Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

[Jiggyjay]

Nice I got some d rings as well not sure if I'll be using them though.. so amazon had a deal for the m4 for $174 shipped brand new. Couldn't pass that up.. ended up getting a new one!

 

[Bonaventure]

They are about $500 Canadian Dollars here. That was a good deal.

 

[KingPhoenix]

Thats amazing! trolling while steering solo can be challenging at times. Mount looks pretty solid, did you get the iPilot just for this?
I'll likely be upgrading to a real boat next year, family has outgrown the m4

Beem slow around here lately.. I know boating season is pretty much over for most of us in N. America. Got any winter plans for your M4? My plans is too pretty much finish up my benches and also finding a wat to mount ny bow mount trolling motor. Heres what i got so far, mounted it to the stock intex mount for now.

https://youtu.be/JTx84WFWIYo

 

[Puncheon50]

Hi all New to the inflatable world other than my river tubes. Just got a mariner 4 for Christmas. My son and I are extremely excited to mod this boat. I picked up an Endura Max 55 new in box with bonus charger for $180 off of Craigslist and for anyone wanting an Optima battery ,sams club is no longer carrying them and they are on clearance. I grabbed a Group 27 for $130. Don't know if it is really worth it but we will see. I can't wait to get out on the water to find out.

I do have a question on floor thickness. In reading through the thread, it appears the consensus is 1/2" thick on the floor but I am concerned that 1/2" is to flimsy. I am 6'2" 225 and my son is about the same. I plan on using the dimensions supplied by ScottishScript, and I am thinking of using a thicker grade plywood, either 19/32 or 23/32(3/4"). Will an increase in thickness stress the tubes more than 1/2"?

I also noticed Home Depot and Lowes have treated water resistant plywood like Dry Ply. Is it really worth trying?

Thanks to all the contributors to this thread. It is an incredible resource!

 

[Dreamflorum]

Hi. all. I am new. Please understand my poor English. I bought M4 and it was delivered today. I found a lot of scratches(?), more than 30, on the surface when I inflated it. Is it a defective product? or do all other product have same scratches? Did you have same scratches in your new M4? It is too heavy, so I don't want return it, if it is normal.

Thanks to all. And I will enjoy my custom modification during long winter!

 

[Bonaventure]

Once the boat is inflated, does it keep it's air pressure? If these creases do not leak and the boat stays inflated, it should be OK. Even if one or 2 need to be patched (repaired) it may be better to do that than to have pay to have the boat returned. You can check each area by mixing detergent and water and applying the mixture with a paint brush. If there are bubbles formed, then it is leaking air. and requires a patch to be applied. Hope this helps you.

 

[Jiggyjay]

Thats amazing! trolling while steering solo can be challenging at times. Mount looks pretty solid, did you get the iPilot just for this?
I'll likely be upgrading to a real boat next year, family has outgrown the m4

The one I have currently doesn't have I pilot but the plan is upgrading to it. Just hAve the copilot and it makes it so much easier to steer and can control it while I'm fighting fish. Good luck with the real boat. I use to have a 18' fish and ski boat and it was fine at first but the maintenence, hauling it around and just the overall cost of owning one wasn't fun.

 

[Jiggyjay]

@puncheon I'm assuming you already bought the floor. Wondering which you went with. I'm 6 foot 215 lbs and I didn't have problems with a .5 inch plywood but I was by myself. I have had other people on my boat but the heaviestruth guy was probabaly 5'8 180 lbs and we didn't have any problems with the floor. I did wrap my floor with outdoor carpet which kinda helps strengthen the floor.

Dreamflorum I did have that same problem with my new M4 that came in and concerned as well since my other m4 did both have it. I ended up contacting amazon about it and they gave me a credit to keep the boat. I haven't used my m4 butother m4 owners have said what Bonaventure suggested. Have fun with it!

 

[Puncheon50]

@puncheon I'm assuming you already bought the floor. Wondering which you went with. I'm 6 foot 215 lbs and I didn't have problems with a .5 inch plywood but I was by myself. I have had other people on my boat but the heaviestruth guy was probabaly 5'8 180 lbs and we didn't have any problems with the floor. I did wrap my floor with outdoor carpet which kinda helps strengthen the floor.!

I haven't purchased the flooring yet. I probably won't until the weather warms up a bit. My plan is to use 5/8(19/32) in a 2 piece, using the dimensions outlined in ScottishScript 's post a few pages back. Instead of carpet, I am going with a spar poly After I use an ebonizing technique on the plywood. I will put down some slip resistant strips in key areas. I am really only concerned that at these dimensions, will the 5/8 plywood stress the seams?

 

[Jiggyjay]

I also used scottish dimensions and I ended up cutting the width of the boat an inch or 2. I think he has his at about 36 inches and went down to 34 or 33 don't really remember now. It made it easier for me to put the floor in and was not as tight. I felt 36 was tool tight that it may cause damage to the seams. Try it at his specs and see how you like it. You can always cut it down. As for stressing the seams, I didn't have any problems with my specaetup but I mostly fished by myself.

 

[carguy4471]

Does anyone know what size cooler would fit snug in the mariner 4 to be used as a seat?

 

[ScottishScript]

No Title

I also used scottish dimensions and I ended up cutting the width of the boat an inch or 2. I think he has his at about 36 inches and went down to 34 or 33 don't really remember now. It made it easier for me to put the floor in and was not as tight. I felt 36 was tool tight that it may cause damage to the seams. Try it at his specs and see how you like it. You can always cut it down. As for stressing the seams, I didn't have any problems with my specaetup but I mostly fished by myself.

Hi Everyone,

Just like to say I agree with Jiggy as regards my original dimensions for the floor being a little tight on the sides.

I've made a couple of floors since and have experimented to see what works and you can definitely get away with knocking an inch or two off the width.

I went narrower but also tried making it narrower at the top end where it tapers. However I found when I was turned back in the boat chair to deal with engine etc., the floor didn't feel as stable. You felt you were tipping towards the back.

So I tried another version which I find is the best yet. I don't have a photo but here?s a graphic which gives you an idea.



I basically kept the board as wide at the top as the boat would allow without pressuring the floor seams.

On another note, a friend recently joined us on our Mariner 4 adventure so he could fish our Scottish lochs. I helped him do all the usual mods but he?s not had much luck with the boat itself.

Boat 1 lasted 3 months before one of the carry handles tore away when it was being lifted from the water, resulting in a rapid loss of air from the front chamber. Keep in mind the boat had nothing in it, not even that horrendously heavy floor that comes with it.

Boat 2 was duff straight out of the box. The keel valve was defective and simply would not seal.

Boat 3 is working for now, we shall see.

I?ve done a few more modifications and will need to take some pics to share once the weather improves, and seeing this is Scotland that could be a while.

However I did post a video on Youtube recently showing the Mariner 4 fishing machine in action here in Scotland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2rV78qePV8

 

[Puncheon50]

Nice Video . Looks like you hauled in some decent pike!

 

[Puncheon50]

ScottishScript Are you still using the Center Strip cut down and underneath the floor joint?

 

[ScottishScript]

ScottishScript Are you still using the Center Strip cut down and underneath the floor joint?

Yes, I use 2 to support both boards where they meet. I also made holes in the original floor so I could put in cable ties to hold those cut down plastic slats in place. Got tired of them sliding out whenever I put the floor in etc.

 

[Puncheon50]

ScottishScript I noticed from your video you seem to do a lot of trolling. How many trolling hours are you getting on the water and what is your setup. I am planning on doing some trolling myself for Walleye and pike but I am worried my setup isn't going to get me much troll time. I have an optima group 27 with 66 ah and a minn Kota 55 with a 50 amp draw at max speed. That is only going to get me around an hour and a half at full speed

 

[Jiggyjay]

ScottishScript I noticed from your video you seem to do a lot of trolling. How many trolling hours are you getting on the water and what is your setup. I am planning on doing some trolling myself for Walleye and pike but I am worried my setup isn't going to get me much troll time. I have an optima group 27 with 66 ah and a minn Kota 55 with a 50 amp draw at max speed. That is only going to get me around an hour and a half at full speed

Is your battery a deep cycle battery? A group 27 battery should at least get you 100 amps.. 66 amps seems low for a group 27. I would either look into getting a more amperage battery or look for a gas motor. I also troll a lot when i fish and recently got an electric motor. While I love how silent it is, the heavy battery and the limited time is definitely a downer. My batter is also a group 27 interstate and it's rated for 120 AH and I get about 5 hours on a 40 lbs trolling motor only doing about half speed most of the time.

 

[Starkonian]

I don't post here anymore but remember discussing this topic with Scottish so thought I'd share. Here's my PWM (variable speed controller) mod for my trolling motor...

 

[Puncheon50]

No Title

Dog Mod

 

[jamattat]

Hey everyone. Been reading this forum from front to back trying to find an answer. Hopefully you all won't mind me asking here. I have ordered the M4, Intex motor mount. I have also decided to forgo the trolling motor as costs were adding up and decided to go with a Honda 2.3 outboard motor. From reading on here it looks like the trolling motors use 30" shafts. The Honda only comes in 15" and 20". I have ordered the 20" in hopes that it was closer to that of the trolling motor length. Can anyone confirm this 20" shaft will work?

It is my first ever boat, and my plan right now is to use it for carting the kids around a freshwater lake and maybe using it when camping to carry gear. Thanks!