Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

[da_q-ban_one]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Smashed aka Boyan has an Audi sedan with the Saturn 430 I believe a 14ft boat with a 9hp engine that he fits in his car. Getting a smaller 9-10 ft Saturn with air floor would still do you justice. Rid holders are screwed onto transom and fold just as good as without them. All you need is a small bucket or bag to keep fish, rod holders and a tacks box. If you want to be away from the sun mount one of patio umbrellas to the transom. The only other things would be outboard. Small 3Gl tank and transom wheels. Maybe electric pump. I said this 3 times already and I will say again. If I had a bunch of lakes around me I would be in an m4 unfortunately I only have the bay with strong current and large wake from bigger boats. Tell you the truth even at 12mph winds we don't dare to go out. On a lake I would be out at 16mph winds.

I don't doubt it, I probably could fit it in my car as well, if I didn't have a sub box taking up my trunk space almost entirely. And believe me if I lived anywhere near an ocean I would want to have more power than just a 2 or 3 hp outboard... I know currents can be strong (even without the wind factor thrown in). But wit my current setup, location, and budget, everything fits the bill and I'm pretty happy with it.
The only way (for me personally) to be able to step up to a bigger boat would be to get a bigger car, as I'm already reaching space limitations with my current setup. It WOULD be nice to get a bigger boat, but I think I'm OK with the M4 for the time being...

 

[da_q-ban_one]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

All valid points. I feel the same way. Although I have an SUV and the boat, floor, motor, battery, and seats all fit while still leaving the back seat open for passengers... I will sometimes use my trailer-hitch-cargo-carrier ($89). Super light and it carries All of the boat gear, leaving 100% of the car free. My bins from Home Depot stack very nicely with everything tied down using 4 ratchet straps.
View attachment 214093
1.25" or 2" hitch adapter is supported and my model is rated to hold up to 600lb. And I've seen mods for these carriers too. When not in use, it just hangs on my wall in the garage.
View attachment 214094

Its good to have options, isn't it? I enjoy taking the M4 out but when I'm constricted by time or simply don't care to put so much effort to go out.. I'll either fish from the shore or end up taking my sea eagle..
that's a great setup you got there mz..

 

[ronaldj]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Thats a pretty good deal..

Although between the boat, floor boards, poles, gear, seat(s), launching wheels, motor, gas tank, pump, oars, some kind of shade and a passenger, i doubt i could fit in my car anymore... and the whole reason for getting an inflatable setup was for the convenience of not having to own a truck and have to pull a trailer.. those avons/zodiacs are nice but i think they would not be worth the hassle to try and fit it all in a car.. just way too big and bulky..

Now, an option would be to get a small utility trailer or jetski trailer and rig it up to have the boat and all the gear on it... freeing up valuable interior real estate. Plus it would be light enough to pull with pretty much any vehicle, provided u weld a hitch/towing rack onto it (but therein lies another expense that i decided to forgo, hence why i decided to go with the M4 set up...)

It truly is the best bang for ur buck for those of us who cant afford the cost, space and upkeep of a fullsize boat. Plus it is nice to have the versatility of being able to launch from anywhere.. a luxury that many boat owners do not share w/ us..

I have a larger zodiac and it is really no trouble at all. Its all in how you pack things. For those of us with larger boats. We carry the same extras that you do with a m4. We just have a larger platform. I have an air floor and I love it. I have an electric pump that I power with a car jumper box. Thst also provides power to my fish finder/ gps unit and my marine radio. Everything mounts to my transome. My only extra is a seat with a back thst mounts to one of my benches. You would have these same items on an m4.
An m4 is a great fresh water craft. In salt water you need something a little stronger. I can get my boat setup and underway in less than 15 minutes. In fact an m4 with a wood floor probally weighs more than my zodiac with a high pressure air floor

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

hey guys, took the boat out this morning, again, wonderful trip! Question....who does any trolling from your m4 and how do you have it set up for it? The place I like to fish has some large pike and very large bass but I'm trying to cover 175ish acres and at times 80ft of water! I'm not really up for down/out riggers on this boat but I do have enough large rods to have 3 trolling deep. Any ideas??

 

[mznewman]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

hey guys, took the boat out this morning, again, wonderful trip! Question....who does any trolling from your m4 and how do you have it set up for it? The place I like to fish has some large pike and very large bass but I'm trying to cover 175ish acres and at times 80ft of water! I'm not really up for down/out riggers on this boat but I do have enough large rods to have 3 trolling deep. Any ideas??

I went out yesterday trolling as well. Lake waters between 30ft-40ft deep. I weighted my line to sink the lure. No luck. I saw what looked like bass hitting off of the top, so I switched to poppers. No luck. I used my FishFinder for the very first time. It was wonderful for telling me how deep the waters were, but not sure how anyone can reasonably use it to find fish swimming under the boat. Perhaps salt water where the schools are larger, but for fresh water it doesn't seem as useful.

How were you able to estimate the depth of your lure?

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

That's the thing....I really couldn't, plus no idea how much it rose with speed of boat

I consider myself a good fisherman in shallow water.....I'm a complete newbie to fishing anything deeper than 25'

 

[mrdrh99]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Yeah, that's mainly how I use my ff. I'm in the same boat as you (haha), no idea on how to rig my line or gauge the depth. What lure were you using? I tried diving shad, spinners...... maybe need to try an umbrella rig? Trial and error my friend!
My next round of mods will have two trolling holders

 

[Guest]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

That's the thing....I really couldn't, plus no idea how much it rose with speed of boat

I consider myself a good fisherman in shallow water.....I'm a complete newbie to fishing anything deeper than 25'

My best recommendation is for you to read about the fish in that specific lake. you can find this info on the states website site or .gov site if the lake is federal property. Then study the fish for water temp they like, where they hang out and what part of the day where they hang out and food preference. Best thing to do is ask every day shore fisherman who has been fishing there for years (they probably already trained the fish for their specific bait. when I fish in the bay I drive around the piers in the area and observe then I go about 50 yards into the water and cast towards the pier using same bait.

 

[jagergirll]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Good Morning fellow Intex Owners,

I was excited to see this forum after taking my M4 out for the first time I was already thinking of ways to improve Silver. Thats what I named my M4. I mostly use mine on rivers and small lakes here in MO. I use a Minn Kota 55lb with the Intex motor mount. I made my first motor mount out of wood and conduit pipe but I didn't like how low it sat. I prefer the TM over an OB because of the noise factor. I like to see other wild life and its perfect. Also on the rivers I troll up as far as I want to go and I float down river and fish. If there's a good hole I want to fish I tie up or throw out the anchor. I haven't done any mods to Silver yet because of money. ( I had to buy some new turkey decoys and a new blind so the boat mods have been on hold.)

But.. my floor idea. I have read this entire post and I think I am going to make a 3 piece floor but to have the center piece be 8' (my tape measure is in my truck, I will make it what ever length is the straight portion of the boat) and just have two small pieces in the front and rear to account for the slope. I think that should allow for a pretty solid feeling floor at 15/32 ply. Depending on how that feels I was thinking of foam inserts to run as spines down each side if needed. I do not want to use the slatted floor anymore.

The 2nd thing I plan on making in the same weekend as a standing platform that is maybe 2 ft in length with the top that lifts up so that I can store my tackle box, life vest, cooler etc in there and still have a clean floor to walk on. In front of the plat form I will have a battery house so I can move my bat up 3/4 ways on the boat. The platform would also allow a place for a passenger to sit. And I would mount one swivel chair if any to the back.

I have more pans but I need the floor completed in order to do anything else. Thats my plan for this weekend. Let me know if anyone has any suggestions.

O I drive a tacoma 4x4 and the M4 is awesome. I have taken my boat camping all over MO and ARK down little make shift roads to end up at a lake and fish. It allows room for all my camping and fishing gear.

I have Caught a ton of pan fish and small mouth and even a Gar.

Have a great day and Thanks again for this forum.

As soon as I figure out how to post pics I will share some of my catches.

 

[CopperFox]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Jager: Welcome to the Forum. It sounds like you have a fresh perspective that could benefit us all. Don't hesitate to share. For my 2 cents worth: While I agree an 8' center section would be most stable, I for one, didn't keep any section that long due to the size/weight/convenience of loading it in/out of the vehicle, getting it to & from the boat, plus install/breakdown of the boat. Also, the inner length of the boat is not much over 9' so in order to keep your seat balanced, assuming you will add a raised seat for the driver, you may want to not have the back 'cone' of the floor, separate from the floor that holds your seat. Good luck!

MrDr: I fish the ocean here as well, though not with my M4. To get your gear down deep without using a downrigger, you may want to try either banana weights (2-4 oz.) or what I use more often, a Deep Six or Double Deep Six. Though there are other versions of these I have and use the smallest Deep Six and the largest Double Deep Six, which allow me to troll 20'-30' or 70'-80', just fine. Though the Deep Six is more efficient than the weights, it does add significant drag to your line, since it 'dives', so you will likely need to use a serious rod holder, especially if you go to the bigger (deeper) models.

 

[Guest]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Good Morning fellow Intex Owners,

I was excited to see this forum after taking my M4 out for the first time I was already thinking of ways to improve Silver. Thats what I named my M4. I mostly use mine on rivers and small lakes here in MO. I use a Minn Kota 55lb with the Intex motor mount. I made my first motor mount out of wood and conduit pipe but I didn't like how low it sat. I prefer the TM over an OB because of the noise factor. I like to see other wild life and its perfect. Also on the rivers I troll up as far as I want to go and I float down river and fish. If there's a good hole I want to fish I tie up or throw out the anchor. I haven't done any mods to Silver yet because of money. ( I had to buy some new turkey decoys and a new blind so the boat mods have been on hold.)

But.. my floor idea. I have read this entire post and I think I am going to make a 3 piece floor but to have the center piece be 8' (my tape measure is in my truck, I will make it what ever length is the straight portion of the boat) and just have two small pieces in the front and rear to account for the slope. I think that should allow for a pretty solid feeling floor at 15/32 ply. Depending on how that feels I was thinking of foam inserts to run as spines down each side if needed. I do not want to use the slatted floor anymore.

The 2nd thing I plan on making in the same weekend as a standing platform that is maybe 2 ft in length with the top that lifts up so that I can store my tackle box, life vest, cooler etc in there and still have a clean floor to walk on. In front of the plat form I will have a battery house so I can move my bat up 3/4 ways on the boat. The platform would also allow a place for a passenger to sit. And I would mount one swivel chair if any to the back.

I have more pans but I need the floor completed in order to do anything else. Thats my plan for this weekend. Let me know if anyone has any suggestions.

O I drive a tacoma 4x4 and the M4 is awesome. I have taken my boat camping all over MO and ARK down little make shift roads to end up at a lake and fish. It allows room for all my camping and fishing gear.

I have Caught a ton of pan fish and small mouth and even a Gar.

Have a great day and Thanks again for this forum.

As soon as I figure out how to post pics I will share some of my catches.

welcome to the forum!!

 

[Cyber6]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

hello M4 family!
has anyone figured out away to launch these boats /w ease similar to other transom mounted inflatables like this.
Pic.

 

[geo2005]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

hello M4 family!
has anyone figured out away to launch these boats /w ease similar to other transom mounted inflatables like this.
Pic. View attachment 214441

using the Intex motor mount ?!?
I don't think it works...

 

[Cyber6]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

using the Intex motor mount ?!?
I don't think it works...

Have you tried it?
It'll make our lives a little easier.

 

[Cyber6]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Those of you who are using OB 4 stroke and 2 stroke; any suggestions on synthetic motor oil?
I'm a mobile1 guy but mobile doesn't have OB motor oil.

 

[mznewman]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

hello M4 family!
has anyone figured out away to launch these boats /w ease similar to other transom mounted inflatables like this.
Pic. View attachment 214441

After doing some research on the larger (8-10person) zodiac and saturn inflatables, I was asking myself the same question. I like to fish with another person, which makes a simple task of carrying the M4 to the water, but there are times when its only me. I usually assemble very close to the water and drag the M4 in (grass/dirt), then I put the motor and battery on after its in the water.

I don't see any reason why the motor mount would not be able to handle the dolly wheels. Unless... there is not enough room on the mounting plate for the wheels to mount. The intex mount block is small.

You may need to replace the mounting block with something larger, perhaps a few laminated pieces of plywood. If you are using a trolling motor, then I would say drop it in with battery closer to the motor mount (all of the weight over the wheels), then move the battery to the front once you are deployed. I say this with no experience, only conjecture.

 

[Guest]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Those of you who are using OB 4 stroke and 2 stroke; any suggestions on synthetic motor oil?
I'm a mobile1 guy but mobile doesn't have OB motor oil.

I use the regular brand from either autozone or advanced auto parts most of the time I use valvaline. If you want to get fancy you can order mercury quicksilver oil, Honda and Suzuki also make oil

 

[Guest]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

After doing some research on the larger (8-10person) zodiac and saturn inflatables, I was asking myself the same question. I like to fish with another person, which makes a simple task of carrying the M4 to the water, but there are times when its only me. I usually assemble very close to the water and drag the M4 in (grass/dirt), then I put the motor and battery on after its in the water.

I don't see any reason why the motor mount would not be able to handle the dolly wheels. Unless... there is not enough room on the mounting plate for the wheels to mount. The intex mount block is small.
View attachment 214490
You may need to replace the mounting block with something larger, perhaps a few laminated pieces of plywood. If you are using a trolling motor, then I would say drop it in with battery closer to the motor mount (all of the weight over the wheels), then move the battery to the front once you are deployed. I say this with no experience, only conjecture.

Everything I'm about to say is based on the m4 mount I see in your post: looks like you can mount the wheels on. Remember the railings only stay. You can remove the wheels once in the water and attach the outboard. You can put the outboard in the boat roll it to the water, remove wheels and mount ob. BUT I don't know if the mount will hold the whole weight of the boat. When you have an ob attached to the boat it's only weight weight of ob approximate 20-40 lb. if you attach the wheels, the mount is holding boat weight and everything inside it which will double the weight not to mention its moving weight not still weight. See the thing is when the ob is on the mount its pressed against the tube. When wheels are on it will push the tubes up possibly ripping the glued area of the boat

 

[Desode]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

Those of you who are using OB 4 stroke and 2 stroke; any suggestions on synthetic motor oil?
I'm a mobile1 guy but mobile doesn't have OB motor oil.

I use Opti-2
I have been using it for a lot of years now in All my 2 strokes.. It's also sold under the Oregon's "Only One"
Not to long ago I talked to the Vp of Opti-2 on the phone and he said they just sell it to Oregon and they put their Only One label on it.
I have used Tanaka's 2 stroke mix too but I can't get it here in my local area.
I haven't found anything that runs as clean as opti-2. and it's cheaper in the Oregon brand.
I think I pay $1.58 for a tube of it to mix 1 gallon.

It's been Great for me in everything.

Desode

 

[dancour]

Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips



This raft dolly is much cleaner than the one I built. Would be nice if it disassembled somewhat.