Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: oddjob on June 12, 2007, 04:52:54 PM
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How trust worthy are the inflatable boats ? Walmart has a 10 foot witha weight capasity of 825 lbs . Althou I would never really load the thing up to capasity but it is only plastic , the question is are they trust worthy? I am a fairly hefty guy ,would you trust rowing the boat around buntsen lake or rolly lake ?
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All the air won't escape without a massive tear or the seam splitting right up the sides. That can happen if your extremely overweight. But then getting in and out of the boat would be a problem too. Some inflatible kayaks the seam would rip on the inside.
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I am not extremely overweight but for my height I am overweight by 60lbs. I am always leary about inflatables even float tubes ,that is why I don't have one.
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I would never go into an inflatable boat again. My brother and I were up Harrison way on a larger lake I cant remember the name. We had about a 9.9 on the back and we were fishing and it started to get real rough we were the only ones on the lake. We decided to head in. We made it to shore and decided to go to the smaller I think it was trout lake. My brother had been bragging for a very long time about how unsinkable this boat was. It was heavy plastic or vinyl or whatever it was. It was a heavy duty boat wooden back for the motor etc. I remember just before we carried the boat down to launch it my brother said do you think we should let some air out its getting pretty hot. I said no thinking this boat was virtually unsinkable. About half an hour on the water we heard a minor pop. It seemed a little strange. About 20 second later a hell of a bang and we were on top of a piece of vinyl full of water.I now realize the pop was that split chamber everyone talks about. Luckily we didn't put the motor on because it was a small lake. I managed to hang on to my rod which was out but in my hand. Somehow we ended up in the very cold water and we swam with the boat to shore. I cannot think about what could have happened if this had happened a half an hour sooner on that big lake in rough water. Can you say drowned. I have to admit it did say something about not inflating at a gas station which we did. It was a very big boat and I dont know how else you would have filled it. I am unable to use a belly boat anymore. I was on I think it was rolley lake one day with my dad. He was in our 9' walker bay and I was in my belly boat. I am on medication that can dehydrate me. I started to get a cramp in calf then thigh then my other leg toes, calf, thigh. In unbelievable agony with the whole lower half of my body was tighter than Jessica Biel's Butt I screamed for Dad to tow me to shore. For what is worth that is my 2 cents worth. Anybody want to buy a belly boat?
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Fishyfish
Thats the learning curve you hear about. ;) Don't over inflate the inflatible. Also make sure theres a life jacket for everyone. :) I use one as a seat, helps keep the hemiroids at bay as well. ;D Not like belly boats, were your dragging your butt through the water till your bleeding. :( Thats why I don't buy belly boats.
then theres those frog boats
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fishyfish
We are basicly in the same boat ,I don't trust inflatables of any sort. I went fishing with this guy that said his boat was unsinkable however some who the bottom started to get very soft.We paddled to shore to see what had happened . Sometime during the paddling while we were fishing the bottom got sliced open .Since that time I have yet to set foot in an inflatable .
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I would never go into an inflatable boat again. My brother and I were up Harrison way on a larger lake I cant remember the name. We had about a 9.9 on the back and we were fishing and it started to get real rough we were the only ones on the lake. We decided to head in. We made it to shore and decided to go to the smaller I think it was trout lake. My brother had been bragging for a very long time about how unsinkable this boat was. It was heavy plastic or vinyl or whatever it was. It was a heavy duty boat wooden back for the motor etc. I remember just before we carried the boat down to launch it my brother said do you think we should let some air out its getting pretty hot. I said no thinking this boat was virtually unsinkable. About half an hour on the water we heard a minor pop. It seemed a little strange. About 20 second later a hell of a bang and we were on top of a piece of vinyl full of water.I now realize the pop was that split chamber everyone talks about. Luckily we didn't put the motor on because it was a small lake. I managed to hang on to my rod which was out but in my hand. Somehow we ended up in the very cold water and we swam with the boat to shore. I cannot think about what could have happened if this had happened a half an hour sooner on that big lake in rough water. Can you say drowned. I have to admit it did say something about not inflating at a gas station which we did. It was a very big boat and I dont know how else you would have filled it. I am unable to use a belly boat anymore. I was on I think it was rolley lake one day with my dad. He was in our 9' walker bay and I was in my belly boat. I am on medication that can dehydrate me. I started to get a cramp in calf then thigh then my other leg toes, calf, thigh. In unbelievable agony with the whole lower half of my body was tighter than Jessica Biel's Butt I screamed for Dad to tow me to shore. For what is worth that is my 2 cents worth. Anybody want to buy a belly boat?
What kind of belly boat is it ? I am ineterested - nyifan@gmail.com
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I would never opt for a "plastic" inflatable boat. I did however buy a fairly heavy vinyl boat with 3 chambers a few years ago. I bought this specifically for lakes that I couldn't get my aluminum boat into. I bought it at Canadian Tire and paid about $200.00. It is a 10' that has a 500lb capacity. I put on an electric trolling motor and it has been awesome. I like it because it easily accommodates 2-3 people, which means my wife can join me and still has room for gear and a cooler.
As for reliability it has been great. This option allows me to 4 wheel into a remote lake and be totally comfortable all day. I wouldn't reccommend any small inflatable for larger lakes as they are not suited for it because they tend to get blown around a lot. Perfect for smaller lakes though.
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12ft (or is it 10ft) Fish hunter (Sevylor) great little inflatable.
As with any "dinghy", you'll be rowing mighty hard when the wind comes up against you.
Multilple bladders - definitely!
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The model I was looking at was the seahawk 400 ,at walmart it is on sale for 99.99. It is supposed to have a weight capacity of 800 lbs. Fishfreak just purchased the same model for his kids .
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The model I was looking at was the seahawk 400 ,at walmart it is on sale for 99.99. It is supposed to have a weight capacity of 800 lbs. Fishfreak just purchased the same model for his kids .
I had some crappy one before - thinner and more "play like" I snapped the oarlock and one of the bladder seperation seams blew. Been happy with the fish hunter - got it onsale at Army Navy for $200 about 1.5 years ago. No oars come with it though (used the oars from the shitty one that I tossed)
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then theres those frog boats
Ya those frog boats are terrible
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/bbronswyk2000/Fishing/Fly%20Fishing/IMGP0444.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/bbronswyk2000/Fishing/Fly%20Fishing/IMGP0445.jpg)
So unstable
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/bbronswyk2000/Fishing/Fly%20Fishing/Flyfishing20200720025.jpg)
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/bbronswyk2000/Fishing/Fly%20Fishing/Flyfishing20200720021.jpg)
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then theres those frog boats
Ya those frog boats are terrible
Well to be fair, you gotta show the good with bad... any pics or stories from Dragon Lake?? ;) ;)
Shane
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then theres those frog boats
Ya those frog boats are terrible
Well to be fair, you gotta show the good with bad... any pics or stories from Dragon Lake?? ;) ;)
Shane
I made it back to shore in one piece :D. A little wet but it comes with a good lesson learned. Dont take the frog boat on big lakes or when their is a 2 foot chop ;)
Other than that I love the boat. Perfect one man boat for small-medium sized lakes. Totally stable and perfect for casting in.
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The model I was looking at was the seahawk 400 ,at walmart it is on sale for 99.99. It is supposed to have a weight capacity of 800 lbs. Fishfreak just purchased the same model for his kids .
I just bought the Seahawk 400, but the 2006 model. The one from Walmart is the 2007 model which doesn't support a motor mount, so if you plan on getting a trolling motor in the future, forget the one from Walmart. The 2006 model supports the mount.
I bought it from this guy:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=7246493820&rd=1&rd=1 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=7246493820&rd=1&rd=1)
After conversion (since our dollar is so strong right now) and tax at the border, it's about the same price as the one from Walmart after tax. Only thing is you have to ship it to the states. I just shipped it to Point Roberts, only a 35 minute drive from Vancouver (less time than I drive every week to the lakes). Bought the motor mount from the same guy. Gonna pick it up this weekend.
bbronswyk2000 somehow convinced me to buy a motor that's more expensive than what I originally intended... :-\ Look what you've done!! >:(
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You wont regret it when you are catching more fish ;) The maxuum really goes the right trolling speed. The Endura on speed 1 is a bit too fast.
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Before I bought my pontoon boat I had a Sevelor rubber (plastic) boat, and it worked all right. Once one of the plugs popped open and I lost a little air on the water, but not enough to be a problem. Another time I managed to slice a hole in the bottom with my knife, and that time I rowed back with a wet my friend. I never worried about it sinking, because it had three separate inflated sections. What I really don't like about those little plastic boats is that you are sitting so low that it is uncomfortable fishing for more than a little while.
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I have a 10 foot (give or take a foot) zodiac inflatable, had it for 10+ years...never had a leak/puncture. It has a wooden back for a motor, wooden floor boards you have to put in, and comfortablly accommodates two. Very convienant for med/small lakes.
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I bought this boat a couple months ago on sale, after I got such a good deal on a muffler for my car.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/troutbreath/supersport.jpg)
Saved enough money that I didn't mind buying it despite knowing that on a lake in the wind your bucking for inches or high speed trolling. Every boat has it's place. The worst inflatables were the old Taymor "yellow deathtrap" that could deflate in seconds. The sun heated mine up and it popped like gun going off as the air expanded. Luckily it was docked. I don't think they make them anymore. Saw a German tourist who carried a heavy(Taymor like) inflatable all the way to Pierce lake, only to overinflate it. The boat blew wide open and even though he had the fortitude to carry a whole roll of duct tape he couldn't mend it. He also had carried 3 magnums of wine (we were in awe). He gave a bottle to my friend for giving him a niece 3lb spawner ::) Well that boat sure helped to darkened the skies over Pierce that evening smoking on the campfire. :-\
my big boat
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/troutbreath/Sportspal-S13XW-diag.jpg)
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You wont regret it when you are catching more fish ;) The maxuum really goes the right trolling speed. The Endura on speed 1 is a bit too fast.
Hey bbronswyk2000, what battery charger did you get for your battery? I ended up getting the Energizer 650 battery, but not sure what's the best value charger for this thing.
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Hey gheart008,
I have the same inflatable boat (Seahawk 400-2006 model). I was looking at a motor mount at the crappy tire store (Poco) yesterday for $50.
I'm not sure if it's the right one for my boat since it isn't saying anything on the box. ???
Can you please post a photo of your boat with the motor mount if you had a chance.
ThX.
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You wont regret it when you are catching more fish ;) The maxuum really goes the right trolling speed. The Endura on speed 1 is a bit too fast.
Hey bbronswyk2000, what battery charger did you get for your battery? I ended up getting the Energizer 650 battery, but not sure what's the best value charger for this thing.
I have the Intelligent battery charger from Canadian Tire. When the battery is about 50% it will take no more than 2 hours to charge. Its a great charger. Here is a link to it
http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672454&bmUID=1182178672164&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443278836&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true
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You wont regret it when you are catching more fish ;) The maxuum really goes the right trolling speed. The Endura on speed 1 is a bit too fast.
Hey bbronswyk2000, what battery charger did you get for your battery? I ended up getting the Energizer 650 battery, but not sure what's the best value charger for this thing.
I have the Intelligent battery charger from Canadian Tire. When the battery is about 50% it will take no more than 2 hours to charge. Its a great charger. Here is a link to it
http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672454&bmUID=1182178672164&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443278836&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true
Cool thanks, I was thinking of this one that's on sale this week:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443271698&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672454&bmUID=1182185923162 (http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443271698&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672454&bmUID=1182185923162)
15A, not sure if that's too much, but it does say it auto adjusts to the battery's requirements.
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Hey gheart008,
I have the same inflatable boat (Seahawk 400-2006 model). I was looking at a motor mount at the crappy tire store (Poco) yesterday for $50.
I'm not sure if it's the right one for my boat since it isn't saying anything on the box. ???
Can you please post a photo of your boat with the motor mount if you had a chance.
ThX.
Will do. I'm picking it up on Friday and will probably try setting it up that day to test it out before I take it out on the lake this weekend. I'll take some pics during the setup.
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Try Sea Eagle motormount boats.
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