Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

[hotsauce]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

For what it's worth, I am not aware of any motor coming in a package with this boat.

Intex Mariner 4 Inflatable Boat (Sold Here)


On the right hand side it has a option for you to check if you only want the raft itself or motor mount and or motor. Just wanted to see if anyone has bought it from here.

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Intex Mariner 4 Inflatable Boat (Sold Here)


On the right hand side it has a option for you to check if you only want the raft itself or motor mount and or motor. Just wanted to see if anyone has bought it from here.

Yeah, but you can get everything cheaper on Ebay or Amazon with free shipping

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Look what i got! Happy happy happy(as Phil would say)!

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

No idea why it shows two, i assure you i only ordered one!

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

So, first impression of the Mariner 4, love it, well, most of it! I think the oar holders could be higher quality, and for what I want to do with the boat they are really just in the way! The gear and battery bag are pretty cheap feeling also. But thats it, everything else rocks!

What I've done so far is just pull a couple things out of my Excursion 5 and set them in the Mariner. My pedestal seat, bench seat, motor mount/motor (MK 30#) and MK power center is up front. I'm still thinking about the work station in the center, like I said the oars are getting in the way and the boat may be a bit too narrow for my cooler idea, so for now I have piece of 1/2" ply sitting in there, but it helps me see where I'm going with it. I'll be making a floor out of 1/4" plywood in 3 pieces, each 34" wide and 32.5" long, then cutting to fit the tapers at the end. A couple coats of exterior paint and I'll probably put the same carpet I had in my Excursion. At the joints of the floor pieces I'll have lips, kinda like this: L7, if the 7 were straight instead of slanted. That should prevent any buckling at the joints. Here are a couple of pics I took really quick and I'll be working on it over the next few days! Let me know if you have any input!

 

[wildman17]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

mrdrh99,
When you said you would be putting a floor in your mariner did you plan to put and foam piping around the wood so that you wouldnt puncture the boat with any splinters that may come off of the wood? I am planning on putting a Wooden floor in my seahawk 4 and i am wondering if the foam piping would be necessary.

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Wildman, I had an Excursion 5 before the mariner and I did the same mod and yes I used the pipe insulation. If you use a quality hardwood ply and sand really well I dont think the insulation is completley necessary but it never hurts to be extra careful. I'm not sure if I'm putting it on this boat yet, different material and only 1/4" hardwood ply, yet to be determined. There are a couple of awesome Seahawk videos on youtube that actually inspired me to start this whole thing back in Feb. you should watch those!

 

[wildman17]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

mrdrh99,
Thank you very much. Would you suggest putting hinges on the sections of wood so that they don't buckle? I am kind of new to the modification of inflatable boats. I would also like to add in a bench seat, could I just secure that directly to the tubes or would I have to attach it to the wood floor?

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Wildman, I would say, to be at a comfortable sitting height, the tubes on the sehawk are just way too low, at least for myself, however, some of the guys on youtube have done that and love it. I would suggest you making it at a comfortable height for yourself and then see how that relates to the tubes. I dont think the seahawk has enough support to take the weight on the tubes directly like you may have seen in some of the sevylor fish hunter videos. Make it stable enough that you dont need to attach it permanently to anything, maybe a "L" bracket on each side bolted to the floor with a wing nut so you can quickly unscrew it for transportation. I personally have no experience with the hinged floor, the floor I made for my excursion was HUGE and carrying both pieces together would have sucked. I have heard of people doing it for the seahawk though so you may need to play with that one. If you get hinges dont get cheap door hinges, get the heavy duty outdoor/gate hinges. Have you watched any of those youtube videos yet? Give us some pics!

 

[wildman17]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

mrdrh99,
I have watched a few of those youtube videos and i found them quite helpful. I haven't done any modifications yet but I am going to start over the weekend so I can get out on the water and not have to sit in my boat. Thank you for all of the advice. I have seen some people build a box around a cooler and put a cushion type pad on the top. I may try that. Ill Post some pictures probably Monday or Tuesday.

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

First time out in the mariner, i must say, i may stop working on the full form floorboard, i don't think it's necessary. I'm now thinking I'm going to use a 1/2" piece from my old excursion floor with carpet just to stand on in the center. Also instead of a work station in the center of the boat i now think I'm going to make one at each end of the boat, resting on the tubes as the center is left open for standing/moving around. Will work on it this week and get pics up soon!

 

[da_q-ban_one]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Hi fellas, great posts!! I have had my Intex Mariner for about a year now, but I've also purchased a Sea Eagle 330 Kayak as I liked the idea of being able to go to a local river where it gets pretty shallow at some points. With battery, gear, motor mount, the wife and myself, it would not be practical to have the Mariner out (I tried...

So, lately I've been using the Sea Eagle far more than the Mariner. In fact, I am leaving later tonight for a trip to Rocky Point, Mexico and because we are renting an intermediate/full sized car, we cannot afford to take the mariner with all its fixings... so... once again I'm taking the Sea Eagle (oh yea, btw... I'm working on a great mod for some better tracking, if any one is interest... I will post some pics and details in a new thread, when I come back...)

However, it is still a dream of mine to be able to put a solid floor and custom motor -mount, like Desode's, so that I can eventually get another motor (I currently have a 40lb Endura) and have a dual motor setup that allows me to have some more juice when hitting the lakes or some near-shore "escapades"; so please please post as many pictures and as many details as you can. I think I would like to go with a 3/8" thickness as far as the ply goes, however I have no clue as to how many pieces to go with, whether I want to have them bolted to each other (via another piece of ply, as some of you have shown), with a hinge (rusting issues with this??), or free floating with a thin piece of plastic sheet that I had initially cut out to lay on top of the original slatted floor (which btw, I haven't fully tested on water yet; and yes, I will be posting some pictures when I come back...)

So, if anyone is sharing in this dream and beats me to it ---> building the custom motor-mount for a (larger than 3 hp) outboard motor, and possible doing it in a way that he/she can run a dual setup, similar to that of Desode's..
Or if perhaps Desode can shed some light my way in terms of more detailed pics of ( especially the attaching mechanism of the motor mount to the floor, etc), perhaps some dimensions, or some other thought(s) as to what you would do different if you scrapped your current setup and started from scratch; please share your experience and knowledge, it will come back to you threefold... Really, any further help, details and pictures would be TREMENDOUSLY appreciated. Thank you all!! Talk to ya soon..

-Q-ban

 

[da_q-ban_one]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Also, has anyone considered adding further protection from punctures, pinholes? I started a thread on this right about when I joined this forum (last year), and had a few ideas regarding:

1) Either adding some extra layers of rubber to underside (especially by the tubes and keel), so prevent from easily getting sticks, or sharp rocks and stones puncturing our beloved boats (not pool toys, they are OUR boats, and damn proud of it...)

or...

2) Making a "bootie" out of heavy duty, waterproof fabric (PVC on one side and heavy canvas on the other) similar to what Sevylor used to sell for their boats a while back... Those of you who have Sevylor Fish Hunters might know what I'm talking about...

I never got around putting this to the test, but I still have all the materials to make the protective boot, with elastic seam and everything... what are your thoughts...? Please share... thx

-Q-ban

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

I would be very interested in that idea if anyone has tried anything that works....I dont think i'm going to throw money at it though to try things out.

 

[CapeAnn]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Also, has anyone considered adding further protection from punctures, pinholes? I started a thread on this right about when I joined this forum (last year), and had a few ideas regarding:

1) Either adding some extra layers of rubber to underside (especially by the tubes and keel), so prevent from easily getting sticks, or sharp rocks and stones puncturing our beloved boats (not pool toys, they are OUR boats, and damn proud of it...)

or...

2) Making a "bootie" out of heavy duty, waterproof fabric (PVC on one side and heavy canvas on the other) similar to what Sevylor used to sell for their boats a while back... Those of you who have Sevylor Fish Hunters might know what I'm talking about...

I never got around putting this to the test, but I still have all the materials to make the protective boot, with elastic seam and everything... what are your thoughts...? Please share... thx

-Q-ban

The Gary King Alaska Series inflatables have a layer of black plastic stuck to 'vulnerable' areas of some of their inflatables. I think if the boat is seeing a lot of sharp rocks, or wood pilings, barnacles - not a bad thing. Grizzly Claw Bottom Armor is a new concept in inflatable boats

 

[wildman17]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

well I started to build the floor for my boat and just as I flip the boat over to take measurement, I noticed a hole in the bottom. I patched it up but I don't know if the patch will hold or not. Ill be back with more and hopefully good news tomarrow

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Damn that sucks bro.good luck!

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Ok, mods to the Mariner 4 last night. Cut a board for the front and back, spray painted black. These are storage/work areas because I want to keep the middle of the boat open for standing and fishing. Milk crate rod holder/storage on the front board. Someone had suggested looking at how kayakers rig up their stuff and thats a huge help! Making the most of every inch of space. I also use some 1/2" pipe and cut a small tray to hold my fish finder/phone/music etc. I'll find a better way to mount that to the floor once I figure out if I'm actually going to put a floor in or not. From my first trip out I didn't really think it's necessary to have a full form floor, I'm thinking of just a center piece to make it easy to stand and fish from in the middle of the boat. Anyways, here is some pics and a link to my youtube video of the same mods, just hadn't painted them yet.
Custom mariner 4 part 1 - YouTube

P.S. I posted in another thread about putting a 1.2 hp Evinrude Junior on this boat, wondering what you guys think? Is it worth the noise? I'm looking to get my weight down and speed up a bit!

 

[CopperFox]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

MrDr: Lookin' good!
I've gone a different route and have started on my floor. This will replace the slat floor, and I am trying 15/32" plywood, which might be in the thin side, but the next thickness was just under 3/4". I found that size of a gap odd, but then again this project is looking for a pretty specific range of weight and rigidity. Let me know if you do decide on a solid floor. I should have dimensions for it all, very shortly. Thankfully a single 4' x 8" sheet will do the trick.
Also, while I did have a work area on the back of my HF-360, with the added floor space in the Mariner 4, I have decided to put something in the middle, so both front and back fishers can use it. It should end up only about a foot wide, and cover the width of the boat. I don't envision myself standing much while fishing, so I can live with this.
Something you might consider with your back workspace is a lip of very simple molding, to make it less likely that something will roll, or slide off e.g. your tackle box, in that photo.
My progress isn't photoworthy yet, but I should be there soon. Keep up the good work. Good luck. And now I'm off to watch someone's YouTube video!

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Thanks Copper, looking forward to seeing your work soon. I'm back and forth about the floor, mainly because i plan on transporting it on top of my suv, so I'm trying to keep the weight way down. I have the 1/4"floor cut out and I'll try it this week. Good idea on the molding, i actually have some laying around.