Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

[tuji]

Thanks to everyone throughout the years who have shared with us their great tips & ideas on how to modify our M4's. I'd like to share a few pictures of my 3 piece 5/8'' plywood non-slip painted floors. I've been using these for a few years now and they work well for me. I weigh 240lbs and they are very sturdy. After a day of fly fishing on the Bow river, the boards are easily rinsed off and they dry quickly.
May you all have a safe boating season.
Enjoy.

Hi, thanks for posting this.
Are you using this floor with the original floor ( on top of it ) or you eliminated the floor that came with the boat?

Thanks

 

[Tekwa]

Hi, thanks for posting this.
Are you using this floor with the original floor ( on top of it ) or you eliminated the floor that came with the boat?

Thanks

I got rid of the factory floor completely. My three piece floor fits perfectly flush under the air chambers. There's no give when I walk on it. It's solid. All I do is partly inflate the four air chambers (not the keel), then tuck the three boards in. Then, making sure the keel access hole is centered, then fill the four chambers. The keel is the last thing I inflate. If you do decide to make a floor, make sure you use a wood router/round off and sand off the edges. Keep the non-slip grit at least 3'' away from the edge. Hope this helps. I picked up all of these ideas from everyone on this forum.

 

[tuji]

I got rid of the factory floor completely. My three piece floor fits perfectly flush under the air chambers. There's no give when I walk on it. It's solid. All I do is partly inflate the four air chambers (not the keel), then tuck the three boards in. Then, making sure the keel access hole is centered, then fill the four chambers. The keel is the last thing I inflate. If you do decide to make a floor, make sure you use a wood router/round off and sand off the edges. Keep the non-slip grit at least 3'' away from the edge. Hope this helps. I picked up all of these ideas from everyone on this forum.

Thank you, yes it helps

All the best!

 

[stvneadams]

So I've been a Mariner 4 owner for a couple years now and every time I have a question this thread seems to pop up, so I pulled the trigger on signing up today just to post. I originally got the boat to float down our local rivers with the kids on a boat that wouldn't really be at risk of flipping (as opposed to a canoe). Since then I've really begun to appreciate how I can fit the thing in my trunk and take it to pretty much any body of water. Since I purchased it I turned it into a mini bass boat.

Mods I made:
-I added the motor mount and minn kota 40lb thrust motor.
-I added a transducer arm with a scotty attachment pad and transducer arm
-Bought a Garmin Striker 4 portable unit to attach to it
-played around with different seats, these fold up ones work OK
The real reason I joined is I see that most people change the floor to a solid floor; which I may do. But I really want to add bench seats instead of seatbacks on a post. Has anyone done this, and what did they do? I've gone through a lot of pictures and most people use the posts. I want the benches for a few reasons - it gives me more room to bring kids and I can store stuff under the benches. Right now I'm thinking of just taking a plank and laying it across to see how it does, maybe with some posts inside to keep it from moving? Specially I should be able to sit further back over the battery vs. having to sit in front of it (as pictured). Looking for suggestions.

 

[drabina]

Ok I ordered the floor. Will update here on how it works out.

Any updates? I am also looking for a lighter floor for my M4.

 

[jbcurt00]

Any updates? I am also looking for a lighter floor for my M4.

BoatGuy hasnt been on in over 5months, not likely to respond

 

[drabina]

BoatGuy hasnt been on in over 5months, not likely to respond

Anybody else that came up with a lightweight DIY floor? I have the stock floor and one made from plywood but even though it is two pieces, it is pretty heavy. Could use something lightweight but sturdy. I will not be mounting any chairs.

 

[stvneadams]

Anybody else that came up with a lightweight DIY floor? I have the stock floor and one made from plywood but even though it is two pieces, it is pretty heavy. Could use something lightweight but sturdy. I will not be mounting any chairs.

I'm also curious if anyone has tried any kind of plastic instead of wood? I've been hesitant to use wood because of how heavy it is and the potential for it to puncture the boat.

 

[drabina]

I'm also curious if anyone has tried any kind of plastic instead of wood? I've been hesitant to use wood because of how heavy it is and the potential for it to puncture the boat.

I found a blog post somewhere where a guy used some sort of corrugated plastic (3 layers) for his floor. I think it is called Coroplast or something like that. The problem with this material is that very few glues work on it. Pretty much just a superglue and I do not see myself buying 150 of those small bottles to glue a boat floor.

My 3/4" thick plywood floor was sanded, painted, sanded again, painted and then fully carpeted (both sides). I haven't had any issues with the floor puncturing the boat as there is no wood exposed.

 

[Draghen]

Hello everyone, not sure if this is the best place to post my question regarding the mariner 4. How is the handling with just rowing (no motor at this time). Looking to get into a boat, so that we can take the kids out on the water. I currently have a 2 person kayak. Not sure if I should just get another 2 person kayak or go for the mariner. Can you easily row the mariner? By yourself? And how is it with others in it? Would be lookin at going out on solo, tandem and family trips. Any info would be great.

 

[drabina]

Hello everyone, not sure if this is the best place to post my question regarding the mariner 4. How is the handling with just rowing (no motor at this time). Looking to get into a boat, so that we can take the kids out on the water. I currently have a 2 person kayak. Not sure if I should just get another 2 person kayak or go for the mariner. Can you easily row the mariner? By yourself? And how is it with others in it? Would be lookin at going out on solo, tandem and family trips. Any info would be great.

I have the Mariner 4 and I also kayak a lot. Well, paddling a kayak is easier and will keep a straight line better. Mariner though is not as bad as flat bottom pontoon rafts that go all over the place as the Mariner has an inflatable keel that helps. I have no problem rowing and navigating the M4 with me and two kids. It is just not as smooth and easy as a kayak but not bad at all. The big plus of the M4 is the capacity. Though a bit cramped, I had two adults and two kids on some days and we were still able to pack a cooler, couple of fishing rods and all the required vests. If you build the DIY plywood floor, you can stand on the boat which you can't in a kayak. So there are some pros and cons but I really like the boat. I need it for 3 persons but if I had just 2 (me and 1 passenger) I would still prefer the M4 over the kayak. I think it is more versatile, especially if you fish.

 

[Tekwa]

Hello everyone, not sure if this is the best place to post my question regarding the mariner 4. How is the handling with just rowing (no motor at this time). Looking to get into a boat, so that we can take the kids out on the water. I currently have a 2 person kayak. Not sure if I should just get another 2 person kayak or go for the mariner. Can you easily row the mariner? By yourself? And how is it with others in it? Would be lookin at going out on solo, tandem and family trips. Any info would be great.

I have no issues rowing (solo) my M4 on the Bow river (Calgary, AB). It's very stable, gets me around and handles class 1 waters without any issues.
For lakes, I prefer using my Intex K2 Excursion Pro which is made from the same material as the M4.

 

[oldmansivo]

Do you have any photos of your frame/oar setup?

Sorry for the late reply, haven't been on here in a while. This is my setup, handles rivers great (up to class II+) and is a dream on the lakes. The oars are for pontoon rafts.

 

[oldmansivo]

Anybody else that came up with a lightweight DIY floor? I have the stock floor and one made from plywood but even though it is two pieces, it is pretty heavy. Could use something lightweight but sturdy. I will not be mounting any chairs.

I use sections of antifatigue mats in two layers, the interlocking kind. I used two sided carpet tape to hole the layers together and have the seams overlap to reduce the flex. Works great, can still stand and holds together even in class II+ rapids.

 

[radom]

Hi,
greetings from Slovakia !

 

[adamjd]

I'd like to give credit to Loop_Dad, who posted back in Sept 2012, showing info about the two wheel dolly he built. Our boat launches here get quite busy at times, so I was looking for something that would make it easier for me to haul my boat in & out of the water quickly so others could get in and use it. This year, I decided to build my prototype dolly using the balance of the plywood I had left lying around from the M4 floor I made a couple of years ago. I haven’t had a chance to use it in the water yet but putting it together in my home and wheeling it around it seems to work good. When I am not using the dolly, I can flip it over in the boat and use it as a bench seat.

This is a great idea. Simple and convenient. Most of the methods I've seen for transporting have either involved flip up transom launch wheels or some large trolley rig. The flip-up transom wheels are a nice idea but I think they might be too heavy for the Intex motor mount. I've been looking for more of an underneath wheeled cart that is portable, doesn't take up too much room in my vehicle, and I can keep in the boat once it's launched. This convertible bench idea is perfect. My only question is whether the wheels are too narrow (close together) to be able to support the boat without tipping over. I'm sure it might be good enough for short distances, but do you have any issue with that? thanks.

 

[Tekwa]

This is a great idea. Simple and convenient. Most of the methods I've seen for transporting have either involved flip up transom launch wheels or some large trolley rig. The flip-up transom wheels are a nice idea but I think they might be too heavy for the Intex motor mount. I've been looking for more of an underneath wheeled cart that is portable, doesn't take up too much room in my vehicle, and I can keep in the boat once it's launched. This convertible bench idea is perfect. My only question is whether the wheels are too narrow (close together) to be able to support the boat without tipping over. I'm sure it might be good enough for short distances, but do you have any issue with that? thanks.

We've had a few things going on this year. Haven't had a chance to get out yet. Hoping to get out once the mountain spring run-off recedes a bit. It does work great hauling it around the parking lot. I tried to tip it over but wasn't sucessful. Prior to building the dolly/bench, I used my kayak cart (Costco). That worked but it was heavy to haul around.

 

[bracus]

Late to the party but glad I found it. I have my Mariner 4 and am currently waiting on my Minn Kota 55lb TM. I've been reading this whole thread (at page 40 something) and reading all these folks buying OBs and TMs dirt cheap is making me jealous. That and I think somebody said they got their ply-wood for their floor for $20.

 

[drabina]

Late to the party but glad I found it. I have my Mariner 4 and am currently waiting on my Minn Kota 55lb TM. I've been reading this whole thread (at page 40 something) and reading all these folks buying OBs and TMs dirt cheap is making me jealous. That and I think somebody said they got their ply-wood for their floor for $20.

Welcome to the Mariner club. Yeah, even though prices are coming down a bit, a $20 plywood ain't going to happen anytime soon. I was at Home Depot the other day returning something and behind me in line was a guy returning just one 10ft 2x4. Considering that he was holding probably more than 3 gallons of gas in his hand, I think it was worth the hassle.

 

[drabina]

Question: Anybody glued the fish rod holder inserts that constantly pull out with the rod? We almost lost one the other day. It was in a shallow water so easy to fish out but any deeper and the insert would be gone. Just trying to figure out if there is ever need to have those separate. Also, what glue to use so it is waterproof and good for hot summer days when the vinyl gets exposed to UV rays for hours.