Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Mariner 4 is a fabulous value. So firm and rigid. Not like single-ply inflatable boats that remain soft and floppy even when fully inflated. The firmness and rigidity make it great for use as a sailboat, which is possible by adding the SailboatsToGo sail kit made for the Mariner 4. Last February I actually flew to the Caribbean with my SailboatsToGo sail kit and a Mariner 4 and used them to sail all around Maho Bay on St. John. So great to have my own sailboat while on vacation. There is nothing like the Mariner 4 if you want that 4-person capacity and a nice rigid and firm boat that accepts a motor and a sail kit. The Intex Excursion series is junk by comparison -- way too soft and floppy. If you can live with just 3-person capacity then get the Mariner 3 (same as the Seahawk II, which is not to be confused with the Seahawk 2). The Mariner 3 is about half the weight of the 4. It does not have a rollup solid floor, and that saves 30 lbs right there. The Mariner 3 has a nice firm inflatable floor and it too accepts the SailboatsToGo sail kit, making a terrific portable sailboat in 2 bags. Two tips for using the Mariner 4. First, don't try to get both the floor and the rest of the hull back into the carrybag Intex provides. The two pieces (floor and inflatable hull) together are too heavy to be conveniently carried in one bag, and too bulky to get back into that bag easily. Get yourself a separate duffle bag for the floor and only use the Intex bag for the inflatable part of the boat. Amazon has suitable duffle bags. Get a duffle bag for the floor at least 42 inches long (the floor is 36 inches long when rolled up, but you need extra room to make it easy to get in and out) and say 18 inches in diameter (again, the floor might only be 14 inches in diameter when rolled, but you want extra room). You won't have to pay more than $39. The second tip concerns the inflatable keel under the rigid floor. I've found the stopper valve tends to pop open due to the pressure of your weight on the floor. Then this chamber goes flat and you lose that nice V shape to the hull beneath the waterline. You don't sink and you don't stop, but you'll notice it slows you down a bit. To prevent this from happening, push the valve in after you inflate this chamber and lay something over it that's both thick and flexible (I used a heavy piece of vinyl fabric I happened to have, but you could use rubber from an old inner tube, or scrap leather from an upholstery shop) and position this between the air chamber and the underside of the roll-up floor, covering the opening through which you access the valve. This will keep the valve plug from popping out. Oh yeah, people often wonder if the Mariner 4 can be used without the solid floor. Answer: No. There is a floor under the solid floor, but it's just a tarp. You would would totally sink in.