Rigging my new inflatable

[NeonMoon]

Hello all! This will be my 1st actual post (outside of a brief intro in the newbies forum), so bear with me please. Now I've had several boats, the last being a deep-v Tracker, but it was more than I needed. I prefer to fish smaller bodies of water (matter of fact, trolling motor only is fine with me). So, I'm working on my new Sevylor Fish Hunter 280 These are "supposed" to be a 4-man boat (wayyyyy wayyyy over advertised), but it's more of a 1-man vessel. Part of my upgrades is to add a (carpeted) wooden floor (which they sell pre-made, but DIY is cheaper), and the floor measures 24"X70", so if anyone ever has an interest in this particular boat, and want to fish with a partner....get the 6 man version. I've got a green LED Reel-Lite on it's way, and just got my new Hummimngbird PirahnaMAX 170 FF, and 2 Hummingbird 12v Gel Cell batteries ($25 each including chargers) from the big brown truck today. The wooden pieces (after a couple coats of paint to seal) will be the portable mounts for my stern light and FF which will slip into the rod holder cups on the rear of the boat. The flat piece will mount the bow light (and wire-tie to the front carry handle of the boat when needed). One battery will run the navigation lights and FF, and the 2nd the green Reel-Lite. I am thinking of using a milk crate as the base for a seat, and mounting the batteries inside the seat, and adding a comfortable seat on top. I'd made a couple anchors a couple days ago from 2" steel pipe, and welded caps onto one end, with eye bolts welded in for chain and anchor ropes. I drilled and welded in a couple pieces of 3/8" rebar to help the anchors grab the bottom. I left the anchors hollow to save weight. I have no plans to add a trolling motor at this time. I'll add updates over the next week or 2, which should be enough time to get the flooring cut and carpeted, as well as the wiring done. It will take a little head-scratching to configure things for maximum use of space, so suggestions are welcome. We have a camping/fishing trip in the works for the near future, and even though dad will take his boat, I'd still plan on getting my new "Fish Hunter" wet. I like to catfish, and have never crappie fished at night, so I plan to do both from this boat.

[tnvol]

Very interesting! I have often considered an inflatable for lots of places
where I do not need to travel far to get to a spot I want to fish. Let us
know how it works out for you, please.

[NeonMoon]

Will do tnvol. This is my 1st inflatable, so I'm anxious to see how well I like it. It seems well built, and I'm happy with it (as much as I can be at this point) other than it being considerably smaller than they lead you to believe. I've had a small 2-man bass tracker, which I really liked, but now I live in an converted bus, so space is an issue, as well as not being able to launch from a ramp (from a trailer) which is why I am trying the inflatable route. May try and pick-up some materials today for the floor, electrical materials, and some PVC for a removable mount for the transducer on the FF. So stay tuned for an update after the weekend.

[2KanZam]

Welcome to the world of inflatables! Man you are really going all out for that thing. I started a thread about rigging my inflatable (Whitewater duckie) with pole mounts/ Fishfinder etc. here and Gas Yakker chimed in too if you want to see how we are doing it...and another one here I posted about my raft with a few more pics.

Just be sure that you dull/pad ALL edges that you plan on installing on the boat. If my memory serves me, your boat is only a single layer of 30 gauge pvc (I looked into it when I was researching my garage sale find)....the more expensive pool rafts are around 22, so it's going to be somewhat easy to puncture with abrasion or a sharp edge. Also be careful catfishing because the only 2 stories I've heard of my particular raft getting punctured were both from catfish....and this boat is 1000 Denier nylon sandwiched between TWO layers of 30 gauge pvc!! Luckily I don't catfish...at least not from a boat.

You may want to look into converting your transom mount transducer into a suction cup if it'll stick. I have the PirahanaMax 160 (the same as yours, but mine is the portable version in a little case and a suction cup transducer) and it sticks REALLY well to my duckie, although it won't stick to my raft.

Also bear in mind that with all this stuff (weighty stuff too: wood, 2 batteries, cooler, tackle etc) you will likely have to assemble it all right by the water. A single layer of 30# PVC won't hold up too long being dragged over rough terrain with that much weight on it. You could also assemble it on a tarp and drag it to water on that?

I do love inflatables in all their versatility and there are some very good deals out there....as well as some pretty bad deals. The only complaints I have about my inflatables are that they aren't the fastest on flat water (especially the raft) and that there is a posiibility of puncture, however small, since I've made sure to get the heaviest duty materials I could. Be safe and let us know how everything goes!

[NeonMoon]

I had looked at yours, and all the other threads on these (prior to registering here). I've already decided that if I like mine, I may upgrade to a better quality (and slightly larger) model in the future. I'm kind of a tinkerer by nature, so I always enjoy working on projects like this. I'm definitely keeping the sharp-edges thing in mind, including stowing my anchors in a 5 gallon bucket when not in use. The plywood floor should help considerably as well. I believe you're correct on the construction materials of the FH280. Good tip on the catfish danger! (Un)fortunately, my largest to date is right at 10 pounds. On the transducer, I've already got an idea for a 3/4" CPVC "T" (with a downwards leg on each end of the T) that will slip into 2 holes at the transom. I'll add pics when I get it assembled, and in-place. It can be easily removed and stored. I'm looking at buying a plastic toolbox to contain the 2 batteries, as well as housing the navigation lights, and FF when not in use. The wiring for the nav lights will simply come out with the lights when things are stowed, and will be zip or bread (twist) tied out of the way when in-use. Dad and I are going-out for lunch today, so I'll probably swing by the local Home Improvement store for some materials. I've already started painting/sealing the mounts for the nav lights and FF. I should get the floor (which I'll leave in 1 solid piece of 1/2" plywood) cut and painted over the weekend. I "think" I have decided against carpet though, to save weight, as well as money, not to mention it will be easier to clean without it (plus no problem of hooks snagging into it). I'd be interested on anyones opinion on that though. I'm kind of on the fence about it. Correct in that I'd already considered getting things to the waters edge. I'd even considered one of those 2-wheeled grocery carts (which fold-down) as an option to transport the boat/gear. On the other hand, if I'm camping, I generally try and get a spot on, or near the water as possible. I hadn't thought of putting it on a tarp to drag it though, good idea! I'll be facing a bit of a learning curve, for sure. Speed isn't an issue, I just enjoy fishing & being on the water.....windy days will probably be out of the question though. What are you using for an anchoring system (I didn't see mention of it)? I will definitely give my opinion of things once I'm able to get it on the water. I know reading others posts sure are helpful since I'd decided to give this type craft a whirl. Thanks for the info/suggestions, and by all means, if you have any more feel free to post them.....I'll take all the help I can get!

[2KanZam]

I have a 10 lb mushroom anchor that I just tie off with a couple "quick release" knots. I've thought about setting up an anchor trolley system, but that is just one more thing to set-up/carry. I try to keep things simple.....someday I might put one on though.

[NeonMoon]

Gotcha on the anchor. I figure as short as my rig is, I can tie-off each end pretty easily. My anchors probably weigh 5 pounds each, do you think I'll have any problems with them holding (short of the wind)? Sorry my text is running together (no paragraphs), but I've made another post asking why, so until I find-out what I'm doing wrong, it looks like my posts will be sort of a mess. I'm getting ready to lay-out and cut-out the plywood for the floor, so I'll keep this short for now. I also went ahead and got carpet since I got enough to do both sides for $10. Here's my battery/electronics box. It's 18" long, and has enough room to stow my nav lights, and FF, as well as the top tray still fitting, which will hold my chargers and anything else I may toss-in just to keep track of. I will set it out before loading since I'd have no use for chargers and any other odds & ends I'd store in it. Pigtails on each end from each battery so I can just plug things in when rigging after inflating. Here's my transducer mount. The center leg length will be determined after I inflate it again to get a measurement. I'll probably drill and pin the center leg so it can be knocked-down to hopefully stow in the battery box with everything else. The rubber band will be replaced with bolts & nuts of course, lol.

[NeonMoon]

Well, the good thing about being known for generally keeping a few adult beverages in the 'fridge (especially on a Friday) is that when someone stops by for a cold one, you can easily blackmail them for a bit of labor, so my floor is cut, painted, and carpeted. I also put some 1/2" foam in the bottom of my battery box, then cut-out some 1.5" foam to hold the batteries in place. I thought I'd have to exchange the top tray for the added height, but everything still fit fine. I also got the last coat of paint on the wooden pieces that will serve as mounts for the FF and nav lights. So I'll get those things assembled tomorrow, and probably blow her up Sunday, test fit a few things, and snap some pics. I feel a fishing trip coming in the very near future!

[NeonMoon]

OK, got her inflated this morning, and put things in-place for a trial fit (like new floor), and to make connections (electrical) and adjust a couple things (like wire length and transducer bracket length. Because my postings seem to be getting jumbled (text & pics), I'll keep text to a minimum. Did get a nice surprise in todays mail (1st pic), thanks Bob!