Hello all, new to site! Raft Rec's Needed

[SoCalAngler]

Hello all!

Hailing from SoCal USA!

Long time involvement in sailing, fishing, diving, and camping!

At 59, I am now retired with a travel trailer and looking to travel the US. Travel with wife, 17yo son with Autism, and occasionally my 22yo graduate student son. my 17yo loves to go with me everywhere. His/our safety is always #1!!!

I currently have an Arima Sea Sprinter boat. It is a 15' fishing boat. Powered by a 50hp Honda. I use it for my local lakes, rivers, and inshore salt fishing. I plan on keeping it for years to come!

I am looking for a budget conscious raft for taking along my camping trips. Probably 6-7 times per year at 2-3 weeks each trip and 1 trip per year at one month.

Considering a 12'-13' alum floor. I figure since most 10'+ SIBs weigh 100# or more, and I am unbale to lift 100# dead weight, I may as well go with with a larger boat.

I plan on either a 2 stroke Tohatsu 5hp (if I can find one) OR a 2020 9.9 EFI Tohatsu with elec start (which I can purchase from a friend). The Tohatsu is about 105# and the Tohatsu 5hp 2 stroke approx. 40#

Primary use will be fishing in the lakes/rivers in the camping areas we visit (CA, NV, AZ, NM, UT, ID, OR, MT). 2-3 people with occasional 4th person.

I plan on getting the raft and outboard into the back of my truck with a Viking Solutions winch set up that attaches to trucks hitch receiver.

See here: https://www.vikingsl.com/rack-jack-ii/bes


I'll also need to create/fabricate a system that can trailer the raft/motor from the campsite to the launch ramp. Perhaps heavy duty 13" pneumatic tires with wheels attached to transom. I'll also need to also fabricate a bow pintle/gudgeon system to attach to truck hitch receiver. The trailering is typically less than one mile from campsite.

I would like raft and motor to be portable so as to load/store in bed of my truck. I prefer alum floors for stiffness and for fishing.

Considering these two Saturn boats (weights appear to be similar at approx. 130#)....

FB365 (12') with 16.5" tubes

FB385 (13') with 18" tubes

Anyone own any of these two boats? Care to comment on it?

I like the 18" pontoon/tube size of the FB385, but prefer the 12' size for my uses, but it has the 16.5" pontoon/tubes.

Is the 18" pontoon much more preferable for my uses OR is the 16.5" plenty sufficient?

I don't need to plane and not looking for speed as I am fishing....
what motor size is preferable, again, based on my planned uses.

Thanks!

[Kurt]

Hello,

I did and still do some of the types of uses you want to do and in the same areas. Our first SIB was a 10’ Achilles with roll up aluminum floor and our second/current SIB is a 13’ Achilles with solid aluminum floor. There is a big difference in ease of use between the two boats. Although both can be stored in the camper,, the 10’ with smaller motor was way easier/pleasant to take out and build and disassemble and put away. Would routinely do it for a one day trip. 13 footer not so much. Takes two capable people minimum to move it around and is easy with three people. 10 footer can be done solo. Super easy with two. 10 footer was fine for two people lakes and protected San Diego bay fishing. 13 footer much more stable and you can easily go out to the kelp beds outside of the bay. You get beat up much more in chop in the 10’ than the 13’. You can easily carry four people in the 13, tight in the 10. Lot of rambling, but bottom line (from my experience/uses) is solid floor mandatory, 10-11’ or so adequately capable and easy to set up/pack, move around. 13’ plus very capable fishing boat and roomy enough/safe for six people to put around having cocktails, but not fun at all lifting, moving, etc. One final note, Achilles solid floors are very easy to install or remove (use soapy water like when you mount a tire on a rim). On your tube size question, I find the larger diameter tube boats noticeably more rigid.