Advise for choosing an inflatable for our RV-ing family...

fbpooler

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Aug 13, 2011
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I have watched this thread but could not comment due to not being able to get on the site.

The gentleman cannot tow a trailer or something other than an inflatable would be his best bet. We have the same problem, so we have a 10 ft and 9 ft plus boat available for trips. Yes, they are too small for more than two people to fish from, but two adults plus two small children would work quite well for just cruising and sight seeing. A couple would find it hard to handle a large inflatable due to the weight of it.

Recommending a large boat is wrong under the circumstances the OP described.

As he is towing an auto behind his rig, a car top aluminum hull would possible be a better match for his requirements.
 

Anthem76

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Mar 29, 2015
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We are looking for almost the same thing as the OP. We have a TT are looking for something fun to tool around in on lakes, mild rivers, and occasionally bays and inlets. The biggest concern for us is that the raft is easy to set up, carry, and use at a campground. While I like the features of the more expensive inflatables, I am worried that they will be more difficult to inflate/deflate and carry for a simple overnighter, which we do a lot of. We cannot store and trailer an inflated raft at home. Therefore we are considering the cheaper ones like the Intex Mariner and/or Excursion. I like the Mariner more, but with 3 kids, we would be over the person capacity rating. So now, Im thinking of getting a couple inflatable kayaks to tow behind the Mariner. Would this work?
 

ssobol

Chief Petty Officer
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Sep 3, 2010
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The Mariner 4 is rated for
  • Capacity: 4 Persons or 880 lbs
So if the total weight of the passengers is under 880# you should be ok.

The Mariner boats are sturdier than the Excursion line. Although you can get an Excursion 5 which will take 5 people or 1000 lbs.

The Excursion 5 is about 1/2 the cost of the Mariner 4.

Look at the Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips thread in this forum for all the things you can do with that boat (the thread is very long).
 

Sea Rider

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Why don't you go for a SIB that could be powered zillion times way better than any Intex, Mariner type inflatable that uses a transom mount as opposed to a sturdy built in transom. If lighter weight, portability and storage is a must, go for any air deck Sib brand like Zodiac, Mercury, Saturn your kids and you will enjoy more than a cheap inflatable.

Happy Boating
 

fbpooler

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We used a 10 ft Avon for years with a wood floor in the camper, but bought a Zodiac fast roller as a second boat.

One thing to consider is that the fast roller inflatable floor is fixed in the hull so you have to handle the entire weight in one bag on land. The wood floor boat is a bit heavier when ready for the water but as the floor and hull are separate, it is much easier to handle in the bags. The support of the wood floor is appreciated when actually using the boat, and the inflatable deck is a bear to keep properly inflated and requires a high pressure pump ($$). Transom wheels make the heavier boat as easy to handle on land as the lighter air floor model.

It we had it to do over, we would have purchased another with a solid deck instead of the inflatable deck.
 

Sea Rider

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The perfect inflatable boat has not been invented yet, woodem, alum, air decks, hard decks have their own issues do deal with in terms of weight, portability, ease of assembly. Air decks deals with pressure issues, wooden, alum decks with assembly issues, hard decks with storage issues. Anyway, whichever model you choose to go for will give years of unlimited family fun and that's priceless.

Happy Boating
 
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fbpooler

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Sea Rider, you certainly have that right. We started with our first inflatable in the early 80's and have kept one on hand for trips all these years. We have not used it too much since getting into kayak fishing, but they are wonderful boats which have accounted for untold numbers of fish and are useable in some pretty nasty water conditions safely.

I did want to point out that it is much easier for me to handle the wood floor rather than having the whole boat rolled up in one bag. The unit weighs something like 80 lbs compared to the wood floor model which only requires about 60 lbs in the largest bag.

We went from tent camping, a pop up trailer and then to a small camper over the years and one item which always went with us was the inflatable and a motor.

As I am getting a little long in the tooth, we will probably go back to the inflatable which is a bit easier to handle than the kayaks.

We bought the inflatable floor rig in order to take two grandchildren to the Keys several years ago and had a blast fishing with them. They preferred the inflatables over charter boats.
 

Sea Rider

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Fbpooler,

If weight and storage weren't an issue, would you still prefer the wooden sib compared to the roll up sib. That's a lower fabric with alum or wooden slats glued to lower tubes, has a keel, right. Does it perform nicer compared to wooden one if both were same size equivalent models ? A roll up sib is the only model that has not reached my hands, are pricier too and few manufacturers makes them.. Kayaks are individual water crafts, like jet ski are intended for max 2 boaters.. Sibs, ribs are much more family oriented specially if having kids, the ones who can take the most fun out of them.

Happy Boating
 

fbpooler

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Our wood floor is an Avon Rover with plywood floor and aluminum stringers. The inflatable floor boat is a Zodiac FR 285 with deep keel attached to the floor and hull. Both perform well and are first class boats, but I do like the deeper keel on the Zodiac.

Storage is not an issue, as the wood floor bag fits great under the boat fabric on the Avon when folded in the separate bag. The Zodiac bag is larger as it has to contain the hull and floor which makes it heavy.

We do not have a roll up slatted floor.

As the material in the Zodiac is so thin, you have to watch closer to keep small punctures from occurring. The Avon has the old heavier Hypalon fabric which is really tough, but I have no experience with the lighter duty fabric now in Avons.

I prefer the wood floor, as it does not require high pressure to perform. A good low pressure foot pump and it is ready for the water, and the gas can sits on wood rather than fabric. Both boats perform well, but you are aware of wind effect more with the lighter boat when on plane. It would flip over much easier than the heavier boat if you got careless.

Our kayaks are sit on top, single passenger fishing models from Ocean Kayak and are superior craft which we carry on cartop carriers on the truck. Getting them on the roof takes some pretty fair lifting. They are great to fish out of and more seaworthy than you would believe with great interior storage compartments. Comparing to inflatables is apples to oranges, but both types of boat are work horses.

Hope I answered your question, but if not, please let me know.
 

Sea Rider

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There was a wording confussion "fast roller" has nothing to do with a roll up sib, the ones that has slats, keel and are used as fast responders. Roll out, inflate and out you go. Avon used to employ 0.7 mm Hypalon fabrics on small sibs and 0.8/0.9 mm fabrics on larger ones, standard now a days.

Happy Boating
 

fbpooler

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Sorry about the wording mix up. Zodiac refers to this model as Fast Roller which is different than the slat type floor which rolls up inside the boat. I have never been in that type hull, but my dealer said it is pretty flexible when compared to a solid deck boat.

He gave me a supply of the new Avon fabric for patching which is thinner than the material on my old Avon which he said is superior to the new fabric. I think Avon Tire calandered their own fabric in the past.
 

Sea Rider

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Avon and other reputed inflatable boat builders used to buy Hypalon fabric layer from Du Pont and then did the calandering process by themselves. Now that Du Pont Hypalon is no longer available probably working with Pennel Orca Hypalon fabrics. Don't know if Pennel is currently providing Hypalon fabric layer to Avon, Achilles and other brands or the whole 3 sandwiched fabric itself. Anyway, ask dealer for the thicker 0.9 Hyypalon fabric, the one provided probably is the thinner one. For patches don't need to be that thick though .

Happy Boating
 

fbpooler

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Right on target again. The dealer is in the lifeboat repair business and handles boats as a sideline. He only had scraps of the newer material on hand but cautioned me to take care of our old boat due to its material. It is a 1990 model and is getting pretty worn after 25 years with some glue deterioration, so we watch it closely when we use it.

Having raccoons climb up the boat with it leaning against a tree did test it out thoroughly though :) They have sharp little claws and heavy bodyweight. It is hard to believe that it is still serviceable.

We will hold it out of service and only use the newer boat for trips.
 

ronaldj

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Right on target again. The dealer is in the lifeboat repair business and handles boats as a sideline. He only had scraps of the newer material on hand but cautioned me to take care of our old boat due to its material. It is a 1990 model and is getting pretty worn after 25 years with some glue deterioration, so we watch it closely when we use it.

Having raccoons climb up the boat with it leaning against a tree did test it out thoroughly though :) They have sharp little claws and heavy bodyweight. It is hard to believe that it is still serviceable.

We will hold it out of service and only use the newer boat for trips.

Have you considered having the boat retubed
 

fbpooler

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The Avon Rover is all tube with a floor and transom glued on, so retubing is not a consideration. We have gotten exceptional life out of this craft with minimal gluing of some seams already, but if it were completely reglued, the cost would be prohibitive.

It is sometimes used in the open ocean, so a seam coming unglued in service would be serious. If one begins to open up, will scrap the boat and the Zodiac will be the replacement for it.
 

lemondrop9344

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Dec 9, 2012
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In the event you have not yet made a purchase, I'll throw in my thoughts and experiences. We have a 40' Class A, and tow a 2004 Nissan Frontier. Towing a boat with a large RV at the expense of not having a toad can create more problems than it solves. When I went down this path, the 1st thing I did was assess the amount of storage required to transport the inflatable when packed. Fuel tanks and out board motors inside an RV (basement) did not seem like a good idea to me, so, they go int the bed of the pickup. With that said, I went with an Achilles SPD 365. It's 12' 2" long and will fish 2 people comfortably and is rate to carry 6 people and will take up to a 25hp 4 stroke. Total weight is 147 #'s consisting of the boat in one bag and the floor boards in another. With an electric pump (don't leave home with out it) I can have it ready to go in about 30 minutes. I started with a 6 hp 2 stroke, and according to my gps, I could get up to around 11 mph. Subsequently moved up to a 15 hp 2 stroke and was able to attain the speed and ride I wanted (around 18 mph according to gps and a fuel hog). Looked long and hard for a relatively new 2 stroke 20 hp without succes and decided to go with a 20 hp 4 stroke, electric start Tohatsu. Love the electric start, miserly fuel consumption and low noise. My opinions and my experience, others may choose to differ. Getting the fully rigged boat to and in the water can be and is problematic. If you will look at previous posts under lemondrop9344, you can see my rig and some of my solutions. My wife and I fish the lakes and backwaters of the SE with some degree of success. As with any boating activity, you must keep aware of the weather. We've been 2 - 3 miles off shore trolling for Spanish Mackerel, fished the ICW and backwaters for trout and redfish and fished some big lakes in the SE. If the water is choppy, you will not have a pleasant or dry ride if you try to go fast. Would be glad to give you more details if you want to pm me.

Regard
Achilles SPD 365 2o hp Tohatsu
 

fbpooler

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Lemondrop9344, how in the world do you handle such a heavy boat and motor combination? It must be great on the water, but the thought of two people moving it on land is a mind blower. Do you carry a trailer with you?
 

lemondrop9344

Seaman
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Dec 9, 2012
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fbpooler,
I will be the 1st to admit it can be a PITA & it is heavy. If I am not going a great distance in the RV (less the 300 miles) or not staying for an extended period of time, I will mount the rig on a Trailex trailer. Otherwise........ deflated boat and floor go into the basement of the RV. It's in 2 packages so the wife and I can handle it. The motor is a different story. I fabricated a motor stand which I can roll up onto the pickup bed with a set of ramps. I fabricated something I call the Bubba Lift which fits into the receiver of the pickup truck. I posted pictures of it previously on this forum. That allows me to lift the motor for mounting or dismounting from the transom. The lift is comprised of a Harbor Freight 3 ton hydraulic ram, some 2" square steel tubing and some receiver pins to hold it all together when in use. Have less than $100.00 invested in it. I purchased a set of Beachmater Dingy wheels (the one which you can take off) for movement of the rig. I typically get the bow on the tailgate of the pickup and tow it to the launch ramp. Keep in mind, the towing with the dingy wheels is accomplished within the rv parks, not on real roads. Launching and recovery is accomplished in much the same way as with a trailer at the ramp. It's a fun little setup and tops out around 25 - 28 mph at full throttle. However, it runs around 21 -22 mph right around 1/2 throttle so I very rarely run at full throttle. I can get my trolling speed down to about 2 mph with the motor. The wife, dog and I enjoy exploring the lakes & byways when not fishing. It suits our needs and since I do almost all the work setting it up and taking it down, the wife only complains if she has to stand out in the heat while being my my gofor. By the way, I also have it set up for a front mounted trolling motor.
 

Chopperbill

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Mar 26, 2014
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Weight and having fuel injection is why I went with a Suzuki 20 manual start at only 97#. It will always start on one pull cold or hot. If it doesn't I was extremely lazy with the pull rope. Wife and I have no trouble lifting it in the truck. I take the power head and she takes the lower unit and no problem. Same taking it to the transom. Saturn goes ahead of the fifth wheel hitch. No more double towing!
 
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