your lightly used inflatable maybe you can get half your money back out of it; so maybe you're out $75 all told. It's short money to really increase your access to fishable water.

I just bought a Sea Eagle 370 since I live in a small apartment and there's no storage to speak of. I have to say I'm really happy with the purchase. I even made a fishing crate for it. It's a 38 mill polykrylar hull so it's a lot tougher than you might expect.

A lot to think about here.

Skewl, it's good to hear how well the Sevylor has worked out for you. The reviews I read were 50/50 so you're one of the lucky ones. I was all ready to get one but the solid floor and more space got my sights set on this one. Kinda tossed now.

That's funny about the pickerel. My fishing buddy thinks I'm nuts and has all these fears & doubts about inflatables. I'm willing to swim if it saves me good money and teaches me a good lesson I'll only have to learn once. Lol

So it seems the consensus is that some work great and some are a real pain. Samf, that's very thoughtful. =) Sorry it didn't work out all that great.

It's worth it to get off the shore and will you should be able to get at least a few good years out of it. I got the SEA EAGLE SE9 but got the entire "dream" package.

i have another option for you, im not sure what your budget is but i just found one in bridgewater on craigslist

id do this over an inflatable

http://www.porta-bote.com/index.php

they are really cool actually

this is the craiglist link if you wanna see if you could talk the guy down

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/boa/3784038053.html

Have you thought about a Kayak ? They have those Sit on ones or a 2 person for you and your fishing partner to use together.

Also remember anything with a motor (Even Electric) has to be registered, have a fire extinguisher and a whistle or horn ,all taking up space in the craft ..