Any of you guys ever take an inflatable raft or kayak on the lake for fishing?
I am thinking of buying one, how secure is it?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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Sevylor makes a decent inflatable called the fish hunter. My uncle has one the 12 ft one that they offer. They sell accessories for it such as a boat boot and trolling motor mount. He also made a floorboard for it out of plywood which makes the floor very sturdy. You can easily stand up in it, or take a fold up lawn chair and sit in it on the boat.
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I fish from a kayak, and I wouldn't suggest anything else. Inflatable boats tend to be hard to move around in unless you go with a motor, meaning you have to title and register it. I am a fan of paddle power, and you can make your way all over the lake in a good kayak. My advice- Don't buy a kayak cheaper than 500 bucks- You need one with a good keel on it so you can track well and battle the wind that is always present at lake mead.
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I dont have a truck anymore so thats why I was leaning towards inflatable since I hear of so many doing the tube thing.
What about an inflatable kayak? Have you ever tried on of those?
I've seen those 12 foot rafts they look pretty cool but yeah getting it there and then dealing with a small outboard would suck. I got rid of my last boat cause I would start it at home and it would run fine I always kept up on maintenance but when I would get to the lake a day or two later the pos wouldn't start. Besides I gotta loose some weight so paddling wouldn't bother me.
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[cool]Hey IvanM1, I would think that you would be limited to the area that you could fish in one of those. You would have to launch from an area that is very easily accessable. And paddling one of those rafts is not an easy chore. A kayak would have to be launched from those same areas however they are alot easier to paddle and you can cover alot more area. I fish from a floattube. Though I can't cover alot of area, I can access areas that alot of people can't get to except in powerboats. Just a couple of options to think about.
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There are some very well made inflatable kayaks, but they seem to run as expensive as a regular kayak. If it's all about transport, then inflatables might be the way to go, but then you have to deal with pumping up on the water, and the possibility of driving a sharp hook into the side, leaving you stranded. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but you can always throw a kayak on top of your car- I lugged around my Ocean Kayak Malibu 2XL on top of my 2 door Chevy Cavalier for 2 years without incident.
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Thanks for the info guys. I remember white water rafting and it sucked when we were done those big rafts are pretty tough so I think a Kayak may be best.
Another issue for me is cost, an inflatable I can find on ebay for under 150.00 but a regular one that I could carry on the roof would run over 500 plus the roof rack. I know what you mean about the hooks in the inflatable but man I would love to go fishing at the lake early in the morning a couple times a week than sit in a roach infested park waiting at the pond.
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I'm not sure yet, but my buddy Alex might be willing to sell his second kayak. Its an Old Town Guide 'Rush'. It doesn't have great tracking, but it moves well, and will suit your needs. Ill talk to him about cost if you are interested. Maybe $300 or so.
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Yeah, a kayak is a good way to go. Meanwhile, In today's economy you might also shop for a small tin boat and later model outboard. Once you get to a fuel injected model they are pretty reliable. Depending on what you are driving you - add a tow bar and lighting hookup; you can tow something light - maybe 14 to16 ft.
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thanks for all the info everyone. I'd really hate to put a tow bar on my car, I think it would look very bad LOL. Its an AWD Turbo but I would hate to kill the sporty look LOL.
I am currently searching for a good inflatable for now and hopefully soon I can find a decent truck then Ill go back to getting a boat but like "reel..." said something small or a real kayak depending on how much I like being out there by my self.
Is there a map of lake mead online somewhere that would show the locations so of you talk about. Like "33 hole" and stuff I would hate to paddle an entire day and not even know where I am LOL.
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There are some maps available, but with the water being so low, they are hardly accurate. Heres a couple of spots-
Click on it for enlarged image
[inline "boulder basin spots.jpg"]
Hope it helps a little. Get on google earth to compare and zoom in on certain spots for reference
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Thanks for the map :-)
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can you drive to hole 33? how far would you have to carry a raft to get it the water?
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