Having fished from the banks for a while with my son, I am thinking of going out on the water as he is taking an interest in this sport (as am I ;)). I think it will expand the opportunities and make it a lot easier to fish than competing with a dozen others on a small pier or the few spots that are accessible for public bank fishing.

I have been looking at the Sea Eagle inflatables as I don't have the space to keep a boat nor am I inclined (yet) to take on the hassles of boat storage, maintenance and towing. Our HOA does not allow boats to be parked on the driveway.

The motormount seems to be very appealing. They seem to have good reviews (but not too many of them). The foldcats look very nice but I think I would prefer the raft design since it will be easier for the family to come out with us without being cooped to a seat.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Are they really easy to carry, inflate, deflate, store, row? Can one person do it by himself? How difficult would it be to row upriver on Brazos?

Thanks

I looked at rafts but to get one bog enough for 4 people, it weighs a lot and then you add an engine big enough to push 4 people, it weighs a lot more. I'm sure you could figure out a way to dolly it but a small trailer would be nice. I still love this one.

I wouldn't row a raft anymore than I had too. They aren't going to track worth a flip. Also, set up can be a pita on most inflatables.

My $.02.

I haven't tried them all of course, but the ones I did were a beating. Pain to inflate and deflate, rowing isn't easy but is fairly easy to puncture, seating uncomfortable. If you can get a little trailer for a bass buster and push it behind your house that would be the way I'd go. Busters are extremely stable, easy to maneuver and all around fun fishing platforms.

Thanks, I did not know of Saturn inflatables. They seem nice too. Do you have one? How much does it weigh? Their web site only shows shipped weight. I like the fact it has an inflated floor, not wooden boards.

Nope, just thought about it. I would think the shipping weight is more than the boat.

[quote=SimpleSimon]Having fished from the banks for a while with my son, I am thinking of going out on the water as he is taking an interest in this sport (as am I ;)). I think it will expand the opportunities and make it a lot easier to fish than competing with a dozen others on a small pier or the few spots that are accessible for public bank fishing.

IF YOU WILL BE FIRST TIME BOAT OWNER, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER RENTING A RAFT FROM A RIVER OUTFITTER. OR BUY FROM A SATISFACTION GUARANTEE PLACE SO YOU CAN RETURN IF NOT HAPPY.



I have been looking at the Sea Eagle inflatables as I don't have the space to keep a boat nor am I inclined (yet) to take on the hassles of boat storage, maintenance and towing. Our HOA does not allow boats to be parked on the driveway.

INFLATABLES TRADE OFF SOME OF THESE THINGS BUT ADD SOME HASSLES OF THEIR OWN.

The motormount seems to be very appealing. They seem to have good reviews (but not too many of them). The foldcats look very nice but I think I would prefer the raft design since it will be easier for the family to come out with us without being cooped to a seat.

TRADE OFF ADDITIONAL ROOM FOR LESS COMFORT AND MUCH HARDER TO PROPEL AND CONTROL.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. Are they really easy to carry, inflate, deflate, store, row? Can one person do it by himself? How difficult would it be to row upriver on Brazos?

CARRY IS EASIER IN GENERAL WHETHER INFLATED OR DEFLATED BECAUSE OF LIGHTER WEIGHT. INFLATE/DEFLATE HAS ISSUES ESPECIALLY MAINTAINING BEST PRESSURE, REQUIRES ELECTRIC INFLATOR AND HAND PUMP TOPPING IN SOME MODELS. STORING THE PADDLE FRAMELESS MODELS AFTER DEFLATING OK, BUT FRAME OR MOTORMOUNT ADDS ISSUES. BETTER TO KEEP PARTIALLY INFLATED IN YOUR BACK YARD UNDER COVER AND OUT OF SUN A FEW DAYS BEFORE USING, SO THERE ARE NO SURPRISE LEAKS WHEN YOU GET TO DESTINATION. RAFTS ARE DOWNRIVER CRAFT WITH PADDLES MEANT TO KEEP YOU AWAY FROM BANKS. YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO ROW SHORT DISTANCES WHERE THERE IS NO CURRENT, WIND OR SHALLOWS TO FIGHT.

Thanks [/quote/

Sorry about caps, but makes finding response easier. Hope this helps.

Porta

Thanks, Porta.

If rafts are downriver craft, do you park upstream, float downstream and then have someone pick you up? Would a raft with a electric trolling motor or a 2HP gas outboard be able to make it back upstream?

Are rafts or foldcats limited to small lakes or can they be taken out on big lakes as well (if it is not very windy)?

What are the hassles of inflatables?

2hp on a slow moving river maybe. I've had my 2-man pontoon on larger bodies of water many times. Just expect wet feet if the water is too choppy.

I've owned a couple inflatables, not the expensive sea eagles but cheap ones from Intex. I had a 2-man for $20 and a 4-man for $100.
Pros:
relatively cheap, deflates completely and can be put in the trunk, light enough to be carried by 1 man.

Cons:
It takes 15mins of rigorous pumping on a high-capacity pump to inflate all the chambers.
I didn't have a wood floor, so it can be uncomfortable after sitting on a squishy surface for a couple hours.
cannot stand in it.
when the wind blows, you're blown around like a kite.
it fits fewer than advertised because you need rowing space (unless you and another person paddles it like a canoe).
can puncture easily over sharp rocks or fish hooks.

I say buy a cheap one from Intex and give it a try. Just go on small calm ponds, not big lakes.

Like you, I did not want to hassle with a boat because of towing, storage, etc. Now I own a portable folding boat www.porta-bote.com and I love it. I can manage it all by myself, it goes on top of the roof rack and stores in the garage, I can carry 5 people in it. Takes trolling motor or 5hp outboard.

Pm me for more info.

I still have one of the original portabotes mounted on a trailer which hasn't been used in years. I did use quite a bit over 10 years ago, but it was not as user friendly as my pontoons for what I like to do. It was one of the best open boats for floating down rivers since its non rigid shape allows it to take shock and slide and squirt over and around rocks in the shallows. Dragging in water is easy due to the lubrication of the poly construction.

For my single man use, a small pontoon has been much better than a portabote. I would probably go with a large cataraft instead, if I had to carry several people, but that's just me. To each his own.

Hope this helps.

Porta

The Porta-Bote does look good indeed. Thanks for pointing me to it. Looks like they only sell online. I am going to try see if I can find one used on craigs first. Thanks

I have the Sea Eagle One man FPB and love it. The material cannot be puntured easliy as some have said here, the stuff is tough as nails, I have done just about everything you can do short of driving a fillet knife through it and have not had so much as pinhole in it.

You would want the floorboards... trust me.

Sea Eagle has excellent products, You would not be disappointed if you wanted to go with any of their products, I have not been. The material is heavy and its not as easy to fold up and store as the website says, but it is possible and is not some great hardship to do. The 9 is going to be easier to handle with two guys but can be done alone if need be. And they do have a money back gurantee for 6 months if you dont like it for any reason... you can get them somewhat cheaper if you shop around online, but they do not come with that 6 month money back policy unless you get it from sea eagles site.

Buy hey the fold boats are neat too! Good luck any way you go bud!

They do sell the portabote online and at boat shows. Sign up for the email list and you will get significant discounts and free shipping. Never pay full price. I got mine off craigslist, used.

Good point about the free shipping from any mail order. You might want to check because IF you return a product you MAY have to pay shipping BOTH ways. That amounts to big $ on large items plus the hassle of repacking. Some retailers charge if it is not in "resaleable" condition, whatever that means. I don't know about the portaboat and the Sea eagle policies. Cabellas returns 100% shipping last I heard, and Bass Pro retail stores are generous if they have what you want.

All boats have their issues, it just depends on which issues you are willing to trade off and especially how you will be using the craft.

Hope nobody takes my comments on their favorite boat the wrong way, no disrespect intended.

Porta