Need help choosing inflatable fishing boat with room for 4?

hi so far i am looking at the sevylor fish hunter 360 (12ft model) , the intex seahawk II , and the intex excursion 5. i dont have a lot of money nor the room to store a REAL boat so ive narrowed my search down to these three (unless somebody has a better suggestion that is). i will be fishing a local lake maybe once a month. it'll have to support up to 4 adults at times ( 5'8-6ft 170-200lb-ish dudes) i plan to add a ply wood floor with a layer of foam and outdoor carpet, and a 30-36 thrust minn kota trolling motor. any opinions on which boat / raft to go with will be greatly appreciated. i am already thinking i might need to haul a small el cheapo walmart raft on the side to hold the ice chest and some grear.Need help choosing inflatable fishing boat with room for 4?
INTEXNeed help choosing inflatable fishing boat with room for 4?
I would try www.froogle.comNeed help choosing inflatable fishing boat with room for 4?
the inexpensive inflatable boats are much smaller than you think. while they may be rated for 4 people (by definition a person equals 150#) so is only rated for 3 200# people. here is the bad news, by the time you add tackle boxes fishing poles, oars etc, you will be lucky to have room for 2 people to fish. these are not designed as a 4person fishing boat. please take some time and read the reviews. while advertised as rugged boats, they are not, they puncture easily, and only last up to a couple of seasons. these boats should only be used on small protected ponds and lakes.



the design of the intex looks better for sitting and fishing.



here one to look at it already has a reinforced floor and better reviews, motor mount is $69.00 extra



http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa鈥?/a>



if you want to have room for 4 people to fish, get a second inflatable.







hope this helps
WOW man...

I laughed at your question and explanation - as it brought back memories of fishing with friends in an inflatable. It was crowded, hectic, but fun. Problem was, it didn't last long. One of my friends caught a huge catfish, and as he was reeling it in - and lifting its head out of the water - wouldn't you know that fish slammed into the side of that inflatable "fin first". We (and all our gear) sank as fast and hard as we were laughing...



Anyway, here are my thoughts:

1. why buy a boat (or any kind) if the first thing you plan to do with it, is turn it into something it isn't? Add plywood floor, flotation foam, and carpet?

I don't think that is a good thing. Instead, just buy an "unsinkable hard bottom" dinghy (inflatable) you won't need the plywood, you won't need the foam, and you won't need the carpet.



So. . . my point is - there are great boats out there both new and used, and there are many - many of them. Look around and get one that fits your needs, not one you immediately have to mess around with making corrections or adaptions to.

Believe me, I live a-board full-time, I build boats, and I have seen people try to make all kinds of these "modifications" to existing production boats - and most of them (especially the ones that involve the hull, flooring, or deck) fail miserably.

At once a month fishing trips and no space to keep a boat - you guys might be better off getting yourselves (each) a fishing kayak, or simply renting a pontoon fishing boat... as for the ice chest - forget the el cheapo raft. Take your ice chest to the tire store and get an inner tube that fits around it - air that baby up real tight - and that ice chest will not only stay upright - it isn't going anywhere without the inner tube. We do this on white water river trips and never lost one yet. In fact, we not only store I beverage in there, we put out wallets and cameras in Ziploc bags and put them in there as well, and just tow it about 6 feet behind us.



Happy and Safe Boating,

John