Inflatable Boat Experience?

[RF813]

Anyone one here have experience with inflatables?   They seem sturdy enough, and for those without a trailer or a way to haul a rigid body around, seems like a decent option. Some seem pretty robust.  Anyone one have experience / thoughts on this? 

[Fishes in trees]

I wouldn't feel safe fishing them around the cover / sunken thorn trees that are common in my neighborhood.  Your neighborhood may be different.  Don't be so sure that you can't pull a light jon boat.   If you got a car, you can put a hitch on it.   A 10 Pelican style boat and a small trailer doesn't weigh that much.  I'd check out lighter boats that you don't have to blow up.

[Long Mike]

I had a SeaEagle 9 that I really enjoyed.  As said above, it is very robust, and with all the independent chambers, it is all but sink-proof.  I gave it up because I wanted to fish larger waters.

[Sam]

Cannot get enough air in my raft to have it sturdy.

 

When I fish out of it I flop all around, allowing water to flow in.

 

The fun is to hook a big one and get towed around before landing her.

 

If you use live bait you can keep it a minnow bucket tied to the raft and allowed to float behind you.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Sam, What kind of boat and pump do you have?  Is it a high pressure boat?  If not then it won't be near as rigid as a high pressure boat.  If it is a high pressure boat your pump may not be putting out enough pressure.  I know there are many pumps that will not inflate a high pressure boat properly.  I have one that is a two stage pump that will go to about 15 pounds.  Most of my Sea Eagles inflate to 3.5 pounds and are almost as rigid as a hard body if inflated properly.  And as stated a few times on this thread they are tuff and hard to pucture. 

http://www.beatthebigboxboys.com/store-products-BTPMANO-12-Volt-Two-Stage-High-Pressure-Electric-Pump_1098250280.html

 

Im nearly 4 years with my Sea Eagle124SMB and yes it has been a tuff little boat. Im going to jinx myself but no punctures yet.

I too was hesitant but ordered a catalog from Sea Eagle and it had samples of the boat material. I tried puncturing the material with a pen had a friend hold it while I tried poking it with a key couldnt puncture it. Here is the surprising thing  we used a lighter and held the flame on the sample for 10 seconds and the sample didnt melt through it got very pliable but didnt melt away at all. I do have scuff marks from rocks branches and stuff but its going good.

Here is mine you can see it has ok amount of space. I now have a seat that goes on that metal bench.

 

 

 

 

 

[RF813]

Im nearly 4 years with my Sea Eagle124SMB and yes it has been a tuff little boat. Im going to jinx myself but no punctures yet.

I too was hesitant but ordered a catalog from Sea Eagle and it had samples of the boat material. I tried puncturing the material with a pen had a friend hold it while I tried poking it with a key couldnt puncture it. Here is the surprising thing  we used a lighter and held the flame on the sample for 10 seconds and the sample didnt melt through it got very pliable but didnt melt away at all. I do have scuff marks from rocks branches and stuff but its going good.

Here is mine you can see it has ok amount of space. I now have a seat that goes on that metal bench.

 

Can you stand in something like this? Im just happy to see something where I wouldn't have to sit on the floor.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Yes I can stand mine has wooden floor boards that can be taken out/in. It is very stable as far as flipping turning over, not an issue 

 

One thing of note is wind can be a bit tricky at times Ive went to using 2 anchors front back otherwise you get spun around one anchor.

 

Motor wise though I have 55# it takes very little to power the boat and moves quite well just on half throttle.

There are other models as well an SE8 SE9 that are a little smaller but nearly the same shape so if alone might consider those plus cost less. I got the 124 cause I have 2 kids so some space for them.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

To add

Set-up times is so-so but usually from parking to actually going on the water is less than 30 minutes not rushing but easy pace with kids tagging along. If Im by myself Ive been on water in 20 minutes.

 

If you have a good back a small gas motor can go on them not so sure about 5hp seems to me it too heavy for boat & mount. IIve seen you tube vids with gas motor on he is out on Lake Michigan and has a fishfinder set-up as well.

 

Depending on your state it may have to be registered Im in IL it costs me $22 for 3 years.

 

Here the Lake Mich vid

 

[Loop_Dad]

I have Intex mariner-4. I bought it 2 years ago. It was around $250 ish. This was to be a temporary measure and didn't want to spend much money. I figured if it lasted two years I was good. (And it did.) The reason for inflatable vs other options was small storage space, no need for trailer (and it's storage), can take someone with me and stability on the water.

 

I have punctured 3 times so far, but it is not a big deal for me as pin hole can be fixed with a drop of super glue and bigger one can be patched on site. It has 4 separate chambers (5 including inflatable keel), so I am not worried about sinking. However, a friend doesn't want to go with me because he is afraid (and he is not a good swimmer.) I am excellent swimmer, but I take all safety precautions and very much aware of limitation of this watercraft. I check weather and do not go out when it is forecasted to be windy.

 

I added a solid hard floor out of a plywood which I can do jumping jacks on it. Added rod holders that can tilt so that it is out of my way when I am fishing made out of PVC. Put trolling motor (55lbs), carries two batteries, and a fish finder.

 

If you are thinking about inflatable, think hard to see if you really want to spend 20-30 minutes to set it up every single time. I am tired of setting up and taking it down. I especially hate 20-30 minutes in the morning when all other guys are catching all the fish before I can even get on the water. It is killing me!  My living situation will probably change next year and I am hoping my boat situation will change too. 

 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Also on what Loop_Dad about set-up time is the pack-up time after a day out all the stuff has to go back in your vehicle so plan for the same amount at end of the day.

[RF813]

Thank you all for the info, I really appreciate it. 

[jignfule]

the quality ones like a seaeagle frameless are solid units...1000 pvc coated denier ='s tough as hell...friend of mine has one that i fish with and he throws it in his hatch back trunk, matched up with a 55# TM & group 29 battery...http://www.seaeagle.com/FramelessPontoonBoats.aspx  

I've had a 285 fpb for two full seasons now and so far it has been great. Easy to handle and set up. I've got a 55#TM that pushes it around at a decent clip. I need to stand when I fish, that is one of the reasons I got it. It's fine for one person and his gear. Seemed to be rugged, but I mostly fish smaller ponds and lakes with it. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking it out on a large body of water unless I stayed closer to the shore. I'm glad I bought one.

[Kickedback]

Howdy, I had a Sea eagle 9 and it was as tuff as can be. No worries with punctures.. I now have a Sea Eagle 285 fpb and this is the best yet for solo fishing. I use a 30 lb trolling motor and it takes me any where. A larger motor would help with wind better but my next fabrication is a larger skeg for my motor cause with stronger winds it can spin and travel in all directions with out a good rudder. Sea Eagle has some glue on ones that I am going to get, hope they work. Don't worry with sea Eagle as they are a fantastic company to do business with and their prices are good and their parts are priced better than fair.

I am a good sized person at 280lbs and I stand up in mine easy (it has floor boards). Go on their web and see everything. I hope this helps. Good luck

[basshead1]

I had an inflatable pontoon and I bet you would have a hard time stabbing it with a knife.

It will stand up to decent sized hooks too.

 

What I didn't like was the time it took for setup.

I ended up roof topping a kayak.

I have a trailer and a little boat now but the kayak is still my goto for quick fishing trips.

[carlm01]

I love my seaeagle 285 pro , I think they're great for small lakes and ponds ,Ive added a few things to it  but as most ,it's just a well built framless pontoon. i think if you get one you wont be disappointed... Good Luck  

[Bigbarge50]

There is my seamax ocean.  Aluminum floor so can stand in it all day and has never been punctured since 2008.  Run a 55lb thrust and a downscan on it.  Could go 15 hp outboard if wanted.  Can go inflatable without it being a toy.  

[Bob Lee]

Love my Sevylor.  The owner before me put a carpeted wood floor in it and I've made some adjustments to the bench seats (IE: replaced them completely with supports going to the floor, added bass seats and rod holders, etc).

 

What has already been said about the setup and teardown I will echo myself.  And bear in mind that if you get one that's canvas covered, as mine is, everything weighs about twice as much when you're hauling it back to the car waterlogged.

 

But there are days when the ability to float in 3 inches of water comes in handy!

[Nelson Wormefeller]

At this one lake I frequent, I often see these 2 guys inflate one and even attach a trolling motor. Seems pretty sturdy.

[Xactly]

On 12/5/2013 at 12:41 PM, RF813 said:

Anyone one here have experience with inflatables?   They seem sturdy enough, and for those without a trailer or a way to haul a rigid body around, seems like a decent option. Some seem pretty robust.  Anyone one have experience / thoughts on this? 

I've been using a Sea Eagle 285 FPB for quite awhile. Great one person fishing boat. Use a Minnkota Endura Plus 45 lb trolling motor with 100ah lithium battery. I usually inflate it at home and throw it in the back of my truck with tailgate down so don't have to waste time setting it up when get to where I'm fishing. But also like that I can pack it up and take it with me when take our camper on the road. 

[Xactly]

On 12/9/2013 at 10:34 PM, Kickedback said:

Howdy, I had a Sea eagle 9 and it was as tuff as can be. No worries with punctures.. I now have a Sea Eagle 285 fpb and this is the best yet for solo fishing. I use a 30 lb trolling motor and it takes me any where. A larger motor would help with wind better but my next fabrication is a larger skeg for my motor cause with stronger winds it can spin and travel in all directions with out a good rudder. Sea Eagle has some glue on ones that I am going to get, hope they work. Don't worry with sea Eagle as they are a fantastic company to do business with and their prices are good and their parts are priced better than fair.

I am a good sized person at 280lbs and I stand up in mine easy (it has floor boards). Go on their web and see everything. I hope this helps. Good luck

Have thought about the glue plates with removable skegs but opted for a bullnose rudder on my trolling motor. It's going to move around in the wind no matter what you do to it. I used an anchor in deeper water and an anchor pin for shallow water.