Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

[Brusac]

HeffD I see 1 selection for Intex Marineer, if you go to checkout step 1 is to pick the M3 or M4. They have the M4 for $330 U.S.

http://www.*******.com/product/Boati..._SEQ_104581980

 

[HeffD]

Brusac ahh yes the American cabelas website , the nice thing is , I'm able to buy it , however it's going to cost me a total of $533 after shipping , I think I'll just use my banged up m4 until the canadian Amazon has it available again for $330

I'm cutting my floor tomorrow , I'm going with a 2pc floor , each piece is 4ft long and 34 inches wide , my pedestal stands , seats and swivels are on their way , hopefully this weekend I can put the deck sealer on and then put the carpet on !

I think I'm also going to install some sort of table that I can attach a downrigger to , as well as my gps , fly rod and spin rod holders , and a fish finder .

I've applied leak seal all over the seams of my old beaten up M4 so I hope it keeps the water out, I'd hate to ruin my new floor , but there is no time line for me to get a new M4 beacuse its out of stock !! I can't wait to get back in the water , I've owned my M4 since 2009 , I wish I stumbled up on this thread a long time ago !!

 

[Starkonian]

Brusac ahh yes the American ******* website , the nice thing is , I'm able to buy it , however it's going to cost me a total of $533 after shipping , I think I'll just use my banged up m4 until the canadian Amazon has it available again for $330

I'm cutting my floor tomorrow , I'm going with a 2pc floor , each piece is 4ft long and 34 inches wide , my pedestal stands , seats and swivels are on their way , hopefully this weekend I can put the deck sealer on and then put the carpet on !

I think I'm also going to install some sort of table that I can attach a downrigger to , as well as my gps , fly rod and spin rod holders , and a fish finder .

I've applied leak seal all over the seams of my old beaten up M4 so I hope it keeps the water out, I'd hate to ruin my new floor , but there is no time line for me to get a new M4 beacuse its out of stock !! I can't wait to get back in the water , I've owned my M4 since 2009 , I wish I stumbled up on this thread a long time ago !!

If you use marine grade plywood you don't need to use a water sealer.

 

[1idahoguy]

HeffD, I'm just curious how far North you are located from the boarder?

 

[HeffD]

1idahoguy it's about an 8 hour drive one way to the border .

I tried uploading some pics from my phone of my floor mod so far , but it won't let me, does anyone know a trick on how to post the pics ?

 

[HeffD]

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[HeffD]

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Here's some pics of some great times in the M4 the past few years

 

[HeffD]

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I found a leak in the seam in chamber 4 yesterday , so I applied super glue to it yesterday , and today chamber 4 is air tight(wahoooo!)

Today I worked on putting the carpet on my 2 piece floor , and found 2 more air leaks on the seam , both on chamber 2 , as well as the seal around the Boston valve is leaking so I'm going to hit all those with crazy glue tomorrow and fingers crossed I'll have an air tight M4 again !! I found those leaks using the dish soap and water in a squeeze bottle .

I'm now waiting for my other seat to arrive in the mail , as well as the swivels and pedestals , and I think what I'm going to do is drill some holes so I have different options as to where the pedestal seats can be mounted, so for example if there is 3 people in the boat , I'll have the pedestal seats mounted furthest apart from each other , with the third person sitting on the inflatable seat in the middle.

I am also building a custom table that will hold my fish finder , gps , rod holders and downrrigger ! I can't wait to get started on that !

 

[TonyMIowa]

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Hi everyone!

Its been few months since I modified my boat.
Few hints to people that will be working on mods:
I used 3/4 plywood and if I started again I would use 1/2 as it is too heavy and there is no need to be that thick
two 8 lbs anchors are not able to keep boat if there is a slight wind. I bought 25 lbs anchor and use it together with 8 lbs. Seems to be much better
I built pulley system in my garage (pictures attached) to avoid inflating, installing floor and motor kit every time I go fishing. It works pretty good and literally takes seconds to get boat on the water. The tricky part is that boat is too heavy to lift it by myself. I am big guy but I can't load/unload it alone. Although for two guys it is very easy.

 

[ddog7]

Just got a free Intex Mariner 3 brand new. Must be an older model , just has an inflatable keel down the middle and the heavy slat floor. The whole bottom does not inflate like the newer ones. Just inflated it, without the slat type floor in it. Anyone owning one of these have the length of the longest slat? Mine is 29 inchs. seems a little wide, probably like that to stretch out the floor ??? Also when you install the factory slat floor, do you inflate both sides then the keel last or visa versa??? Any one try a 2 stroke gas outboard on a mariner 3 if so how big??. :flame: Says 2 hp or 33 lbs. Never could follow recommended specs I see a few Mariner 4s on u-tube with 3.5s on um a lot of great mods. Looks interesting. Thx Jerry PS know it says Mariner 4 mods mine is the 3

 

[Brusac]

ddog7 I have the Mariner 4 so I can't give you any size info. I can tell you the inflatable keel will push the floor up into the tubes and so it is inflated last. With the M4 I will typically inflate the main tubes about 30% and then install the floor. Once the floor is in then I finish inflating the tubes and then inflate the keel. I have also found that it is best to inflate the keel before putting on my trolling motor and loading the battery as the extra weight makes inflating the keel difficult.

 

[Threshweld]

Hello everyone, I just joined this fourm because I recently purchased an Intex Mariner 4 and have started doing some mods to it. I would like to tackle the plywood floor and I've seen many great ideas on here, however I haven't been able to find clear plans and measurements for the floor. I would like to make it a three piece design that fits snug but doesn't cause any issues. Could someone please help me with these plans and measurements? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[HeffD]

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Hey guys here is a couple pictures of my floor , the holes are so I can move the pedestal seat where ever I like , and the off set holes on the back piece is so the seat can be a little to the left so the motor handle isn't directly behind the seat , makes it a little bit more natural and comfy for trolling .


I glued 1/4 inch washers on the top of the holes just to give it a nicer finished product

I'm about to start on the custom table for the electronics and downrigger

 

[ddog7]

Hi Guys Going to do a 2 piece plywood floor with carpet. Maybe use H channel in between the 2 pscs or not ? Not going to use the factory slat floor. Weight issue for me trying to stay on the lighter side. Going to use a 3.5 HP 2 cycle chinese [junk] motor [against my better judgement] on it. It weighs around 23 or 24 lbs including gas. Unless I run across a used older US of A motor. Just going to trace the factory floor for the pattern. I have seen guys on the this forum using 1/2" 5/8" & 3/4" plywood on there Mariner 4s. Again mine is the older Mariner 3. The keel inflates down the middle that's it, no inflated floor. Will not do a lot of stand up fishing. What would any of you guys who have done this think ??? Would like to do 1/2" mainly for the weight savings. Thoughts or ideas appreciated. Happy Crusin.

 

[Starkonian]

I'll pass along some of my experience now that I have at least 50 hours in the boat.
-The M-4 only has an inflatable keel, not floor.
-Scottish posted great comments, photos and measurements for construction of the floor, 15-20 pages back. I pretty much followed his measurements and advice. -I recommend using a two piece, 5/8" MARINE grade plywood. No treatment required. 5/8 is plenty rigid enough.
-I use the oem floor with all the slats removed except the middle slat. I cut the plywood so the two edges fall right on the single slat. No connection joint is required since the inflated tubes and keel hold it in place. You could add some velcro if you wanted to but I haven't had any problems with the boards moving off the slat.
-Cut the boards so they are gently snug under the side tubes but not crammed in to the seam. Expect to make adjustment cuts after a use or two. I stretched the seam and got my one leak issue thus far from having the board a little too big. Sand the board and round the edges to get rid of splinters. Duct tape the edges.
-Speaking of leaks; Marine Goop is awesome with proper prep. Clean the area with alcohol then sand then clean again. It dries clear and flexible. After 20 hours on the water, I can hardly see the glued area, looks like factory work.
-Lay a tarp at the waters edge, hanging into the water, and rig there. I do the usual floor/tube inflation and then mount the transom. Then I push the raft in the water, rotate it around and inflate the keel.
-Regarding inflation.Slightly under inflated is better that over inflated, BIG time. If it's a hot day, WATCH the tubes and let some air out as necessary. Just loosen the main valve body 1-2 turns till the air seeps out slowly. Push on the tube till it no longer feels too hard and tighten.
-It's not a end river raft or zodiak. Resist the urge to modify or over power it beyond it's design specifications. Treat it gently when rigging, launching and landing and it will last.
-I highly recommend the oar modification I posted recently. I have faith in them now.
-Order some extra oar locks for the emergency kit. At $3 each, it's a no brainer.
-No need for carpet, it just retains water and adds weight.
-Fyi, regardless of how solid your floor is, stand up fishing is still a little suspect. The boat is so light, when you take a step, it moves in the opposite direction. Get a good seat and pedestal and you don't need to stand up.

 

[ScottishScript]

Hello everyone, I just joined this fourm because I recently purchased an Intex Mariner 4 and have started doing some mods to it. I would like to tackle the plywood floor and I've seen many great ideas on here, however I haven't been able to find clear plans and measurements for the floor. I would like to make it a three piece design that fits snug but doesn't cause any issues. Could someone please help me with these plans and measurements? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

My advice to you is stick with a two section floor for stability and weight distribution, otherwise you risk catastrophic consequences along the floor seams. Here is specs for two piece setup.

 

[Starkonian]

****Correction-My plywood boards measure .46 " with my caliper so I have 1/2 " size boards, not 5/8"

Hey Scottish-how's the pike fishing?

 

[Downing]

HI everyone,
Just got my mariner 4 today, there is alot of great tips, and ideas here. Gonna start working on modifying mine soon. Probably incorporate several of these. Hope to get pics up later.

 

[Starkonian]

Welcome Downing. Start your customization. No two boats are the same. That's half the fun. The other half is fishing skinny water when the bass boats are stuck on the outside watching you catch all the fish. )

 

[ScottishScript]

[QUOTEHey Scottish-how's the pike fishing? [/QUOTE]

I cannot complain. Here's some pics of pike me and my mates have caught while on Mariner 4 trips this past year.







And now something on leaky Mariner 4's.

The past few months have been something of a nightmare dealing with out of the blue air leaks occurring in the strangest of places. See photo below.


Half of all these rings have developed air leaks along the edges, and not just the ones with the rope running through them around the rim. Even those that have had zero pressure applied over the past 20 months have started leaking.

I'd fix two leaks, go fishing and find two more. I'd fix them on the bank, two more would spring up before the end of the day. It was quite infuriating and I came very close to binning the boat and bursting out my pristine reserve Mariner from storage.

Well I stuck with it and seemed to have finally gotten ahead of the issue, for now. I ended up sealing every one of them first with a ring of superglue, followed by a thick PVC glue on top. This has sealed the leaks and seems to be preventing new ones. However it doesn't explain why these leaks have developed in the first place.

Anyone else experienced this?