Inflatable / portable boat for FF recommendation
 

So fairly recently gotten into fly fishing .... fishing again in general big time since my boy was 4 and loves fishing , he's 6 now and just got his own fly rod , makes me so happy when he's landed a fish and now I get to show him how to FF ( not that I really know what I'm doing but it's coming )

Anyhwho , I think I'm on the market for an inflatable , portable raft / boat that won't kill my back and we can fly fish off on calm lakes and ponds etc etc that I could fit in the back of the fishing truck aka 1988 blazer along with camping gear etc etc

Any recommendations or sales here ? Intex mariner 3 I think seems to fit nicely. Doesn't have seats but has square cushions , motor mount can be purchased for a small 2 hp or electric trolling motor .... seems to be ideal ..... possibly even when my 3 year old soon comes with us too .... but guns seems to be his bread and butter ( well whew got that covered anyhow )

Thanks. And ya. Will be bringing patches / repair stuff

Check out the intex mariner 4 , it can be a very versatile and great boat, you can even customize it and build a plywood floor and install swivel seats if you want to. There is lots of info and a forum on iboats with a lot of people customizingthem to their needs .

I second the Mariner 4 with the plywood flooring. Stable enough to stand and cast. I have a similar model with the flooring, seat, and installed brackets for a motor. Able to pack into my SUV and take to ponds and small lakes.


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Have you looked into a folding portabote? Its very stable so you can stand in it to cast with no problem. Way more durable than an inflatible.

I've always been intrigued by these. Still regret a little not getting one 6 or 7 years ago when our dollar was better.

I bought mine about 10 years ago. I used to use a Zodiac knock off but I was always worried about scrapping up the bottom when I launched or returned to shore.

The portabote is great, I don't even use my inflatable anymore. I'll use the portabote if its bigger water or I need to carry a lot of gear. Otherwise I use my sportspal flatback. Those sportspals are very light and fast to deploy.

Ya I have. Out of my price range .... well ATM with all the stuff I keep buying/ last Xmas .

Would wanna make sure I actually use the thing more than once a year if I went that route ......

Am thinking of that marine intex 4 , more affordable , and if anything like last years schedule prolly barley make it out in it anyhow.

Thanks guys ..... hmm..... still himmin and hawing ..... dang work trucks power train stb today , derailed me. Lol

Keep an eye out on Kijiji, a couple years ago I found a killer deal on a lightly used Zodiac and am very happy with it.

Amazon has the intex mariner 4 for $389.99 and free shipping

Mariner 4 is great. My parents and I have both had for 5+ years with no issues and we use frequently. I find the foldable floor that came with it to be sturdy enough. Enough room for me the wife and the dog. Would be heavy though you plan to hike it anywhere, but if you mean just bringing in the truck it's great. I use an electric 30lb thrust which is enough but would prefer a little more. Cant go wrong for the price.

I fished for years with my Creek Company inflatable pontoon but when the wife took up interest in fly fishing it was either buy another pontoon or another boat.
Bought a Bestway HydroForce Pro Mirovia (10 1/2 ft) aluminium floorboards and will take up to 15 HP from Costco. They show them on their website in Canada this year @ $699 delivered. Great boat had mine for 3 years now and as good a boat as those costing twice as much. Built a bimini top and a wheel kit myself for it and the wife, me and the Golden Retriever can now go fishing together in a stable craft. I pull a bumperpull trailer so this is a good alternative, beats the intex hands down for not much more money.

Copy that , ya. Hard to beat that with prolly the few times I'll actually use .... gonna try to not work so much this year I think and spend more time with family , but I seem to be always in demand ( cause I'm so awesome ,,,, lol ), na , another thread about missing your kids grow up etc etc got me thinking , plus work sucks. That and gottta stop buying nice classic muscle cars and guns

Thanks for all your input guys


Yup , just bought the mariner intex 4 , e trolling motor and mount for it ..... hope me and my kid enjoy it ...... guess if me and my boy enjoy it one time it will pay itself off. Now I gotta get a boat license too I think .... jeez , hey anyone got a kids life jacket for sale

Where's the fastest easiest way to get a boat license

Scratch the looking for a life jacket , wife says he's got one

One other thing I highly recommend is a battery/electric pump. We got a rechargeable one from Can Tire for cheap and sure beats pumping by hand. We usually finish with the hand pump to get the proper pressure but the power one speeds up the job.

Frog Boat.

www.onefrogtwo.com

I have never tried one nor am I giving any sort of endorsement. Just thought It might be what you're looking for. More $ than the Mariner Intex, but more sturdy as well. Maybe a better longer lasting solution.