Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

[poxxxy]

Hi all,

So its been a few years since I bought my Intex Excursion 5 and decided to pull it out of storage to take it to some protected seas at first .

I'm currently looking for Chapman Piloting and seasmanship so I can take a read...

I just started reading a post which confused me a little, mentioning the height of waves being half of the length of the boat and to be lucky that they were in an inflatable... then theres hull speed/displacement speed and planing...

Its all a little confusing so i'll start with what I'd like to do...

Rigid hard floor
Motormount - Intex or custom?
Petrol/Electric Outboard motor - power i'm undecided on but i'd like it to be fairly beefy, but if the boat has its limits i'd rather get something well suited to it.

When on the seas, what do I need to be careful with? Will of course have a radio and life jackets with us... what kind of waves will I be able to tackle in the boat? Without a rigid floor the boat is pretty floppy to be honest, definitely no standing up when at sea unless I don't mind falling in .

I'd really appreciate any information you can give me to help me make the most out of my years old intex excursion .

 

[fbpooler]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

I would view the Intex as a play boat rather than a craft to use in open water. You would want something more substantial with an integral transom capable of handling more horsepower before venturing into open water.

 

[ronaldj]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

Hi all,

So its been a few years since I bought my Intex Excursion 5 and decided to pull it out of storage to take it to some protected seas at first .

I'm currently looking for Chapman Piloting and seasmanship so I can take a read...

I just started reading a post which confused me a little, mentioning the height of waves being half of the length of the boat and to be lucky that they were in an inflatable... then theres hull speed/displacement speed and planing...

Its all a little confusing so i'll start with what I'd like to do...

Rigid hard floor
Motormount - Intex or custom?
Petrol/Electric Outboard motor - power i'm undecided on but i'd like it to be fairly beefy, but if the boat has its limits i'd rather get something well suited to it.

When on the seas, what do I need to be careful with? Will of course have a radio and life jackets with us... what kind of waves will I be able to tackle in the boat? Without a rigid floor the boat is pretty floppy to be honest, definitely no standing up when at sea unless I don't mind falling in .

I'd really appreciate any information you can give me to help me make the most out of my years old intex excursion .

Not trying to give you a hard time but if you live in the U.S. the coast guard will not allow you to go in the ocean because your craft is not ocean ready.What you have is a raft. Rafts are for protected water use only

 

[poxxxy]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

I dont plan on going out much, the coasts are pretty much calm but if for sone reason I ended up in some kind of waves id like to know the most efficient way of getting the hell out or their.
I do see the boat as a toy Tbh but I see silly cheaper dinghies doing worse on the beaches im thinking of going.

Any suggestions on a motor would be appreciated, and no im in the UK here .

 

[fbpooler]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

That craft with a small motor and floorboards would be suitable for a pond or other quiet water but would be out of its element if waves were present. It is not a planing design and would be useless should you be swept to sea. The sea is an unforgiving master of immense power.

It would be fool hardy to encourage you to try to attempt any serious sea work in that craft, as it is not designed for that purpose. If used in suitable waters, you could enjoy the boat. In open water, it is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[CapeAnn]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

These Intex rafts are good for paddling, or bimboling about in protected areas not subject to quick changes in weather, or water conditions. Wind chop, wake from larger boats etc can make for interesting times on a boat that have no real capacity to drive out of trouble in a hurry.

Having been, boated and dived the UK, Ireland and Scotland - the waters get rough in a flash and it's some of the toughest water I have seen. The sea worthy boats there are built for a real arse-kicking. Any smaller boats I saw were a stones throw from shore, or tucked in protected coves. Any inflatables I saw taking to the sea were hard bottoms RIBs with crazy horsepower. Commercial and military grade.

Personally, if I were to spend ? for a decent motor I would do this in tandem with a more capable craft. The electric trolling motor seem a good compromise both from a value perspective, and for just bimboling about.

 

[ronaldj]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

I dont plan on going out much, the coasts are pretty much calm but if for sone reason I ended up in some kind of waves id like to know the most efficient way of getting the hell out or their.
I do see the boat as a toy Tbh but I see silly cheaper dinghies doing worse on the beaches im thinking of going.

Any suggestions on a motor would be appreciated, and no im in the UK here .

Just so you understand. You can not put a large enough outboard on a raft to make it safe. A trolling motor is useless in open water. You would do better with oars. Fellow boaters are not going to be amused at getting a distress call from a craft that has no business in open water. You do own a marine radio right. If you are truely worried about getting caught out in the weather. Save your money and buy a real boat. A proper rib boat is not that much more and you cant put a price on safety

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

I agree with these guys....i have the heavy duty intex...the mariner 4 and i wouldn't even think twice about putting it in the ocean. You can get a decent rib in the $1000 range and not have to worry about it.

 

[poxxxy]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

I would probably only be a stones throw from the ocean at most. I bought the excursion because of its carrying capacity and a passing canal boat was enough of a challenge. I would like a nice rhib and a more powerful motor though, it would definately be more fun but space constraints make it pretty impossible. I'll see what kind of rhibs are available here!

 

[CapeAnn]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

You live in the land of the RIB! And I think you'll be happier with a more capable craft from multiple perspective. Especially from the safety end of things.

 

[captainplatypus]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

I feel like that's a bad idea waiting to happen. Those longer rafts are very insecure and as others have said, they can't plane.

This being said, I actually own a Mariner one of Intex's more rigid boats, and an outboard and I do take it out in the harbor and protected inshore areas, but I wouldn't leave these areas on any of these boats.

 

[RVman]

Re: Intex inflatable, taking it on the sea... what to know/do

Then I would get a good 2-3 person inflatable kayak and forget about modifying your present raft as it will not work for the application you are wanting to use it for in the ocean.