I've had a good time with the project. But winter just won't quit here. 19 degrees last night...(April 8th) I will soon (weather permitting) test everything out on the water!!! I have added a boom to the front that will hold an anchor. I will be able to raise and lower it from the back. So you might check back and see how that works out. I used left over plywood, then painted and added the pipe insulation to protect the raft. It kind of hinges to the floor and rests on the front of the raft extending out to hold the anchor just in front of the raft.
I really appreciate you videos on the Excursion 4 @BoilerDan1! I got the excursion 5 for Christmas and I am starting my mods for the upcoming season. I think I will go with a 2 piece floor because of the length of the 5. Anyway, it looks like you are in the Lafayette area too. I live in WL and actually work at Purdue. Relatively new to the area and any local fishing knowledge helps.. Boiler Up!
Corey Sanchez : I’d use carpet tape and glue instead of staples although I’ve not had any problems with the staples. The 5 will allow more room which will be nice. I retired from Purdue in 2013!
Just got an excursion 4 and am going to do this! Looks great. When you flip the boat and measure/trace the bottom of the boat on to a drop cloth, are you exact? Or do you leave a little room to the edge (for the foam, or just so it isn't overly snug against the boat? also, I am going to need to cut mine in 3 pieces for storage and travel purposes. Do you think hinges are the best route, or would something like struts or an H section work better? thank you in advance for your advice. Great video!
You’ll need a little room to allow for the foam, but if you cut exact, then you can test fit and then trim it down to exactly what you want. I think anyone of your ideas for storage would work. Just make sure nothing sharp is underneath the panels. Hinges would need to be on top. I had a lot of fun making mine and fully enjoyed the process. Do not over inflate the raft. The quality isn’t designed for high pressure. Thanks for watching, and go have some fun! 😎👍
Yes, 1/4 x 2”. Here’s a link to the ones I liked best, they have a rounded top. PTO Shaft Locking Pin 1/4" x 2-1/4" ( PACK of 10) www.amazon.com/dp/B01H0WRF4O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_XXhNXRKYLPTOZ
Looks great! Currently working on the same project. I like the zip ties, but just curious if you drilled holes through the wood in order to loop the ties around the insulation foam?
Yes, drill small holes. Someone suggested not using any staples, carpet glue or carpet tape might be a good change too. Although I haven't had any problems with the staples as of yet. There is also a cheaper pipe insulation that is firmer. No tape strip, but I think it would have worked a little better. They are shorter pieces but stronger. Have fun with your project. I have enjoyed mine!
@BoilerDan1 I've been contemplating this boat for a while. But I'm hesitant because of the material it's made of. To me, it seems as if the material is similar to what a cheap beachball would be made of. Like a small prick from a fish hook would make it leak. What is your opinion?
It's thicker than a beachball, but yes you could hook it with a fish hook.... But it's thick enough that I've drug it on a cement boat ramp with the floor and seats in it, so it's somewhat durable. I have an emergency patch kit in my tackle box too 😂. So far I've not hooked it. The floor helps as I did drop a box of hooks once! There are thicker raft types out there, but this one was about $100. I'm playing with this as a cheep toy, so far so good!
I also wanted it to be light. I think I ended up with either 5/8" or 1/2" thickness. It must be firm, but 3/4" was just too heavy. Actually, as I'm getting older, I'd probably recomend spending a little more and get a raft with a light weight floor built in!
Great job. I will work on mine this weekend. 2 questions: 1. What plywood thickness did you use? I saw where someone attached these type seats to 1/2" and it failed. 2. You are using carriage bolts with washers. Do you not need the "bite" of the carriage bolt into the plywood? Perhaps you don't need that tight a connection. Please comment.
Yes, 3/4" plywood. Yes, I used carriage bolts with washers. I'm considering using some liquid nails to try to lock them to the plywood better. They tend to spin when getting tight. But when they do, the seats are secure so I've not taken that step as of yet. Sorry I didn't post the thickness of the plywood in the video.... I have seen where someone doubles the size of the plywood where the seat are located. An added square about 18"X18", then bolting to the lower level separate from the seat itself. But like I said, mine are holding up ok so far.
Thank you. You might try to not use the washers and put the carriage bolts directly on your underside wood. The collar on the bolt should bite into the wood and offer the resistance you need when screwing down the seats. I will let you know how mine does - assuming I get to it soon. @@BoilerDan1
Trailer Coupler Pin, here’s a link to Amazon as an example: www.amazon.com/dp/B07WPRKFNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_7N1M4H4329WV1S2Y8K8B Thanks for watching 👍
Sorry, I don’t have the exact measurements. I used a pattern by using the underside of the rafts vinyl floor. With the outer padding permanently attached to the outer edge of the wood floor, I can’t get an accurate measurement. I should have thought of that during production.... Thanks for watching, hope you can continue and work out the details.👍
I been wanting to make a Floor like yours for Mine But sadly have not even used my Excursion 4 yet . I hear that they do pretty well with the floor. I would do seats too but I dont have any where to store it. So a Floor possibly Folding floor will be the extent Maybe a Milk Crate
Folding floor is a good idea, and the milk crates will work too. I considered them originally. The seats I have are not the best for leaning back in, so it's like siting on a crate as well... The floor will help, a must for the raft!
I was playing around in my early retirement and was going as cheap as humanly possible! I ordered a Hangkai 3.6 hp two stroke motor….. here’s a link to my videos on that item. ru-vid.com/group/PLjMZtm2hvqrOIvLcah1u1V45Y_R-AKeqm&si=EKRQPmPqJFLMdRqr I never achieved the thrust that I wanted. Somehow I needed the motor mount to be better connected to the wood floor. It worked but was slow moving and the Hangkai was too loud. But I did have fun with it. I’m 72 now and have moved on. I sold the entire setup. But I’d do it all over again for sure.😂👍
Available from Amazon, here’s a link to the page: Intex Motor Mount Kit for Intex inflatable Boats www.amazon.com/dp/B000NNM4BW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2Nj7EbN1179N2. But you could probably do a search on google and find other sources as well.
It is 38 1/2 wide. 81 3/4" long. You can inflate your raft, turn it over and see where the bottom attaches to the side air pockets. You could use cardboard or large paper to trace out the curves for the corners from the underside of the raft. Two other things I would do different... 1. Use the inexpensive pipe insulation that is firmer. I think it would work better. 2. Use a flat material instead of carpet. I dropped a fishing lure with 2 three pronged hooks. I had a heck of a time getting it unhooked from the carpet. Subscribe and keep up with all my learning experiences :0)
I had to stop and think. I purchased it so many years ago... But it is called a Drum Sander for a Drill. I looked it up on amazon, here is a link showing a set for under $15. But you need a drill to hook it to... Thanks for watching. Enjoy your raft project. Subscribe to keep up to date on my project too. :0)
thank you very much , I brought the cheaper wood which made out of wood chips and paint water resistance paint on it hope it works and just waiting for these people to send me my C of O so I can get the plate. Learn alot from your video thanks and how is your raft doing and the wooden floor?
I was able to get the C of O online. Here is a video link on how I was able to obtain it and print it out immediately. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JP1YFfuIV00.html My raft is doing well, no problems with the wood floor. In hindsight I think the Excursion 5 as I could use a little more room.... But all in all, I've had fun with my project. Hope yours is fun for you too.
I was going cheap! I’d only recommend for a lake or pond….. it’s a little risky for a river with downed trees….. but I survived! Half the fun was making it! Thanks for watching 👍
It's Hangkai 3.6 hp 2 stroke (mix oil and fuel). I've made a series on the motor and specific issues that might come up. I will add a link at the end of my reply. I paid just under $200 for a new one, but that was off season and they are running a little high now. Wouldn't recommend spending a lot on one... Watch some of the videos and it will explain. I purchased on eBay, but also be aware of scammers who offer for almost nothing ($29) as they are not real. Thanks for watching! 👍 ru-vid.com/group/PLjMZtm2hvqrOIvLcah1u1V45Y_R-AKeqm
In my case, the underside of the raft gave me a view of the floor of the raft. So I used it to make the tinplate for the plywood. I placed the carpet on the raft and could trim it down close to the shape and then fine tune it on the underside of the raft. You could use pieces of cardboard boxes taped together to make them a little larger than the floor and then trim them down to fit. I’m sorry I didn’t video that part, but when I started the project I hadn’t thought about making the video series to post on RU-vid. It’s my beginning adventure in my RU-vid experience 😂. Thanks for watching 👍
Maybe because you might have a different version of raft. It’s simple to measure yourself. My purpose was to provide a concept and to document my adventure. Now it’s your turn to create your own story. Enjoy your journey.👍 Thanks for watching 👍👍
Other than that, I would say nice job. My idea is to have the least amount of pointy rough-edged objects as possible. I like the idea of the zip ties to secure the pipe insulation. Where did you hide the heads of the zip ties..are they tucked underneath the floor board or...? I've been watching a ton of videos on about these rafts so I'm still trying to decide between the Mariner 4, Excursion 4 & 5. Need room for me the wife and kid and some gear so the 5 might be a better fit. The only issue is building the floor for the E5...I would have to figure out how to construct it in multiple pieces or add some sort of hinge system to make it portable and store-able. I live in a condo so a single 8' by 3' slab of wood is not feasible.
The zip tie heads are now on the top carpet side. I was concerned with sharp corners being on the underside, pushing into the raft. I would also recommend the stiffer pipe insulator tubes. They are also cheaper! Mine have gotten torn from catching on things like the roof rack of the Subaru. The other recommendation is in agreement with your thoughts. Do get the bigger raft. Mine is a little tight for even two people with any amount of gear. I've seen some hinged floors too. I think that would be a good way to go. That or I think leaving a little gap in the front would work. I've finally gotten the motor to set better. Combination of longer support bars and a strap to pull it up... using the seat pedestal attached to the floor. It's all a work in progress! I keep trying different things. If you put a motor on it, you will need to get it licensed and that can be tricky... check other videos on that topic too.
I've been looking in different forums regarding registrations in various states some require DMV registration and others require reg with the Wildlife dept. Here in NC its the latter. The issue seems to be the Intex website allows you to print the MSO but it has no signature, so I've been told to purchase it locally and have the store manager sign it. here in NC, the registration can be done at most marina offices and outdoor sports shops. I will research it further. I don't want to purchase everything and cant get the raft registered.
You are correct on having the manager sign the form. That will work because that is the location that completed the sale. But checking before purchasing that someone at the store will sign the form would be good to do. You'll have to purchase and return to the store after you enter your boat hull number and print the form from the Intex web site.
