Guest Post by Jim Seymore

I can swim, but I don’t like being dumped in the water, especially as a surprise. There is nothing I hate more than falling off the edge of a cheap inflatable boat that tips over.

That’s why I gave up on discount inflatable boats.

The ones I’ve used in the past were junk, and useless for anything more that floating around in very calm water.

This past summer I went our local lake with a good friend of mine and his family. We had one of those big party barges and we found a nice cove to settle in to do some grilling and swimming.

Once we anchored, my friend dug out two duffel bags and started to put together his Intex Mariner Inflatable Boat.

I just rolled my eyes thinking, here we go with another one of those cheap plastic boats.

Then I noticed him unfold a piece of hard plastic and set it into the partly inflated boat.

It was a floor!

A solid floor in an inflatable boat! Now I was definitely intrigued.

My friend isn’t too smart in a lot of ways, but he does know how to shop for camping and fishing equipment. I figured that if he thought the 4 seat Intex Mariner was worth having then maybe I should take this inflatable seriously.

Once he got it set up (in only about 15 minutes) I gave it a good look over.

It was pretty big but not huge in size…

In other words, you aren’t going to get more than a few people in there, but the lucky few would be pretty comfortable sitting on those cushy inflatable seat cushions.

But, any inflatable boat looks sturdy sitting on land so I was still a bit dubious. That all changed once we got on the water though, as I realized this was actually a decent, usable, REAL boat!

Once I climbed in off the back of our party barge and sat down I noticed that it had been easy, almost too easy, to get in.

The plastic floor makes a HUGE difference in the stability of the Intex Mariner Inflatable Boat.

No, you won’t be doing jumping jacks in the middle of the lake, but if someone makes a sudden movement or dives out of the boat, it’s not going to cause everyone else to go in for a swim too!

Discount Inflatable Boats Don’t Have To Be “Cheap.”

Well, long story short I got sunburned floating around the lake on the Intex Mariner, but I did learn a lot about the boat that day…

It had all the usual features for an inflatable like a grab line and holes for the oars. No cup holder though, so be prepared to keep your beer in hand (where it belongs anyway).

There were some larger holes at the back of the boat and my buddy told me that those were there to hold the motor.

A motor on a discount inflatable boat?

I had never seen that done, but I soon learned that the Intex Mariner can handle a pretty decent sized trolling motor for zipping around from fishing hole to fishing hole.

Sure beats rowing!

There are a lot of cheap inflatables on the market, and there are a lot of high end inflatables that can set you back over $1000 or more.

The Intex Mariner sits nicely in the middle of those two giving you a sturdy, comfortable, well designed inflatable boat for a very good price.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering…yes, I am now the proud owner of my very own Intex boat, and I’ve been extremely happy so far with this purchase.

If you’re in the market for a discount inflatable boat yourself, I’d suggest taking a look at this impressive model.

And don’t forget the sunscreen!

Learn more about Intex Boats here!

Discount Inflatable Boats to Intex Product Reviews Homepage

Intex Boats!  Mariner Inflatable Boat Review

My house sits exactly 58 steps away from a private lake.

Because I’ve lived so close to the water, for such a long time, I’ve owned and used just about every brand of inflatable boat out there.

Due to this fact,  I feel that I’m qualified to make this VERY bold statement!

The best budget priced inflatable boat on the market today is the Intex 4 Person Mariner Inflatable Boat Set.

Was that bold enough for you?

Now, I’ll admit, this boat isn’t 100 percent perfect,

But….as far as bang for the buck goes, this inflatable is impossible to beat.

Here’s what I like most about it.

Materials:

It’s made with three-ply SUPER-TOUGH vinyl, with two outer layers of heavy-gauge PVC, laminated to an inner layer of strong polyester mesh.

You won’t find this kind of toughness in your average fresh water inflatable, which could wind up hurting you down the road.

Let me give you a quick example to demonstrate…

My very first inflatable was more of a pool toy than a serious boat.

I paid less than $150 dollars for the inflatable and for the trolling motor.

I can see you smiling already!

Anyway…on my second outing in this unit, my dog put her paws on the edge of the boat to jump to shore, and tore a good sized hole through the vinyl.

Vinyl that was too cheap and flimsy to repair, which quickly put an end to this inflatable.

I know for a fact this would never have happened if I had started off with one of the Intex boats.

The Intex is not entirely bullet proof, that’s for sure,  but it’s much more durable than the lower quality brands available out there.

With just a little caution and care, this boat will last you many, many seasons.

And if for some reason you do wind up getting a leak?

No problem, as this boat is extremely easy to patch and repair due to the quality materials used to manufacture the boat.

But I do need to warn you….

This inflatable is not made of white water rafting grade material.

If you’re looking for that type of quality, expect to pay about 5 times the price of this unit.

In other words, on lakes, ponds, and calm rivers, this boat definitely has you covered.

Anything more than that, then you need to bump up your price considerably.

Weight:

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about inflatable boats, it’s this…

Getting the boat from storage into the water MUST be fast, convenient, and easy.

If not, your new play thing will wind up sitting around gathering dust.

In other words, the bigger the hassle, the less often you’ll use your boat.

The Intex Mariner weights a mere 77 pounds, and is VERY easy to move, carry and inflate.

I can’t stress this enough!

Go small and lightweight, and keep your hassle factor as low as possible.

Do so, and I guarantee you, you’ll spend much more time out on the water.

Size:

I know I’m going to lose some of you here, but I’m going to argue that smaller is quite often better when it comes to inflatables.

If you must seat 6 people on a regular basis, you should certainly go for a larger boat.

But you need to ask yourself, how often is that going to happen?

If you have several children, or you regularly hit the water with 4 buddies at a time, go ahead and buy a bigger boat.

But, if it’s just you, your wife, and child or two, or you and a few kids, do yourself a big favor and opt for the Intex Mariner.

Stability:

You might be surprised to hear this about a boat in this price range, but this inflatable is extremely stable.

As a matter of fact, you can stand in the middle of the boat and cast out your line with no problems.

You do have to be careful that your weight is distributed evenly, but you can say that about the big budget inflatables as well.

Here are a few more things I like about this boat.

1. Light enough to backpack into remote areas
2. Compact enough to store inside a closet
3. Has an an inflatable keel to improve efficiency in the water
4. Built with a hard plastic floor to increase toughness and stability
5. Has 4 independent air chambers, making it almost impossible to sink under normal circumstances
6. Compact enough to maneuver into small areas where bigger boats cannot go (up creeks, through ponds, under low hanging trees, around rocks, etc..)

Here’s what comes inside the box:

1. Gear Bag
2. Battery Pouch
3. The Boat Itself
4. 54″ Aluminum Oars
5. 2 Weldedon Oar Locks
6. High Output Boat Pump
7. 2 Fishing Rod Holders
8. 3 Inflatable Seat Cushions

If you decide to pull the trigger on this boat here are a few accessories you’re not going to be able to live without.

Minn Kota Trolling Motor (30-40 LBS of Thrust)

Intex Motor Mount Kit

Deep Cycle Marine Battery

The battery is the one item out of the bunch that I would definitely not buy online.

Instead, head down to your local Costco and ask for the Marine battery made by Kirkland.

Another excellent option is the EverStart Marine batteries available at Walmart.

But for the boat itself, I’d definitely recommend buying on amazon.com

Why?

• Amazons price on this item is typically much less than what you’d pay retail
• Item ships out free of charge for amazon prime members
• You won’t have to pay sales tax like you would if you purchased the item locally

Click HERE to Check Prices Now

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