notinteger
Recruit
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2019
- Messages
- 2
Hi everyone,
Fishing from shore is not much fun where I live (in Canada), so I have been thinking of buying a boat. I don't have space for a trailer and in the past, when I owned a boat, I hated the process of launching it via its trailer (mostly the backing up aspect).
This, to say that I've been looking at SIBs. It'd be a bit of a pain to inflate and deflate for each outing, but I think this compromise might have more pros than cons for me (especially with an electric pump). I own a large SUV with about 7.5 ft of cargo space, so transporting a deflated boat and motor shouldn't be an issue.
I have a few questions, and I was hoping those of you with real-world experience could help me out by sharing your thoughts and opinions. I researched the topic online a lot, but I don't have direct experience, so I thought I'd ask.
1. My first question is about the size. 90% of the time I will be on my own, fishing. 10% of the time, I'll have my wife and a relative on board as well (so 3 people in total).
Regardless of how many people will be on board, I will have with me a fairly large tackle box, a few rods, a landing net, and possibly a cooler. I have been considering the 10.5 - 14 ft range. Obviously, the larger the boat, the heavier it is all things being equal (I will be launching it solo by hand, but I'll have transom wheels and a wagon to carry the boat near the water to build it).
What size do you think would fit my needs the best? I'm not sure if this is one of those situations in life where people say, "I wish I'd gone bigger" or "I wish I'd gone smaller" post-purchase.
2. Since I'll set up the boat on my own, I assume a high-pressure air deck floor would make set up easier, the floor would be more comfortable, and the boat would be less noisy. I don't plan to travel at crazy high speeds, so I think I can get away without an aluminum floor. Is this approach advisable?
3. The boats I have been considering come with aluminum benches. I'd love to install swivel seats but I fear it wouldn't be very stable if installed over the somewhat narrow bench. This is where I think the aluminum floor would make life easier as you can bolt a seat to it. Alternatively, I'd be happy to place a camping chair on the air deck floor. Has anyone tried either approach with success?
4. I like the quietness of trolling motors, but I'm concerned that if the wind picks up, a trolling motor might not get you back home. Is my safety concern legitimate?
5. Inflatables tend to be pretty light and I don't need the boat to do 25 miles an hour. Can I get away with a 5 HP gas motor, or would a 9.9 HP be more advisable? What I like about the 5 HP, besides its more affordable nature, is that there are even propane-based models which are quite appealing to me (in principle, at least).
6. The models I have been considering the most are:
Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Fishing from shore is not much fun where I live (in Canada), so I have been thinking of buying a boat. I don't have space for a trailer and in the past, when I owned a boat, I hated the process of launching it via its trailer (mostly the backing up aspect).
This, to say that I've been looking at SIBs. It'd be a bit of a pain to inflate and deflate for each outing, but I think this compromise might have more pros than cons for me (especially with an electric pump). I own a large SUV with about 7.5 ft of cargo space, so transporting a deflated boat and motor shouldn't be an issue.
I have a few questions, and I was hoping those of you with real-world experience could help me out by sharing your thoughts and opinions. I researched the topic online a lot, but I don't have direct experience, so I thought I'd ask.
1. My first question is about the size. 90% of the time I will be on my own, fishing. 10% of the time, I'll have my wife and a relative on board as well (so 3 people in total).
Regardless of how many people will be on board, I will have with me a fairly large tackle box, a few rods, a landing net, and possibly a cooler. I have been considering the 10.5 - 14 ft range. Obviously, the larger the boat, the heavier it is all things being equal (I will be launching it solo by hand, but I'll have transom wheels and a wagon to carry the boat near the water to build it).
What size do you think would fit my needs the best? I'm not sure if this is one of those situations in life where people say, "I wish I'd gone bigger" or "I wish I'd gone smaller" post-purchase.
2. Since I'll set up the boat on my own, I assume a high-pressure air deck floor would make set up easier, the floor would be more comfortable, and the boat would be less noisy. I don't plan to travel at crazy high speeds, so I think I can get away without an aluminum floor. Is this approach advisable?
3. The boats I have been considering come with aluminum benches. I'd love to install swivel seats but I fear it wouldn't be very stable if installed over the somewhat narrow bench. This is where I think the aluminum floor would make life easier as you can bolt a seat to it. Alternatively, I'd be happy to place a camping chair on the air deck floor. Has anyone tried either approach with success?
4. I like the quietness of trolling motors, but I'm concerned that if the wind picks up, a trolling motor might not get you back home. Is my safety concern legitimate?
5. Inflatables tend to be pretty light and I don't need the boat to do 25 miles an hour. Can I get away with a 5 HP gas motor, or would a 9.9 HP be more advisable? What I like about the 5 HP, besides its more affordable nature, is that there are even propane-based models which are quite appealing to me (in principle, at least).
6. The models I have been considering the most are:
- Stryker Ranger LX 360 (11'7", available with air or aluminum floor) - $2,900 [130 or 160 lbs]
- Stryker Ranger LX 380 (12'5", aluminum floor) - $3,200 [175 lbs]
- Stryker Hunter Jet 320 (10'5", aluminum floor) - $3,600 [155 lbs]
- Stryker Hunter X 380 (12'5", aluminum floor) - $4,200 [205 lbs]
- Swellfish Classic 350 (11'6", aluminum floor) - $2,600 [181 lbs]
- Swellfish Classic 390 (12'10", aluminum floor) - $2,950 [216 lbs]
- SeaBright 320 (10'6", available with air or aluminum floor) - $1,524 [90 or 117 lbs]
- SeaBright 380 (12'6", available with air or aluminum floor) - $1,974 [130 or 155 lbs]
- SeaBright 420 Heavy Duty (13' 8", aluminium floor) - $2,374 [240 lbs]
Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts.