Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Inflatable boats/rafts

Lifeboat/get-to-shore what do you have and use?


I'm in southeast, looking to get an inflatable raft or tender or dinghy -- whatever you call them -- for my boat.
I've got a gillnet/longline boat that I use as a floating cabin and for hunting adventures in the off season but I've only ever borrowed my friend's Livingston or taken my canoe when I needed to get to shore.

I'd like something I can pretty easily fold up and lift in/out of one of my spare fish-holds and this would 95% of the time only be used in the ocean (with our lovely Ricky beaches)
I usually prefer rowing because it is more quiet. Maybe a tiny 2horse.

And most often take myself, hunting buddy and hopefully a dead animal, ideally in one trip.

Any recommendations you have I'd appreciate. I always value the opinion of my fellow Alaskan seafarers.

Thanks,

Al

Solar had a couple of little LW tenders for your use Troy or Steve are in SE AK and they sell the Solar boats will PM you their contact
https://www.instagram.com/jetechinflatables/

More than a few times I wished my skiff was a lot bigger... mostly I used heavy 16' inflatables and rigged lines to hoist them single-hand onto the swim step.

https://www.achillesboats.com/boatmodels/tendersandsportboats/lsi/

Going on 5 years with the 260 model. Have been impressed with quality and durability. Would buy another in a heartbeat. Ours stays inflated atop the cabin but would certainly work in the manner you describe.

Edit: (Well, except the life boat part! )

A longer term project is to add a boom/winch on the deck. Then I'll be able to tote around a skiff more reliably. But with how last season was for salmon in southeast that project is...delayed...

If you are just going to the beach you will save a lot of weight getting one w/o a hard transom. Also remember with inflatables you loose a lot of interior room because of the tubes. I have a 8.5' and it gets pretty small with two guys and a deer, but it scoots with a 6hp on it.

For ease of use and compactness one with an inflatable floor may be best for you. Look for "roll-up" inflatables.

Something like this at 37lb will be easy to throw around. 2hp air cooled Honda's are great if you want to add a motor.

https://www.inflatableboats.net/achilles-lt-series-inflatable-boat-lt-2-2021/

A local bedliner company use to spray inflatable boat bottoms, made them virtually indestructible. He shot a vid towing it around on a gravel parking lot with his kid in it. On a side note don't let your buddy toss a spike buck into your inflatable!?!? yes, he spent the trip out to the boat with his finger in the hole!

Does the bed-liner affect the ability to roll it up for storage or are they pretty flexible still?

Thai is a good question that I don't know the answer to, you'd have to ask someone who applies it. I don't recall the brand they used but it's an intriguing idea.

907 Talk to Steve If Solar would put the Poly bottom on there skiff like the Solar Jet boats have it would be great, but it ads weight.

As hard as I try, I don't seem to have that problem -- it's hard for those little velvety nubs to puncture anything 🤣

Is there a slick finish sprayon? The liners I've seen, would be very drag-y.

Think golfball dimples...

The applied bottom stuff is very, very good, but rolling the boat up is no longer an option...

This may be better.

https://www.durabakcompany.com/blogs/durabak/protect-and-repair-inflatable-boat

Nice! This sounds perfect.

https://www.go2marine.com/Kachemak-290-Aluminum-Deck-Inflatable-Boat-9-5

I use this with a 6hp suzuki. During the fishing season it lives on my skiff rack. It's reasonably rugged without being too burly. It gets on step with me, Jr, and minimal gear, but not with a load.

It handles chop and swell relatively well. It floats and goes while mostly full of water...I carry a 2.5 gallon bucket now; Nalgene bottles don't move water fast enough...

No plug to pull while on step?

Rarely in the raft with "minimal" gear...

The poly on the Solar Jet boats is great 1 mil thick and have not seen any rock abrasion or tears yet on over 200 boats sold. It folds up and if added to a dingy would be the ticket for coastal shorlines. Its glued on from the factory in sheet form.

Do you know the material the rest of the boat is made of?
Hypalon or pvc?

PVC with Inflatable floors has an I beam in the floor that minimizes floor flex.

Perfect; thank you. They're very cool boats and I'm excited to talk to Steve. He certainly does things with these boats that I wouldn't consider with my inflatables. That speaks a lot to build-quality confidence.