Packable boats while camping

T

tsubeta04

Member
Sep 27, 2014
67
Wondering what all is out there.

I'm in the market for something that breaks down and travels well in the back of the truck or the tt.

So far I like the sea eagle foldcat and the dragonfly xlt by scadden (about 1k more than the foldcat).

Looking for something for the wife and I while we camp around our state parks in Texas and the hill country rivers.

Any advice and opinions are welcome.



2013 sportsmen classic tt
2008 GMC Sierra
 
P

pckeen

Super Active Member
Oct 28, 2013
1,027
We have taken canoes and kayaks before, but I take it you are looking for something more along the lines of a fishing boat. We plan on trying a 12' tin boat with probably a 4-8 hp motor on the back. We were thinking of putting the tinny on top of the tent trailer for travelling purposes.
 
M

mckeapc67

Active Member
Feb 22, 2011
681
Depends on the kind of boat you like/want and what it would be used for.

You could go with an inflatable with trolling motor:
shopping


You could go with the small two-man bass boats:
shopping
shopping


Personally, I like canoes and/or kayaks:
shopping
shopping


Smallish boats could easily be carried in/on your truck or even on the roof of the PUP. I often brink my canoe and kayaks with us. If you don't like paddling, you could even get a flat back canoe that is set up for a motor on the back.
 
T

tsubeta04

Member
Sep 27, 2014
67
We have a nucanoe for the wife and I but I'm looking for something that collapses to fit in the trunk. No matter what I get I'll attach a trolling motor to it for when I tire of paddling.

The main purpose would be for fishing.

The foldcat looks to be the easiest to pack, set up, and break down and is cheaper than the dragonfly.

The dragonfly is just an awesome looking boat with a very good warranty.



2013 sportsmen classic tt
2008 GMC Sierra
 
M

mv520

Active Member
May 2, 2010
596
We had the Intex Excursion 5 that Choco linked to above. Amazon also sells it - you can see lots of reviews there. Quite a bit of a boat for the price. Sturdy, and it held up well to dog claws and scraping over river rocks. Nice for floating down a river with current, but *extremely* difficult to propel with paddles/oars on a lake, so you are wise to go with a trolling motor. The inflatable seats & backs annoyed me (you have to half inflate each of them, attach them, then complete inflating). A Coleman rechargeable QucikPump worked quite well inflating & deflating it. Other brands/models just did not do the job. Amazingly it was pretty easy to fold it up and put back in its original storage bag. (unlike some things that never seem to compress down to the same size they were when you first bought it)
 
R

R00

Super Active Member
Aug 10, 2014
1,286
Our Floater...Intex Seahawk 2 with minn-kota troller. About 11' stem to stern.

IMG_403920959089462.jpeg
 
R

R00

Super Active Member
Aug 10, 2014
1,286
Mine is 40 lb thrust and it'll rip us around the lake for a couple of hours or more on a good deep cycle, and if I'm conservative on the throttle, we can stay out most of the morning. No canopy so morning or evening is best. We don't actually fish, we got it to get to the other side of the lake, lol!
 
Kimmygr

Kimmygr

Active Member
Jun 20, 2013
546
We have 2 of the Intex Excursion 5. We have a 30lb thrust on one and a 50lb thrust on the other. In the picture, you can see I have a beach chair in the one. We made a plywood floor for that one. Never got around to making a seat for the man at the helm. We just use a milk crate with a float cushion to sit on. Maybe one day we will get around to adding an actual swivel seat for the Captain(s). [:D] This picture was taken when all we had was the 30lb thrust, so we would tow the other boat up river. They have held up really well. Have had to patch it a couple times, but it isn't that hard once the leaks were found.

 
jmkay1

jmkay1

2004 Fleetwood/Coleman Utah
Oct 10, 2013
7,980
Northern Virginia
I have the sea eagle 330 kayak which has lasted a couple of years with HARD use. Took that kayak everywhere practically every other day. I left it in the trunk of my car so I could take off to the river after work for a quick paddle. The valve cracked on it once so don't use it as often anymore. I have a friend that has the sea eagle motormount boat. He has had that boat for years with no problems. They are nice boats and fold up nicely (my kayak could fit in a suitcase).
 
B

BuddyBear

Prescott Valley, AZ.
Feb 25, 2006
62
Prescott Valley, AZ.
I've had a 10 ft porta-bote similar to the photo for many years, love it.
Easy to set up and take down, stable on the water, I use a small electric motor on it.
Fits in the back of my truck no problem when fully set up or folded and also have racks for the top of the pup.
I put my pop up boat (pub) on my pup. [:D]



http://www.porta-bote.com/

Keep on Kamp'n
BB
[:)C]
 
T

tsubeta04

Member
Sep 27, 2014
67
And this is why I love this forum. Thanks for all the insight folks!

The wife and decided on the scadden dragonfly. Pumped about taking this bad boy out in the next few weeks.

01a01a1364dfaf5f73c0d5915f5ff5f7.jpg



2013 sportsmen classic tt
2008 GMC Sierra
 
T

tsubeta04

Member
Sep 27, 2014
67
That's a neat boat. I'll have to forward this to a few friends. Didn't know about it.

Thanks for sharing!


2013 sportsmen classic tt
2008 GMC Sierra
 
rocksncactus

rocksncactus

Active Member
May 10, 2013
324
Cobb County, GA
CoolDad said:
If you don't like paddling, you could even get a flat back canoe that is set up for a motor on the back.
Click to expand...

Yup. I just posted about this in another thread. We've got a River Hawk. It's great. You can paddle it or put a small outboard or a trolling motor on it. It's extremely stable; you can climb in and out with no worries and stand up in it.

RHs come in several sizes and with different options if you buy new. Check out craigslist in your area. Here in Georgia there are always a bunch of them for sale. A good used one is much cheaper than new if you find the one you want.
 
nineoaks2004

nineoaks2004

Every meal is a picnic and every Day is a holiday
Oct 15, 2006
8,241
Dukes, Fl
I have a 10.5' plastic pontoon, with a small gas engine on the back, it fits in my truck bed with no problem, also camping world has a 3 piece sit on top kayak that breaks down into 3 separate pieces and can me assembled as a one person yak... FolBoat makes one that folds up and can be carried in a cradle (just for it) on the side of an RV or TT.
 
J

j4elmwood

Member
Aug 11, 2015
23
Virginia
We have a two person Pelican bass boat (scroll down to a previous post to see a photo of the boat) and a Toyota 4 Runner TV. Our popup is a 2004 Viking. We would like to take the boat with us when we go camping. Any suggestions? Anybody have pictures of your setup and instructions on how to do it? Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.




Latest posts

Top