Inflatable boats

[Dancin'Dog]

We're FIRE'd and recently bought a van to convert into a small RV.  We've watched a lot of "van life" videos on YouTube.  Most of the folks carry bicycles in their vans.  I've often found myself wishing for a boat when we've traveled to the coast or places with beautiful lakes & rivers.  I recently started looking online for inflatable boats to see what's available and to get an idea of how much they weigh and how much they cost.


I found this 12' boat for $890 including shipping.  The site pointed out that inflatable boats are great for people with small vehicles and small homes or apartments, because they fold up into a compact size that fits into a small car and can be stored in a closet.  Accessories like bimini tops and steering wheels are available to make them more comfortable and steer like a normal boat, instead of a jon boat.


I like the Mars model because they are lighter than the other series they carry.  The 12' is 90 lbs and an outboard motor for it will also be about 90 lbs.  That's as much weight as I'd want to hoss in and out of the van.  It also has an "inflatable hard floor" which is lighter and easier to install than the common rigid aluminum or plywood floors.


I just thought I'd start this thread to point out that it's possible to have a boat even if you don't have a truck or a place to store a normal boat.  Also I thought it would be nice to get opinions & feedback from folks who have owned or used inflatable boats.


link: [size=78%]https://www.boatstogo.com/12-mars-inflatable-boats-psm365.asp[/size]

[pecunia]

Is this for diving, fishing or what?

[Dancin'Dog]

Is this for diving, fishing or what?

Sure.  You can dive, fish, explore, whatever you'd want to use a small boat for.  Being inflatable it is extra buoyant, so it can handle rougher water better than most small boats.  I just wanted a boat that's easy to travel with.  Most boats require a trailer, which is a hassle that I wouldn't want for extended cross-country type trips.  This is a very basic simple boat, like a jon boat, that can get you out on the water relatively economically. 


I plan to use it with an outboard motor.  If you want something to paddle an inflatable kayak would be a better choice.  A kayak is smaller & lighter and much easier to paddle.  Inflatable SUPs (stand up paddle board) are also available.  All three are great ways to get out on the water, but having a motor allows you to cover much larger distances & the larger boat allows you to haul all types of gear and passengers. 

[Fireball]

Seen pack rafts used many times. Might be more specialized than you're going for here.

https://www.alpackaraft.com/rafting/

[the_fixer]

People use porta-bote as a dingy and they seem pretty solid. They fold up really compact.

 https://www.porta-bote.com/

Personally I have been thinking about buying something from seaeagle they seem like quality inflatables. We have a small truck / camper so weight / space is a precious.

https://www.seaeagle.com/



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[Aegishjalmur]

DW and I are fulltiming in a Ram promaster we converted into a homemade RV so space is a premium. We got a Sevylor Ogden inflatable canoe.

Works well for the two of us and our small(20 lb) dog. What's nice is that the paddles can be used as a single kayak style or separately as canoe paddles.

https://www.amazon.com/Sevylor-Ogden-2-Person-Canoe-Combo/dp/B00J0S0F7Q

The price is pretty nice too.

Edit: if you are tall this may not work for you. I am 5 ft 6 and my DW is 5 ft 4. If either one of us was much taller we wouldn't fit well and likely would have gone for a 3 person boat. This seems to be a common issue with inflatable boats, not just this model/brand.

[YttriumNitrate]

As a kid, I had something like this: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--pru-3-performance-roll-up-inflatable-boat--14272488?recordNum=1.  Although they do fold up, they are still quite bulky and I remember that wedging the PVC part of a sub 9' dingy into a Dodge Spirit was a challenge. The seat, floor boards, transom, paddles, gas can, and motor also took up a bit of space in the car too.

Originally, I used a 5 HP motor with it, but eventually upgraded to a 10 HP, which resulted in a dramatic improvement in speed because the 5 HP motor wasn't able to get the boat up on a plane.

[Linea_Norway]

Seen pack rafts used many times. Might be more specialized than you're going for here.

https://www.alpackaraft.com/rafting/

Packrafts are also nice if you like hiking, because they are so light weight that you can put them in your backpack.
To save lots of $$$ you can make one yourself, like my DH did.

[Watchmaker]

People use porta-bote as a dingy and they seem pretty solid. They fold up really compact.

 https://www.porta-bote.com/

Personally I have been thinking about buying something from seaeagle they seem like quality inflatables. We have a small truck / camper so weight / space is a precious.

https://www.seaeagle.com/

I have had two Sea Eagle kayaks and they've been superb. In ~10 years of regular use I've never had a puncture or other problem. I keep one in in my car trunk all summer so I can go boating on a moment's notice.

[therethere]

I have a sea eagle 3 person kayak that I keep in my mini travel trailer and its been awesome. Always on hand so we don't have to plan whether we need it or not. Except after 2.5 summers of use and I had a bunch of leaks on the seams occur all at once. I was surprised because I thought it was supposed to last much longer based on the $1,000 or so I paid. Customer service was top notch and sent me a replacement boat without much effort. I don't think I'd pay that much for another inflatable boat again though even though I enjoy the convenience.

[ChpBstrd]

The deal-killer for me would be there is no way I'd want to sleep or ride in a van with an outboard boat motor and gasoline tank.

A better option is this $90 inflatable kayak:
https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/intex-explorer-k2-kayak?campid=71700000049898162&adgroupid=58700004907637350&device=c&keyword=92700046470548010&Channel=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIteeftoyg5gIVAR6tBh13vgZqEAQYASABEgLElfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Minimal depreciation. No fumes. No noise. Minimal space in the van. And if you don't use it as much as expected (as is typical for boat buyers) you're not out very much so no worries.

If you buy an $890 boat with a $1500 motor and gas tank, and a $500 resale value, you have to think about the cost per hour in depreciation.

[Dancin'Dog]

The deal-killer for me would be there is no way I'd want to sleep or ride in a van with an outboard boat motor and gasoline tank.

A better option is this $90 inflatable kayak:
https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/intex-explorer-k2-kayak?campid=71700000049898162&adgroupid=58700004907637350&device=c&keyword=92700046470548010&Channel=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIteeftoyg5gIVAR6tBh13vgZqEAQYASABEgLElfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Minimal depreciation. No fumes. No noise. Minimal space in the van. And if you don't use it as much as expected (as is typical for boat buyers) you're not out very much so no worries.

If you buy an $890 boat with a $1500 motor and gas tank, and a $500 resale value, you have to think about the cost per hour in depreciation.

I'm not really concerned about the gas smell in the van, but my wife worries about things like that.  She's also complaining about the boat & motor using up storage space. A hitch carrier mounted behind the van would be a good place to store the boat & motor.  But I'm saving that spot for my dual-sport motorcycle.

  So, I started thinking about options.  Our van is a 4wd extended Sprinter, which is raised about 4" higher than the 2wd version.  (We'll never go "4 Wheeling" in it, we only need the 4wd for getting up our long steep gravel driveway during bad Winters.)  I think that there is plenty of vacant space under the van to mount storage boxes for the boat, the outboard, and the gas tank.  It shouldn't be too hard to devise [/size]a way to raise & lower them. (I hope... ;) )


[/size]You're right about costs and depreciation.  I don't know how long the inflatable boat will last (likely 5-10 years), but the motor will last many years.  I usually keep things so long that I can afford to scrap, donate or gift them when I've finished using them, so resale and depreciation aren't things I usually think about.  There are always cheaper options for getting on the water.  Paddling is great for many places.  I just wanted something compact, relatively inexpensive, that could be used in wide variety of water, can carry a decent size load of people, dogs, & gear and has speed to cover large areas when we want to explore larger bodies of water. 
[/font]
The gifting comment just reminded me...I've got an old aluminum canoe near Boone-Charlotte, NC if anybody here would like one.  (Just message me.) 

[LifeHappens]

I'm not really concerned about the gas smell in the van, but my wife worries about things like that. 

You might want to look at an electric outboard. If those won't work for you there are propane powered outboards as well.

[Just Joe]

Have you looked at folding kayaks? Used to be many brands, now fewer. Some can handle ocean conditions, some can handle motors and/or sails.

FOLBOT is out of business but their kayaks are easy to find for sale used on "SearchTempest" and eBay. Very stable boats. Newer versions are easier to setup and fold than older versions.