What do you recommend for a 4-5 person watercraft?

[Luna Sea]

Re: What do you recommend for a 4-5 person watercraft?

I checked my "Avon" catalog last night, they're the ones that make a "pvc rollup floor". It looks like interlocking square pvc tubes, but they too only make a 9 and 10 ft. version. The 10 is rated for a 15 horse though, but that may not be a roomy enough choice for you. And Avon runs a good 20 or 30 percent higher than the Achilles. Oh ya and the floor weighs 39 lbs, making it approx. 40 lbs heavier than an "air floor".

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: What do you recommend for a 4-5 person watercraft?

hate to rain on your parade, but 4-5 people in<br />an 11' inflatable is a real stretch and bordering<br />on unsafe IMO.

 

[rochester]

Re: What do you recommend for a 4-5 person watercraft?

Another thought is to think about trying to find a used Boston Whaler (or something like it). Whalers are unsinkable. You could tow a 130 or even a 150 with almost any car you could put a hitch on... and rent a storage garage or just leave it outside. Or... if there is no way for you to tow, look into a marina for storage. You mention that you have not owned a boat before. Many marinas (at least up here in WI) have dry dock. You call ahead to have your boat put in the water, and then when you return they return it to dry dock. Their hours are quite flexible, e.g. 6:00am - 11:00 pm, 7 days per week. By the time you spend almost $4000 on an inflatable and motor, my guess is that you could find a servicable 11-15 foot Whaler with outboard for just a little more, maybe even less. I checked the classifieds here (not many) and on www.boattraderonline.com (quite a few). I'm not sure, but I'd guess they use these on the Gulf. Maybe somebody else can chime in. I've seen them out on Lake Superior which is probably a more hostile environment (even in August, you'd probably be unconscious from hypothermia within an hour, if in the water).