Looking for a small infl boat to accom. an existing trolling motor. A few questions.

Kurisu

Recruit
Joined
Jun 18, 2016
Messages
1
We already have in our possession a Minn Kota "sonar 35". (well.. "we" as in it's granddad's.) My granddad says the motor is a pain because it "has to" use a heavy marine battery. Is that the only battery that is compatible here? I'm not looking for any huge day trips...

Any little inflatable I've been looking at isn't more than $300. Would a rubber-bottom boat that says it can accommodate whatever the weight of the battery plus me actually work? Though I'm sure huge batteries + water is a terrible idea. Help a complete newbie? No idea where to start researching here.
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Welcome to Iboats,

Those cheapo inflatables boats around $ 300-500 are thin PVC material made, the issue with this type of inflatable floor is that will lack proper rigidity if seatting a heavy baterry on top, will rock all boating day long. Add a square plywood piece cut at least triple bat size to seat much better bat on top inflatable floor.

Could use a 2 stroke outboard 2.5 max 5 HP range and forget about a heavy battery, inflatable must have a sturdy engine mout at back transom for it.

Happy Boating
 
Last edited:

mrdrh99

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
756
You should look at the mariner 3 and 4... They both have a partially slated hard floor, fits your budget, and are a bit better than the vinyl floor boats. Be realistic, but plenty of fun can be had in either one. Don't forget to order the motor mount
 

Bonaventure

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
167
This is my first post, my name is Glen. I have just purchased a Mariner 4, which I power with an old 2 strokeJohnson 2HP. I had it out for the first time yesterday. I was going to post in an old thread about using this motor and boat combination, but the thread has been inactive for a couple of years.

Having just used the motor on this boat only once, my comment may be more toward the motor function. I have not put a plywood floor in yet, but am intending to do so. The seats that come with the boat are more or less unusable. My fishing partner and I took 2 but found that they took up space and were not comfortable. We are both 67 year old former Navy men. W sat on the side of the tubes because the seats were not very kind to us old duffers. They are just not high enough.

We had to launch into a quite strong wind and face about 18 inches of chop, not fun. It meant having to push off the concrete boat launching ramp, paddle like mad for deep water, lower the outboard, open the vent and petcock to get the fuel flowing, choke the engine and pull the rope for a while to get it going. All this while trying to keep from being driven back to the Lee Shore that we just vacated. I motored across the lake to where the water was calmer.

The motor was purchased last year, it is a 1978 model. I had only run it up in a barrel to set up the carburetor settings. On the way across, I had the idea that this was not a good engine. But I was reacting to the stress of the launch. We trolled around in the slack water and the engine was a Champion at slow speed. I found that the motor ran better when I pulled the choke out. It then occurred to me that the High Speed settings could be adjusted. It is impossible to set these on a motor like this that is being run in a barrel. This is because there is no neutral gear, this engine is direct drive, so the propeller turning in the barrel of water causes too much swirl to get it up to maximum RPM. I ran it up to speed, turned the High Speed Jet to a richer setting and found it ran like a Champ at high speed.

I was also concerned about the water pump. It is common on old motors that a new impeller is required to get a good flow to cool the engine. Sometimes the whole pump needs an overhaul. We transfer this motor for more than 4 hours at all speeds without a hitch. I am going to dismantle the lower unit and change what is needed after this season is done. For now I think it is OK.


The boat performed very well. We drove it at full speed through the chop and against the wind and shipped very little water. The lake is in our home in Nova Scotia. It is a couple of miles long, maybe 2 1/2, and a mile or so wide, so it is affected by wind. My new fishing pal, Graham, Is a big guy. I am teaching him to fish, though I am just getting back to fishing after a 20 year hiatus. That is another story.

Sorry that this is long. We had a really good time and I am pleased that the boat and motor performed well. We were both a bit sore at the end of it. We were fortunate to see a Bald Eagle,. It flew out of the trees in front of the boat as we came around a corner.

Thanks for your patience and I hope that this was of benefit to some.
 
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