Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

[Bonaventure]

I will try to post a photo soon.

I am using a 2 hp Johnson 2 stroke, which only weighs 25 or so pounds.

The block part of the Mount Extender is the same thickness as the as the existing plastic pad on the mount, 1 1/4 inch. The other dimension determines how much the motor will be raised. The Block sits on top and has a 1/4 inch piece of plywood epoxied to both sides. The sides extend down each side of the plastic piece about 3 or 4 inches, they are shaped to fit the Intex Mount. Then I drilled through with a 1/4 inch drill and passed the bolts through. I positioned the bolt holes to miss the clamp of the outboard.

The item looks like an inverted napkin holder.

 

[IN Mariner4]

Don't worry about it Bonaventure, after rereading your description I now understand .

We just got back in from the river about an hour ago, it seems I am having or shall I say had the same issue with the TM (Minn Kota Endura Max 55) handle popping out. It popped out a few times when I was running through very shallow water and had a lot of pressure on the tiller. It kept popping out and drove me crazy, so after clearing the shallow and rocky water 3 miles later I pulled on an island and did some repairs. I pulled the handle off and having nothing to repair it with, I decided to just clean it out and pack the "bearing/ball" with silicone that I had on hand (in my tool roll I carry). I put it back together, did a few dives by the island and took off back towards the shallow water. It did not pop back off, even with a lot of pressure. Could that cleaning and lubing have fixed it? I will look at it again tomorrow before my next trip out. I am thinking maybe it just needed a good cleaning or..... I know others have had this issue.....

 

[triggeraa]

I've had my M4 for about 8 months. Added the wood floors and cheap 55 lb trolling motor. I have a back ground in RC and electric bike hobby. I modified the trolling motor with a 10-50V 60A Speed controller and fan. For battery I run large 18.5V and 22.2 V lipo packs at over 100ah. Does not over heat and can run it all day. Pretty fast.

 

[rromeo923]

Hi all.

Newbie here. Considering the Mariner 4. I have read some of this huge thread and probably have already answered some of these questions in my mind but just looking for any advice.
Here are my questions

1) Can I easily fit this in the back of my Toyota Highlander?
2) Can I set up and transport myself by the edge of the water?
3) Can I use this in the Potomac River (specifically North of Point of Rocks etc). This is class 2/3 at most w/ some still spots. This the questions I am most concerned about. I live very close to a 300 acre lake where I believe this will work well. However, I love to fish in the Potomac. I previously used kayaks but I just sold them because they were so heavy and awkward I was having trouble transporting them. Very heavy duty sit on top kayaks.
4) Can this be used without a motor? In a lake?? In a River? Otherwise I will have to register.

Thanks!

 

[IN Mariner4]

Hi all.

Newbie here. Considering the Mariner 4. I have read some of this huge thread and probably have already answered some of these questions in my mind but just looking for any advice.
Here are my questions

1) Can I easily fit this in the back of my Toyota Highlander?
2) Can I set up and transport myself by the edge of the water?
3) Can I use this in the Potomac River (specifically North of Point of Rocks etc). This is class 2/3 at most w/ some still spots. This the questions I am most concerned about. I live very close to a 300 acre lake where I believe this will well. However, I love to fish in the Potomac. I previously used kayaks but I just sold them because they were so heavy and awkward I was having trouble transporting them. Very heavy duty sit on top kayaks.
4) Can this be used without a motor? In a lake?? In a River? Otherwise I will have to register.

Thanks!

Hi,

1, I can fit the boat, when folded up, in the back of my wife's Equinox so it should be no problem with your Highlander.
2. Yes, setting up and launching is easy by yourself, as long as you can do it right by the water. I keep mine inflated in the garage and load it into the bed of my
pickup by myself and launch/recover by myself (I usually take the motor and battery off before I load etc...)
3. It does good on my river (Wabash and tippicanoe) I haven't been on the Potomac in a very long time (1970's). If the current is very slow and you have a good
Trolling motor..... My advice would be to launch and head upstream for a little bit to see if your TM can handle the current, or if you are rowing I would test it too. I
launched the other day in a new section of the river and the current was stronger there, I am glad I tested it before heading down stream!
4. I have only used the oars one time. I broke the shear pin on the prop and had to row upstream on the river. It was a nightmare! I ended up rowing some and pulling more than rowing. Registering here was a little bit of a pain but it was well worth it.

 

[rromeo923]

Hi,

1, I can fit the boat, when folded up, in the back of my wife's Equinox so it should be no problem with your Highlander.
2. Yes, setting up and launching is easy by yourself, as long as you can do it right by the water. I keep mine inflated in the garage and load it into the bed of my
pickup by myself and launch/recover by myself (I usually take the motor and battery off before I load etc...)
3. It does good on my river (Wabash and tippicanoe) I haven't been on the Potomac in a very long time (1970's). If the current is very slow and you have a good
Trolling motor..... My advice would be to launch and head upstream for a little bit to see if your TM can handle the current, or if you are rowing I would test it too. I
launched the other day in a new section of the river and the current was stronger there, I am glad I tested it before heading down stream!
4. I have only used the oars one time. I broke the shear pin on the prop and had to row upstream on the river. It was a nightmare! I ended up rowing some and pulling more than rowing. Registering here was a little bit of a pain but it was well worth it.

Thanks for the info. I was actually in Lafayette,Indiana and saw the Wabash a couple of months ago. From where I was at it seemed like a very lazy river. I think the Potomac is flowing a bit more. However, there are some nice section where a trolling motor would be helpful to back up stream. I am still concerned about this in any rapids.

 

[IN Mariner4]

Thanks for the info. I was actually in Lafayette,Indiana and saw the Wabash a couple of months ago. From where I was at it seemed like a very lazy river. I think the Potomac is flowing a bit more. However, there are some nice section where a trolling motor would be helpful to back up stream. I am still concerned about this in any rapids.

The Wabash is a lazy river up by Lafayette but there are parts that are a lot stronger, especially after rain. I remember the Potomac, being semi-strong in parts also. If it has a strong current a TM might not hack it and you may think about an OB of maybe 3 hp. A 3 hp should get you through most of it. If you go OB I would recommend getting the composite motor mount and not wood (if they still sale the wood one???). I would also reinforce the mount by placing a piece of wood or PVC pipe across the bottom (as someone else posted earlier in this thread) to keep the OB from pushing in on the boat.

 

[chaotic646]

Hey guys, noobie here. I just finished customizing my new Mariner 4/trailer and have a question...those of you who pull your boats, do you leave the trolling motor on? Im kind of worried about bumps wearing out the seams with a somewhat heavy trolling motor bouncing up and down. I bungied the top of the shaft down but obviously the majority of the weight is at the motor. Is the way I have it in the pic the safest way to haul it, should I tilt it back down or just remove it?

 

[IN Mariner4]

Hey guys, noobie here. I just finished customizing my new Mariner 4/trailer and have a question...those of you who pull your boats, do you leave the trolling motor on? Im kind of worried about bumps wearing out the seams with a somewhat heavy trolling motor bouncing up and down. I bungied the top of the shaft down but obviously the majority of the weight is at the motor. Is the way I have it in the pic the safest way to haul it, should I tilt it back down or just remove it?

I don't trailer my boat I carry mine fully inflated in the back of my pickup with end hanging out with the tailgate down (like your trailer). I usually strap the boat in and then run a strap or bungi cord across the TM and hook the ends to the tailgate. I strap it down the way you have it or I turn the handle sideways. If you strap it down tight enough it will not bounce a lot unless you are hitting some serious bumps. The first time I took it out but did not strap the TM and that thing bounced like crazy so I pulled over and strapped it down. If I have someone going with me, I will load everything into the boat except for my heavy stuff (i.e. SCUBA gear). If I am going by myself I will have the TM mounted and leave the battery in the bed of the truck (that boat is heavy with the modified floor, tm, battery and seats and its a pain in the ,,,,, to load it back into the truck by myself). I was thinking of getting a H/F trailer too (yours looks like one???) for this boat and my lawn mower and if I do, I will keep it fully loaded and do a faster launch. Have you tried the trailer out yet (launching)? I imagine it will be a lot easier than into the back of a truck with a little 4" life on it.

 

[chaotic646]

Yes its the 1195 rated HF model. Got with a coupon for $250 + tax then have another $50-60 in it for the floor. I tacked some indoor/outdoor carpet to protect the boat from splinters and so it will slide easily on and off. I haven't had a chance to use the boat at all yet, only had it a week but Im sure it'll be a lot easier than hauling it around in a pickup. Im thinking about sealing the hubs so I can back the trailer all the way into the water.

 

[Brusac]

chaotic646 I don't have the option of moving my boat inflated so I do a full set up every time I use it. That being said a couple of weeks ago just pulling my boat out of the water at a canoe launch the grab handle on the front partially ripped away. I can't imagine that trailering the boat with the motor already mounted is going to be good for the mounts. The 2 minutes it would take to mount the motor and hook it up is well worth the peace of mind to know that you are not damaging the motor mounts or the motor in any way.

 

[NemoBrown]

Hi everyone, I have ordered my new m4 from amazon and am on my way to pick it up at my American p.o. box in the morning!! (I live in delta bc Canada) I am planning on making a 2 piece 5/8" floor this weekend, just curious, if I router the edges and wrap it in carpet, do I really need to use the pipe insulation around the perimeter? And how much smaller than the stock floor should I make it? I do not want to use the stock floor with it, just the carpeted plywood. Thanks!

 

[IN Mariner4]

Hi everyone, I have ordered my new m4 from amazon and am on my way to pick it up at my American p.o. box in the morning!! (I live in delta bc Canada) I am planning on making a 2 piece 5/8" floor this weekend, just curious, if I router the edges and wrap it in carpet, do I really need to use the pipe insulation around the perimeter? And how much smaller than the stock floor should I make it? I do not want to use the stock floor with it, just the carpeted plywood. Thanks!

Hi and congrats on the boat!
If you do router the edges just make sure the edges are smooth. If you are using carpet and it covers the edges I do not see the need for pipe insulation. As long as the edges are smooth and does not have splinters sticking out. I only used them on mine because I had a few left over from house repairs. I have seen others not put carpet on and not use anything on the edges, they just sanded them really good.

 

[Brusac]

NemoBrown I tried to make my floor as close in size as the stock floor as I could. I did not carpet mine, just painted it (I had some house paint leftover that just happened to be a near match of gray as the M4). For the edges I just sanded them down real good and then ran a layer of duck tape around them. This way of the edges get scraped up enough to create splinters I will see the duck tape has been scraped and will know to fix it before a splinter causes a problem.

 

[NemoBrown]

Thanks Brusac. I think ill do the same thing, I have some oil primer and exterior paint in my shop all ready. I was more worried about putting extra strain on the seams, but I suppose if im not using the stock floor under it it shouldn't matter. I'll use the duct tape as well. Thanks! I'm on my way down to pick it up this morning!

 

[chaotic646]

Anyone have any thoughts/tips on a ladder to easily get in and out while anchored? I was thinking some kind of rope ladder bolted to a wood floor would be the most practical.

 

[trevor41]

I tried a friends 3.5hp motor out and with the stock intex mount it buried itself in the water at 1/4 throttle. I know guys use straps and a board to spread the weight/thrust out but I was a little surprised. As anyone tried using a hydrofoil to keep the thrust up?

 

[Bonaventure]

I think that that 3.5 may be at the weight limit of the index mount, so that maybe why it ran deep. If the boat was a bit under inflated, that would also factor in. My 2 stroke Johnson is about 25 lbs. It pushes the boat OK with just the original floor, but may be faster with a more rigid plywood floor. I am thinking of stiffening the mount with a board across the top held in place with tie wraps. The only 4 stroke I would consider is the Suzuki

 

[IN Mariner4]

Anyone have any thoughts/tips on a ladder to easily get in and out while anchored? I was thinking some kind of rope ladder bolted to a wood floor would be the most practical.

I do a lot of scuba from by boat on the rivers and lakes. I used to use a small rope ladder but have rigged a "stirrup" loop in webbing. I put one foot in it and step up and roll in. I have a ring mounted to the hardwood floor, the stirrup has a carabiner in the opposite end of the stirrup that I clip it to the ring. They make these with a loops for climbing and rope rescue. A rope ladder can be used too. The main thing to remember when using it is to not climb all the way to the top, in other words climb up high enough to get in (roll in or sit in quick).

Sort of like this but the loops are sewn in and there are a couple of them

 

[IN Mariner4]

I think that that 3.5 may be at the weight limit of the index mount, so that maybe why it ran deep. If the boat was a bit under inflated, that would also factor in. My 2 stroke Johnson is about 25 lbs. It pushes the boat OK with just the original floor, but may be faster with a more rigid plywood floor. I am thinking of stiffening the mount with a board across the top held in place with tie wraps. The only 4 stroke I would consider is the Suzuki

I have seen a 5 hp on the boat (too heavy and too much thrust in my opinion) and he did like others on here have done. Put a PVC pipe across the bottom of the mount. Also you can put straps on it or customize/reinforce the mount by running the arms down to the hardwood floor. I would not go over 3.5 Hp max, but thats my opinion. I wish that we could go higher, and I wish we could run jet motors or have mud or long tail motors that are small enough (most long tails I have seen are 10 hp or more. I just came in from the river a hour ago, and it was really low! I tore up my prop again but that's the price I have to pay to get to my "treasure" hunting spots). I am curious what the biggest motor ever put on the Mariner4 (not by the book/manual but by crazy a&% people like me lol).