Inflatable Craft for Paddle Caches

[+mc3cats]

I am looking to purchase an inflatable boat/craft for the specific use of grabbing paddle caches. I am not interested in obtaining any rigid craft as I am not interested in towing, maintenance and additional cost of owning such a craft. I have no interest in taking such a water craft out on the sound but to use on the smaller lakes and slow moving rivers in the Puget Sound area. An inflatable boat would seem to be the obvious choice for what I am looking for. If you have an inflatable water craft, I would like to know the type of inflatable craft you have (name of the craft and manufacturer), the pros and cons of it and let me know if you would buy another one or recommend it to a friend. Thanks!

[+dfx]

check out http://www.seaeagle.com/, they have a wide variety of boats.

[+klossner]

Yeah, I've owned a lot of those inflatable watercraft over the last thirty years. Every one of them sprung a leak despite my best efforts to keep them intact. There's nothing like a popping sound followed by an impromptu swim to let you know you're done water-caching for the day.

 

My current boat is an Emotion Glide kayak. It's stubby, just 9.5 feet long, so I can haul it inside my minivan -- no towing or roof rack required. It's basically made out of tupperware so maintenance is easier than it was with my inflatables. It won't cruise at high speed like a 16-foot boat would, but my friends who have 16-foot boats never manage to get them out of the garage and onto the water.

[+ZeroHecksGiven]

Or just do what I do. Get a tube, get some shorts on, tie you're GPS around your neck in a pelican case and party!

[+Criminal]

I am looking to purchase an inflatable boat/craft for the specific use of grabbing paddle caches. I am not interested in obtaining any rigid craft as I am not interested in towing, maintenance and additional cost of owning such a craft. I have no interest in taking such a water craft out on the sound but to use on the smaller lakes and slow moving rivers in the Puget Sound area. An inflatable boat would seem to be the obvious choice for what I am looking for. If you have an inflatable water craft, I would like to know the type of inflatable craft you have (name of the craft and manufacturer), the pros and cons of it and let me know if you would buy another one or recommend it to a friend. Thanks!

If weight is an issue, this is a good choice. It's on my list for fishing the remote lakes.

 

Edited June 16, 2010 by Criminal

[+uxorious]

You might look into one of these. Very sturdy, and seaworthy. Maybe not quite as portable as an inflatable, but you don't have to worry about punctures.

 

I have one and like it well enough to recommend it.

 

click here

Edited June 16, 2010 by uxorious

[+coreynjoey]

We have 2 of these and love them. Easily portable, not expensive and great for calm water areas. Ours has 5 different air chambers to fill up so if you get a hole in one area, you'll still float.

 

 

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/...ategoryid=10085

[+Forty-n-Eight]

The Sea Eagle boats rock. I have one as do some of my associates. They're well constructed, sturdy, and some will even handle Class IV rapids.

[+TeamIDFC]

I know you said no to "standard" boats, but for $320 all-in (paddles, boat, racks, straps) I'm not sure you could possibly beat the Costco price.

 

Heck, you could use it for the season and sell it for $250 next year on Craiglist...

Edited June 21, 2010 by TeamIDFC

[+bittsen]

I'm looking at getting something like this for watercraft caches

 

[+dfx]

we took our sea eagle 330 out for the first time this weekend and were very pleased with how it performed.

[Chumpo]

A friend and I paddled our way to the end of a 5/5 multi in his inflatable raft. I didn't know it until we got to the lake, but when he pulled a vinyl 2-kid raft out of the trunk and started huffing and puffing into it, I was going to be in for a scary ride. You've seen those rafts before; they are right next to the water wings at KMart.

We were almost to the cache (about 3/4 of a mile one way) when I heard a popping sound followed by hissing air. We frantically paddled to the cache figuring that we'd have to bushwhack a few miles around the lake to get back to the car, but when I got out I discovered that it was just one of the inflatable seat cushions that had popped it's little nozzle out. Whew!

We found the cache, then very carefully paddled our little plastic oars as fast as possible back across the lake, arriving at the car bone dry.

 

If you want some real caching excitement, I recommend a 2-kid vinyl raft. They are right next to the water wings at Kmart.

Edited June 26, 2010 by Chumpo

[+MtnMutt-ProDuckShins]

On the Famous Loch Katrine Monster cache, I used the old school inflatable Tire Tube aka US Minnow.

[+LandRover]

On the Famous Loch Katrine Monster cache, I used the old school inflatable Tire Tube aka US Minnow.

The Mutt piloting the SS Minnow on a beautiful September afternoon.

[+MtnMutt-ProDuckShins]

The ACTUAL Monster did not rise from the depths of the Lake that day. It was too bright for it's eyes.

 

Great fishing and the cache still holds one of my Coins. It was great to be out on the Lake, even if someone forgot to keep an eye out for the Monster.

[+t4e]

+1 to the Sea Eagle, ours is rated for class 3 rapids, comes with paddles, professionals pump and seats, not heavy or bulky, it will fit in just about any size trunk and takes all but around 10 minutes to get it inflated and deflated

 

i was a bit worried that it would tip over easily but its nice and sturdy and a very comfortable ride

 

Costco sells them and the price is excellent Sea Eagle

 

this is actually from last night

 

Edited June 26, 2010 by t4e

[+Lightning Jeff]

Any opinions on the Sevylor inflatable canoes, such as the Colorado?