seamax aquamarine salter, inflatable boat question.

[ericlin0122]

Hi all,
I am looking to purchase an inflatable before this spring.
Looking something for 2 people max fishing. I am considering 10'~11' boat with high pressure air floor. I don't have a trailer, so I don't want too heavy boat.
Air floor looks ok to me, the main advantages I can think of air v.s. aluminum / wood is that air floor is 1) lighter, 2) easier to setup and I am going to get the 12v high pressure pump.

Seamax, Aquamarine, and Salter all have this type of boats.
I am looking for general experiences with these brands. If you have any thoughts would you please share here. i.e. warranty, frabric quality (I can't find any info on aquamarine), goods/bads, and etc...

Thanks,
Eric

[camshaft]

What type of fishing will u be doing and using the boat for? River floats, ponds, lakes? What will it be powered with?

These will affect ur decision. I have had air floor, wood floor, and now just got an alum floor inflatable from Seamax. My advice is this. Dont go airfloor, expecially if u have a gas motor. Its just not rigid enough and u will not be happy with the performance.

That being said, it is handy for floats and ponds where weight/transport may be an issue.
Go as big as u can afford 12.5 is prob the best size, anything less IMO is too small for a "comfortable" boating experience.

Whats your budget? Seamax seems to have the best availability of materials/sizes currently. Salter looks cheap. Iv been happy with 2 Saturn brands that I have had.

Spend the money and get a good elec pump. Get a Bravo 12, expensive but worth it.

PM me if u have any specific questions...

[ericlin0122]

Hi camshaft,
Thanks for the reply.
I am gonna use this to drift bow and some lake fishing. I am still debating to get gas motor or not, since some lakes I fish do not allow gas motor. leaning toward a #55 electric motor instead.
I want to keep my budget about 1600 max (exclude motor). Comparing all brands, Aquamarine is probably the cheapest, I read good review on this forum, but lots of bad reviews on iboat forum.
I think seamax might be the one I will get, but it's lack of reviews. I talked to seamax rep, they dont really have any authorized repair store in calgary. I am worry about warranty service. Do you have any experience on the inflatable boat warranty?

[camshaft]

If ur floating rivers such as the bow and red deer, I would suggest upgrading and getting a boat with more than the standard .9mm fabric. You will get lots of scrapes on the river believe it or not and its nice to know the thicker fabic is there.

Iv used my Saturn 12 footer dozens of times on both the rdr and bow and have beat it up pretty good and have nothing other than scrapes and scuff marks so far, but no holes. Just watch for the debris and u will be fine.

55lb is a a great choice. Dont let anyone talk u into anything less than at 50lb. It will move u "across" the bow from side to side but will never hold u against current at any time during the year. It will also get u into the back bays out of the current nicely.

If I were to do it again, even if just using it on the bow I would go alum floor. Its much more stable especially for standing and landing fish, plus u can take the benches out and use lawn chairs and be much more comfortable for sitting.

You can get a great seamax for your budget. I would take them over a aquamarine any day. Compare spec to specs. Iv never had a warranty issue, but whether its seamax or aquamarine neither is local so it really doesnt matter. Closest seamax dealer is in edmonton, so even if u had a issue, it isnt that far to go for something major. There really isnt a lot that can go wrong with these boats. Proper inflation is the most important thing. Most people "under" inflate their boats. Go get a good guage from the fishing hole and u will be set.

good luck with whatever choice u make.

[ericlin0122]

Originally Posted by camshaft

If ur floating rivers such as the bow and red deer, I would suggest upgrading and getting a boat with more than the standard .9mm fabric. You will get lots of scrapes on the river believe it or not and its nice to know the thicker fabic is there.

Iv used my Saturn 12 footer dozens of times on both the rdr and bow and have beat it up pretty good and have nothing other than scrapes and scuff marks so far, but no holes. Just watch for the debris and u will be fine.

55lb is a a great choice. Dont let anyone talk u into anything less than at 50lb. It will move u "across" the bow from side to side but will never hold u against current at any time during the year. It will also get u into the back bays out of the current nicely.

If I were to do it again, even if just using it on the bow I would go alum floor. Its much more stable especially for standing and landing fish, plus u can take the benches out and use lawn chairs and be much more comfortable for sitting.

You can get a great seamax for your budget. I would take them over a aquamarine any day. Compare spec to specs. Iv never had a warranty issue, but whether its seamax or aquamarine neither is local so it really doesnt matter. Closest seamax dealer is in edmonton, so even if u had a issue, it isnt that far to go for something major. There really isnt a lot that can go wrong with these boats. Proper inflation is the most important thing. Most people "under" inflate their boats. Go get a good guage from the fishing hole and u will be set.

good luck with whatever choice u make.

I guess you bring out another question I wanna know. I know people do put swivel seats on their boat, and I also saw people just use lawn chair.
Is it stable enough to use lawn chair when drifting the bow?
That's lots cheaper comparing to do all kinds of crazy mod to the boat.
Do you take electric motor on the bow? I have seen people use small gas motor to travel upstream in slack water, but haven't see any electric motor on the bow.

Eric

[jungleboy]

I Bought A Seamax last year and am very happy with it and the excellent treatment I got form kaygee boats.http://kaygeeinflatableboats.com/
I know the temptation of the air floor but I think the aluminum floor is a better choice . I had a previous boat (Saturn) with an air floor and it is hard to get enough air pressure to allow the boat to plane properly.They just are not as stiff as alluminum . If you are sticking to an electric it wont be an issue but if you ever do decide to put a 9.9 or something on it then you might regret the air floor. The Stability on the inflatables is amazing , You will love fishing from it I am sure .I have stood on the side of the boat and never felt like it could tip.
Also I would not want less than the 11ft boat . They have less room than a normal boat because of the air pontoons so keep that in mind.

[billie]

Seamax Ocean 380 here, 168lbs. I can put it on my truck by myself if I need to (usually trailer), packs down and fits on a bunk in the trailer.

20HP 4stk, 55lb electric, powered anchor, GPS, fish finder, swivel seats, rod holders, etc.



The 55 will carry you up the Bow pools on the slack side no problem so you can re-fish them. It won't take you home. About 35km with the merc.

Room for 2 with the outboard, 2 fishing and one on oars for the bow.

Great versatile unit, very happy with it.

[ericlin0122]

Originally Posted by billie

Seamax Ocean 380 here, 168lbs...

That's one nice looking boat billie!
Did you mod the oar too? Is the original oar good enough to row in the bow?

[billie]

Oars are good but I actually want a spare set so I can take one spare with me. We snapped a pin one day and they won't last if you get dug in downstream. The long stroke of a drift boat oar would be nice but I don't have a problem with these.

[jungleboy]

My Seamax I finally found the pictures

[ericlin0122]

Hi,
I did some more research. Seamax uses korean PVC, does anyone know what kind of PVC is in the aquamarine boats? Can't find anything on their website.

I will take advices, go with 12' and hard floor.
Does anyone know what's difference in between fiberglass v.s. aluminum floor?

[nevercatchmuch]

I've had a aquamarine for 5 years now. Heavy use and not a single leak yet. I like the fiberglass floor as it is light and reasonable to sit directly on.

I haven't used it for rivers - just lakes.

http://www.aquamarineboat.com/

[Rustomatic]

how tuff are these inflatable style boats, in rivers can you drive over the shallows and rocks or do you have to be careful. I have been wondering if one would work for cruising up the old man and south saskatchewan with an outboard jet, as those aluminum style jets seem a little to costly for me

[GaryF]

Seamax Ocean 380 owner also. Love the boat, no issues, and does everything I want. I did find that I used the electric motor pretty much exclusively for the last season. Only had the Merc on it for one trip. If I was to do lots of floats with it, I would definately go find some longer oars. The ones that come with it are really good, but could use the longer ones on rivers. And definately the aluminum floor, very sturdy and stable, and you can drop something sharp on it and not worry.

[kaygee]

they use chinese pvc...cheap, cheap, cheap!

[coyotezh]

how much is Seamax Ocean 380? I want to buy one toooooooooooo.

[billie]

http://www.boatsbywayne.com/

Wayne has the 380 on for $1298 right now. He's out of Edmonton.

My research says they are Korean PVC and no complaints here.

[Shabbadoo]

Anyone out there bought an inflatable from Salter that can give a review?

I've always fished from the shore, but want to get an inflatable this spring that I can transport easily in the back of my van (don't want to get a trailer any time soon).

[flyclipper]

salter boats are solid and stable and they have great customer service too ..
After a little research on a few boats (seamax - aquamarine - salter ) all there material comes from S-Korea and many of there boats come from the same factories, I decided on a salter sport 360,.. if you read there specs you can notice salter uses 1.2 thickness in material and has extra rub strips on the bottom for more durability,...There prices are much better for the quality your buying... not to mention they have lots of locations if you need service.
I think its the Best Bang For Your Buck.

[jeffj181]

We bought a Seamax 380HD from kaygee in Edmonton - Gerry was great to deal with and had really helpful advice. Paired it with a Mercury 25hp 4-stroke and a small trailer. It really is a great combination - we have cruised with it, pulled out 7 and 9 year old on a small tube with it and fished with it. Great boat!

[jeffj181]

Originally Posted by jeffj181

We bought a Seamax 380HD from kaygee in Edmonton - Gerry was great to deal with and had really helpful advice. Paired it with a Mercury 25hp 4-stroke and a small trailer. It really is a great combination - we have cruised with it, pulled out 7 and 9 year old on a small tube with it and fished with it. Great boat!

Sorry - typo, should have read "Mercury 20hp".

[kgb33]

I have a 10 ft Aquamarine for sale comes with aluminium floor , paddles pump bag life jackets etc Pumps up in about 10- 15 mins Also a Motorguide (Mercury) 30 trolling motor which pushes it across a lake pretty good . And ideal for trolling . PM for details: price I thought around $750

Ill post this in the for sale section as this might get moved thanks

[flygirrl]

I also have the Seamax 380 with aluminum floor, very easy to set up. One thing you should do if your not putting it on a trailer is to invest in a set of wheels. Makes it so much easier to manage taking it in or out of the water. I love it but I need a little bigger motor on it for the bigger lakes. Bought from Kaygee in Edmonton, excellent service.

[kgb33]

Seems I cant advertise without 20 posts this one should do it !

I have no pictures but can soon blow it up if any one is seriously interested , Don't want to advertise in Kijji