Looking for a 12.5 ft inflatable, any suggestions?

[natson]

I think a inflatable boat at least 12.5 ft long can hold a family with two kids comfortably. otherwise the 11 ft one from costco will be a good choice.

[Red Bullets]

Totem Outfitters in Edmonton carries nice inflatables from " AquaGlide". reasonable prices too.
Aquaglide has a website too.

[Stryker2]

Thought I'd chime in as I do most of my fishing in an inflatable. I've owned a Stryker 10.5" for 5 years and it's as good as the day I bought it. It's a BC based Canadian company and I can't say good enough things about them. Customer service is next to none and their boats are tough to beat. I use a 9.9 Evinrude with mine and at times an electric motor, the only thing I wished different is that I would've bought the next size up. They have the STRYKER RANGER LX 380 (12' 5").
Check them out at: https://strykerboats.com/ I have no affiliation to them except as a very happy customer!:)

[CanadianFisherman]

If you are near Red Deer and looking for new, West River Fly Shop, (Was TC Outfitters) Had some real nice ones last summer. They could also be either rowed, or put a small motor on.

[DOGFISH]

Argyll Motorsports in Edmonton carries 12 footers. Kodiak Sportsman, Used mine all last summer with no issues. 1750 lbs capacity up to a 20 hp motor. 5 year warranty. Moves good with a 20 hp. Cruises all day with a Minn kota 50 lb thrust 2 adults and gear 3.5 mph. Not sure what area you are from? Duramax01 has a Stryker boat, great boat as well more options available. Depends what you are looking for. Dogfish

[Bigwoodsman]

Anyone have the Intec Marinar 4 or Intec Quest inflatables? Lots of cool ideas for these on YouTube.

BW

[vcmm]

First of all what kind of money do you want to spend? And what type of water are your fishing?

[ETOWNCANUCK]

I looked at this in Costco the day before I went to Barry Jay’s and bought my first boat.

Two 40 something’s in that?
Maybe not.

[spin]

Anyone have the Intec Marinar 4 or Intec Quest inflatables? Lots of cool ideas for these on YouTube.

BW

I bought the Mariner 4 last year when it was on sale at Cabela's. Only used it about 4 or 5 times but I'm very happy with it. I paired it up with a minn kota 44 and it's great for 2 Adults or 3 smaller people. Works well on pothole lakes or shorter distances and all of it plus fishing gear fits in my sedan.

[natson]

Thank all of you for the information. I live in Calgary and try to spend some fun time with my kids on those beautiful lakes in Kananaskis and southern Alberta. I don't have a truck so I need a boat can be easily deflated and put into my van. I will do some fishing but not seriously. Mariner 4 is a little small for me and doesn't have a hard transom which can allow me to install launching wheels. Kodiak sportsman 12 looks good..

[Anomaly85]

Can't comment on the Kodiak sportsman as I haven't seen them, but I have a 12.5ft Seamax HD that I've been pretty happy with, use it on lakes as well as the Bow river. My only complaint is it's a bit heavy with the aluminum floor, the wheel kit is pretty much a necessity. Have a 20hp on mine and it will plane with 400lb of people, cooler and fishing gear. Which brings me to another point, that the 15-20hp 4 strokes are at minimum 100lbs, which can be an issue for some people to mount\unmount from an inflatable alone.

If it could fit in your vehicle, I would suggest also looking at the 14ft models. You will be amazed how fast a 12.5ft raft will fill up when you add a marine gas tank, safety kit, cooler, fishing rods, dry bag, etc.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Anyone have the Intec Marinar 4 or Intec Quest inflatables? Lots of cool ideas for these on YouTube.

BW

I have one and have been pretty happy with it. Four seasons, and only have had issues start last season - and mainly because the kids were getting sloppy with how they reel the hooks in. The inflatable seats are a joke, so putting in a rigid floor with swivel seats is a good mod. The boat, motor, vests and fishing gear fit into my compact sedan, along with myself and two kids, so great for doing quick trips.

Use it with a #55 Minn Kota, and it's really good - however, needing to upgrade as the kids are getting bigger and it's getting crowded with all of us and our gear in there.

Also, a proper transom would be nice.

Would almost recommend the Costco one over the Mariner 4, if you're on a budget. It has a transom, and the seats are benches that rest on top of the pontoons, which frees up floor space. Oh, and a rigid floor too.

[Stinky Buffalo]

It’’s on sale now too!

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/26610/intex-mariner-4-inflatable-boat-kit?productVariantId=96642&ps=True&utm_source=gel&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=18-springfish-e7

[camshaft]

I have a Seamax 12.5 heavy duty model that I will be selling if your interested. Aluminum floor, awesome inflatable. Its been used once. PM for more details.

[Springer]

I have a 14 ft Zodiac Hunt and Fish i want to part with . Send me a PM if your interested . It has a hard bottom as well.

[rmatei]

I bought the Hydroforce Pro mirova from costco 2 years ago and it is as good an inflatable as any out there for a PVC boat for $800 bucks. A 9.9hp will get it on plane and it is very stable in choppy water. I think you will find it a bit small for your purpose though. I take the rear seat out and sit on the side tube and even then with the wife, goldie and gear in it is pretty tight., doable but tight. Great boat though with aluminium floor boards. I use a separate floor board bag to keep the loads light. Most of the time I just use an electric trolling motor for the smaller lakes.

[dwedmon]

You should also consider one of the portabote folding boats. They are easy to transport and more durable than an inflatable.

[sns2]

Europa Canopy and Marine is the Edmonton dealer for Seamax. Call Darryl at 780-437-3255. Even if you are in Cowtown, he will answer all your questions, and who knows, it might even be worth your drive up if you decide to buy new. No one can beat his prices.

[Windsweptcoast]

I have used several inflatable boats over the years. Unpacking, repacking, Inflating them and setting up sectional floors is a bit of work for sure. If you could find a way to use a trailer or do a roof rack or vehicle rooftop type system keeping the boat ready to go it would be a lot easier. More time on the water.

[lfv2004]

I bought 14' kaboat from these guys http://saturninflatableboats.ca/catalog.html from Toronto.
It is not good for family but good for 1-2 fisherman. Light and easy to handle.
However my friend bought an inflatable boat from the shop 12 years ago it is still in good shape.

P.S. The cheapest boat you can buy on-line from Ukraine. IMHO

[natson]

summary of information I got from here and other sources:

1. best value: Hydroforce 3.3m inflatable from Costco, $800 shipped. However it may be too small for a family

2. best price 3.8 m boat: Bris 380 0.9mm at amazon.ca, $1400 shipped

3.potential best price 3.6m boat: Kodiac sportsman 12ft at amazon.ca or local store. $1400 is the normal price but it can be <1000 dollars when discount, which will be a good deal.

4. best price 3.6 m with air floor: Saturn SD365, about $1700 shipped.

At last, Kijiji may have some really good deals from time to time. Although the prices of the inflatable boat vary a lot, they are all made in China (not sure about Zodiac which is much more expensive than others). Hopefully these information will help any one willing to buy a inflatable boat.

[ETOWNCANUCK]

For the price you are looking to spend on one of those, you can probably find an aluminum boat and that would serve you better than an inflatable.

Inflatables are fine until you are in the middle of the lake with the kiddos and you get a leak.

[natson]

Comparing with aluminum boat:
advantage of inflatable：

1. easy to store and transport.

2. be honest I think the inflatable boats I listed above are safer than the aluminum boats at the same size.

disadvantage of inflatable:

1. limited life time. PVC will gradually decay , glued parts will fall apart eventually.

2. It takes time to set up

[SamSteele]

Comparing with aluminum boat:
advantage of inflatable：

1. easy to store and transport.

2. be honest I think the inflatable boats I listed above are safer than the aluminum boats at the same size.

disadvantage of inflatable:

1. limited life time. PVC will gradually decay , glued parts will fall apart eventually.

2. It takes time to set up

I would add another disadvantage, that being the reduced floor space. The round pontoons cover up a lot of the floor.

A buddy has a Zodiac Hunt n Fish and a Zebec 16'. We have used both for remote lakes in northern Sask and they are stable, easy to transport, and work well for a couple guys. We find it tough to pack gear into them due to the disadvantage above. Coolers and totes result in a lot of wasted space between the pontoons and the floor. (Think a triangle formed by the tote, the floor, and the pontoon). We have had them in some very gnarly waters though and never worried about capsizing. Getting wet? Yes! Having sore backs? For sure!

If you go with an inflatable, one tip is to use a basic cordless leaf blower to fill it up 75% and then switch to the foot pump. Way faster and less effort.

SS