WLM
I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it. - Clint Eastwood
"Lots of critters to still shoot. And there'll be no quitters until we bag some critters" - 180grainer
"Politicians should wear sponsor jackets like Nascar drivers, then we know who owns them" - Robin Williams
Flush the Turd!
Located and residing on the unceded territory of European Settler's traditional land.
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I've heard that the Alaskan Inflatables are the best ...
The last 3 inflatables have been PVC but I’ve had no issues with them.
My latest is a 380 Solar out of Russia. So far I’ve been super impressed. I’ve hit dozens of rocks in the river and the heavy duty bottom shows no sign of wear. It’s PVC too so some will snub their noses at it but the Solar and the Alaskan Jet Ranger are the only 2 units with a built in jet tunnel so not much choice if you want a jet which I did.
I'm a Buy Once - Cry Once kind of guy and I would personally hold out for an Achilles or Zodiac from the MilPro line. No personal experience AB but they are the real deal too it seems. My oldest hypalon Zodiac was made in '76 and it is still holding its own. It has hauled 4 moose out of very remote country in the last 2 years. Probably won't get that kind of longevity out of any Chinese boats.
I ran my inmar jp marine 15 foot fold up inflatable everywhere, cost about 3k. Put a 40hp jet tiller for 7k with a UHMW intake for $600. It wasn't great at anything but it was ok at everything, unsinkable and incredibly stable. With some ingenuity and trial and error I mounted some down riggers and a trap puller. It's seen northern bc skinny rivers, upper pitt river, west coast queen charlotte open water, pulled tubes in osoyoos, caught prawns, crabs, salmon and hauled 2 moose and 3 guys and camp 40 kms a few times. After a number of years of that abuse it was stretched, the floor boards were bent and the transom broken lol. Lots of people have had problems with their overseas inflatable and the glued seams, mine has been tough as nails, probably because I store it inside and inflated...
The tubes are in good shape so I had an aluminum tunnel hull made for it sold the 40hp and got an 80hp, still finishing it up, should be fun lol
"Our arrows will block out the sun!" "Then we shall fight in the dark!" K.L. Government is not the solution to our problem, it is the problem. R.R. “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” M.F. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClJ...fYFveARiWyqjQA
Anyone try the Bestway Hydroforce From CT?
Looks econo, but just looking for something to pack along on a quad trip
Never say whoa in the middle of a mud hole
I second all of this. I have the Costco one. Hydroforce it is called. I think they may have a different one now but same idea. Reasonable price. Aluminum floors, solid transom. I have a 7.5 hp 2 stroke on it. A lot more stable and safe than a 12ft tinny, and nearly triple the weight capacity. You can safely stand in it.
Trouble is that it is a royal pain to set up the floor boards I ended up buying a small trailer for mine later on. It is doable though once you figure it out but it can be a hassle.
I saw that sale a while back and almost went for it. Watched a bunch of reviews. It seems like a great boat. Maybe a little on the heavy side.
I am been looking for a boat to replace my Sevylor Fish Hunter as the quality on those weren't to absolute garbage some years ago. They used to be good, but on the new ones the vinyl is fragile and they replaced the boston valves with push valves... just garbage and not very safe. The new boat only lasted a couple trips while the original lasted me about 10 years and 100+ trips.
I'm split between the Seahawk and the Mariner. The Mariner does some quite a bit more heavy which might not be ideal for us.... often we have to carry the boat around quite a ways. Decided to put the whole purchase on hold since I won't be lake fishing until spring anyway.