Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

comfy68

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
41
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

That blows!!
You need a waterproof iPhone case. Been there done that!!
 

comfy68

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
41
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I still want to get a 4-5 hp gas motor to use as an accompaniment to the electric.
 

Rakumi

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 23, 2013
Messages
102
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I actually have a different intex boat but this is one of the only active threads. I bought a 11/32 inch plywood base for my floor. I began cutting the other day. I hope it will work for my needs and be light for lifting. It wont need to support more than 25 lbs or so of equipment and just people. Does not need to be ultra sturdy, just hope i can stand on it or even sit on coolers/bench if i decide so.
 

mznewman

Seaman
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
52
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I posted a bunch of times on here saying that the Kota won't do much on water with either a tide, chop or wind. For a lake you would not need anything more then that Kota. I went out with sinistre today. Used my zodiac and used his 15hp Johnson. The tide and chop was rough so we only stayed out about 2 hours. I managed to dunk my iPhone in salt water also. So bad day for us also we did not catch anything but did come back in soaking wet from the Jamaica bay. Sorry no pictures.

How much does the 15hp Johnson weigh (and gas)? I think the Kota Riptide 50 is probably a bit under 100lb with battery. For those of you with a M4 the specs limit the boat to 3hp gas engine. Kota Riptide 50's max thrust is supposed to produce the equivalent work of a 1.75-2HP engine (according to Minn Kota). I saw some uTube videos of people that built their own motor mount and put a larger gas engines on the M4. I guess it all depends on where you want to go with it. I was just exploring the limits with what I have.

Regarding your iPhone:
I purchased 2 of these cases from Amazon for $12.99 each. They are great. I am able to take video and pics above or under water. I couldn't see spending over $100 for the nice form-fitting cases like the otterbox since I am not on the water that often.

Amazon.com: Black Waterproof Case with IPX8 Certificate for iPhone 4G/4S/5G/3G. One Stylus Included and One ECO-FUSED Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Included (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories

91VRiUgGgjL._SL1500_.jpg
 
G

Guest

Guest
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

How much does the 15hp Johnson weigh (and gas)? I think the Kota Riptide 50 is probably a bit under 100lb with battery. For those of you with a M4 the specs limit the boat to 3hp gas engine. Kota Riptide 50's max thrust is supposed to produce the equivalent work of a 1.75-2HP engine (according to Minn Kota). I saw some uTube videos of people that built their own motor mount and put a larger gas engines on the M4. I guess it all depends on where you want to go with it. I was just exploring the limits with what I have.

Regarding your iPhone:
I purchased 2 of these cases from Amazon for $12.99 each. They are great. I am able to take video and pics above or under water. I couldn't see spending over $100 for the nice form-fitting cases like the otterbox since I am not on the water that often.

Amazon.com: Black Waterproof Case with IPX8 Certificate for iPhone 4G/4S/5G/3G. One Stylus Included and One ECO-FUSED Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Included (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories

View attachment 209490

nice case I will have to buy one. As for the m4 I seen videos people using it with a 3.5 hp Nissan. The 15 Johnson weight is about 85 lb gad weight is about 20lb for a 6 gallon tank. But you cannot put a 15 on yours. A 3.5 Nissan weight is about 30 lbs. I have a zodiac which is rated for a 15hp because I have a wood transom. I'm just saying I had a Kota and if u plan on using in salt Water u need gas engine. I have no lakes around me other wise I would have a m4 with a 3.5 :) or a Kota 55 if gas was not allowed. The big fish hang in salt
 
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mznewman

Seaman
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
52
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I still want to get a 4-5 hp gas motor to use as an accompaniment to the electric.

I guess you would need to mount the gas motor on the rear, and electric to the bow. That might be a bit much for the M4. Has anyone implemented that config?
 

Cyber6

Cadet
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
18
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Took M4 on the Delaware River today for the first time. My Riptide 50 was just fine near the bank and on the calmer sections of the river, but stood still trying to move through the wing-dam channel, and some flat rapids. I have come to the conclusion that the M4 with any 12volt electric motor is perfect for lake, ponds, reservoirs, and calm bays, but fast running water is the wrong application. The raft is perfectly fine. Its the electric motor that does not have the power. The floors were excellent, way better than the factory included slatted floor insert. I placed the battery at the front of the boat this time. And have to admit I did not feel a significant gain. I weigh about 155lb, so that could be the reason. Shifting the weight of the battery (65lb?) to the front might not have been a huge win. If I were over 200lb, or alone in the boat then I think it would help. I used my new Intex electric pump. It does inflate the chambers slightly faster than I could do it using the manual pump, but I had to top them off by hand afterwards. The pump did not have the power to put that last bit of pressure needed. I still like it though. It allows me to work on some other task while the chambers get 90% inflated.

Oh... We didn't catch anything either :-(





View attachment 209410

View attachment 209411



I took mine with my family of 5, 2 adults and 3 small kids to Pitt lake in BC, Canada for the first time on Sunday. I had 2-3knot current, choppy water, wind, and wakes from boaters. M4 on a 1984 Suzuki DT2 worked like a charm. It probably did 8-10 knots down current, and 5-6 going against it. Definitely go for a 2 cycle reliable engines like Tohatsu, Suzuki or Nissan from 80's are great. The price of Minnkota riptide and maxx are very tempting but where I live it's not versatile enough. We have the ocean, rivers and lakes.
 
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mznewman

Seaman
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
52
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I took mine with my family of 5, 2 adults and 3 small kids to Pitt lake in BC, Canada for the first time on Sunday. I had 2-3knot current, choppy water, wind, and wakes from boaters. M4 on a 1984 Suzuki DT2 worked like a charm. It probably did 8-10 knots down current, and 5-6 going against it. Definitely go for a 2 cycle reliable engines like Tohatsu, Suzuki or Nissan from 80's are great. The price of riptide and maxx are very tempting but where I live it's not verso talkie enough. We have the ocean, rivers and lakes.

This can become very confusing. I would need to try one out. Your Suzuki is a 2hp, which is "supposed" to generate a bit more power than my 50# thrust. Perhaps the info from Minn Kota is not accurate. Maybe the 50# thrust translates into much less power on the water in contrast to the HP rating of a gasoline engine. Will need to google this when I have time.

Are you using the Intex standard motor mount or did you mod/build your own?

m4_rear.jpg
 

Cyber6

Cadet
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
18
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

This can become very confusing. I would need to try one out. Your Suzuki is a 2hp, which is "supposed" to generate a bit more power than my 50# thrust. Perhaps the info from Minn Kota is not accurate. Maybe the 50# thrust translates into much less power on the water in contrast to the HP rating of a gasoline engine. Will need to google this when I have time.

Are you using the Intex standard motor mount or did you mod/build your own?

View attachment 209597

I'm using intex hard plastic mount.

See this post for minn 50# to hp conversion. http://forums.iboats.com/electrical-electronics-audio-trolling-motors/pounds-thrust-hp-conversion-288827.html

This is what got me to go for a small gas powered. It's not too late, put yours on Craigslist and get a 2-3hp used for the same price. The motor weighs about the same weight as a 24c batter.
 

mznewman

Seaman
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
52
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I'm using intex hard plastic mount.

See this post for minn 50# to hp conversion. http://forums.iboats.com/electrical-electronics-audio-trolling-motors/pounds-thrust-hp-conversion-288827.html

This is what got me to go for a small gas powered. It's not too late, put yours on Craigslist and get a 2-3hp used for the same price. The motor weighs about the same weight as a 24c batter.

I have the plastic mount too. Seems to flex into the back chamber at full throttle with my Riptide 50.

I will keep the Riptide because its perfect for lake and other calm deployments. Plus its totally silent and I do like trolling. I will look around for something stronger for the river. In the past, with friends, I usually anchor on the river anyway so gas engine is actually not a bad idea.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I have the plastic mount too. Seems to flex into the back chamber at full throttle with my Riptide 50.

I will keep the Riptide because its perfect for lake and other calm deployments. Plus its totally silent and I do like trolling. I will look around for something stronger for the river. In the past, with friends, I usually anchor on the river anyway so gas engine is actually not a bad idea.
all I have to say is the 55lb kota did nothing on a little bit of wind in the local bay, using my zodiac. using your m4 will be different because theres almost 100lb weight difference. a 3.5hp Nissan or any newer two stroke will put your kota in the closet to collect dust. Once you see you can enjoy cruising on the water in addition to fishing will change all your minds. Just please do not buy anything to old and do a lot of research on what to look for when buying a gas ob aka outboard. buy a compression tester and know a good compression rating for the specific engine you want to buy. before even the person test runs it, pop the top cowl and look inside, the bottom of the cowl with tell you what kind of condition person kept it in, look for dirt lose wires oil, remove spark plugs look into the hole for oil, look at the spark plug make sure they are not burnt (all these are bad signs) start it in a garage run for 10 min and try all the gears and check how good the pee hole work
 
G

Guest

Guest
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

bottom line is: could take two months finding a good outboard but when you do it will change your boating experience for ever
 

Sinistre1

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
298
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

bottom line is: could take two months finding a good outboard but when you do it will change your boating experience for ever

Well said Weimed, well said! Power to weight ratio almost always favors chemical (gas/ propane, etc) powered over electric unless you are dealing with the very small (where inefficiency of gas motor takes over) or custom applications, where say you need tons of torque at low RPM. Otherwise a 2 hp gas with a gal tank will provide full rating power for hours on end, ANY electric (currently on market) with the same hp rating and the same "weight worth" of electricity will produce top power for a short time and continue to provide less and less until failing to turn over... a LOT quicker than the same combo in gas power... and with gas, you will continue to develop full power until the very last drops are consumed. Even the most effcient motors can't claim this and they will NEVER produce the exact same power at the end of a cycle as they do at the beginning or even in the middle for that matter. Simple physics. Voltage drives them. Voltage drops as the batt is used, there is less "driving force" available as a consequence and that continues until consumed.
 
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comfy68

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
41
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I guess you would need to mount the gas motor on the rear, and electric to the bow. That might be a bit much for the M4. Has anyone implemented that config?
I would like the gas motor for cruising on some of the larger lakes around. I would use both at separate times depending on where I chose to go.
 

mznewman

Seaman
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
52
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I don't doubt a gas engine will give me that next level of freedom ;-) I would consider it, if for no other reason, to get me further on the Delaware river. The closest salt water body to me is NJ shore/bay. That too is another obvious application for gas engine. And I can actually eat the fish I catch. I would never eat fish from my stretch of the Delaware.

Looks like new 2.5-3.5HP outboards are mostly 4 stroke, between $700-1000. I saw a few no-brand products at $500 but who knows what you're getting.

Anyone see this video?
intex mariner 4 nissan 3.5 hp - YouTube
 

Cyber6

Cadet
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
18
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I have the plastic mount too. Seems to flex into the back chamber at full throttle with my Riptide 50.

I will keep the Riptide because its perfect for lake and other calm deployments. Plus its totally silent and I do like trolling. I will look around for something stronger for the river. In the past, with friends, I usually anchor on the river anyway so gas engine is actually not a bad idea.


I had flex on mine too but after pumping a bit of air to firm the chambers it was fine.


I have to agree with these guys on the 2 months wait, and compression. I haven checked my compression.

Keep your eyes open on ebay as well.
 
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mznewman

Seaman
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
52
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

@ Cyber6 - Went out on a different lake today. This time I used the "10cm" screen printed gauge on the chambers to estimate the pressure. Much better. Flex was reduced and there was little variation in motor shaft pitch between speeds 1-4 and 5. We were on the water from 10am-2:30p. Most fishing boats we encountered had electric or both electric/gas. All of them were equipped with fish-finders (that we could see). The ones that had gas motors were clearly able to cover more territory than us, but we had no trouble with the Riptide 50. In contrast to my experience on the Delaware last weekend, I am convinced gas engine is the right tool for the river.

view.jpg
rear.jpg
front.jpg
riptide50.jpg

Looking at the "Garmin? Echo 150 Sonar Unit" $100. ... does the spending ever end? lol

Oh... didn't catch anything today :-(
 

mznewman

Seaman
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
52
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

One other addition... A minor detail, perhaps nobody even cares but will post it anyway.

I picked up a few 8g Anderson PowerPole connectors and used them as quick-connects for the power cable to my RipTide. I made a 1' and 11' cable (for rear and front placement of the battery.)

anderson-pp-1.jpg
anderson-pp-2.jpg
anderson-pp-3.jpg
anderson-pp-4.jpg

I did a crimp and solder joint.

This is the first time I used these connectors. Really nice to work with too.
 

Cyber6

Cadet
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
18
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

@ Cyber6 - Went out on a different lake today. This time I used the "10cm" screen printed gauge on the chambers to estimate the pressure. Much better. Flex was reduced and there was little variation in motor shaft pitch between speeds 1-4 and 5. We were on the water from 10am-2:30p. Most fishing boats we encountered had electric or both electric/gas. All of them were equipped with fish-finders (that we could see). The ones that had gas motors were clearly able to cover more territory than us, but we had no trouble with the Riptide 50. In contrast to my experience on the Delaware last weekend, I am convinced gas engine is the right tool for the river.

View attachment 210174
View attachment 210175
View attachment 210177
View attachment 210178

Looking at the "Garmin? Echo 150 Sonar Unit" $100. ... does the spending ever end? lol




Oh... didn't catch anything today :-(


Best part is you had fun rippin around the river for 4:30 hrs. You got an awesome setup. Well, keep your eyes open for any small gas motors around your city. I been thinking about that fish finder as well.
I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada and fishing here is phenomenal. We have the privilege to fish in the saltwater as well as many lakes and rivers around. It would be handy to have a fish finder when trolling for salmon and trout.
 

ronaldj

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 1, 2013
Messages
655
Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

@ Cyber6 - Went out on a different lake today. This time I used the "10cm" screen printed gauge on the chambers to estimate the pressure. Much better. Flex was reduced and there was little variation in motor shaft pitch between speeds 1-4 and 5. We were on the water from 10am-2:30p. Most fishing boats we encountered had electric or both electric/gas. All of them were equi

ped with fish-finders (that we could see). The ones that had gas motors were clearly able to cover more territory than us, but we had no trouble with the Riptide 50. In contrast to my experience on the Delaware last weekend, I am convinced gas engine is the right tool for the river.

View attachment 210174
View attachment 210175
View attachment 210177
View attachment 210178

Looking at the "Garmin? Echo 150 Sonar Unit" $100. ... does the spending ever end? lol

Oh... didn't catch anything today :-(
You do realize that boat is an acronym for
BREAK OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND. :lol:
 
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