INTEX 68376EP Mariner 4 Inflatable Boat Set: Includes Deluxe 54in Boat Oars and High-Output Pump – Wear-Resistant Keel – Removable Fishing Rod Holders – 4-Person – 1100lb Weight Capacity

When I first bought this my wife thought I was nuts. I blew up the boat in my living room to make sure I knew what to do and my kids immediately thought it would be fun to jump on it. Thankfully, I was able to stop them. The boat is easy to blow up. The pump looked like it was going to be a lot of work, but I was amazed at how quickly I could fill it. Everything is numbered. The one mistake I made in the beginning was filling the central tube on the floor after I filled the sections around the boat. The floor was not easy to put in and I had to deflate one side. Lesson learned. Maiden Voyage Day: I went out to the local lake and put down a tarp to fill up the boat. For some reason I thought there would be very few people out, but much to my chagrin, I was wrong. In fact boats were moving in and out of the lake at the ramp and here I was with my 4 person mariner blowing it up on the side. NOBODY said anything, but I sure did get a lot of looks. My boys and I filled the boat up quickly and politely waited for an incoming Jon boat to load up on the trailer. I remembered my earlier experience and put the floor in first, tucking it in as I blew up each compartment. This worked much better. I did make another mistake which I will tell you about now, but will explain later. The boston valves are awesome, but I managed to pull off one of the rings that connect the valve to the boat. I absent-mindedly screwed the valve back on without putting the ring on properly and in essence screwed over the top of it. I was excited and nervous? What do you expect? My wife and 16 year old daughter were highly skeptical that this boat would work and to be honest even with all the reviews I read, I didn't know what to expect. I grew up on row boats and motor boats and the only experience I ever had with inflatables was the pool. Once I filled the boat I slipped it easily into the water on the ramp and stepped in. It is amazingly light in the water and at first it did feel like a "pool" experience. I bought the aluminum oars from intex which I highly recommend and positioned myself on the dock. I don't like the ones that come with the mariner and it is worth the $28 to have piece of mind. I went out first in the water alone, because everyone else was skeptical. The fishermen on the peer were a bit nicer than I expected maybe because they wanted to see me flounder around in the water (pun intended). Anything but that occurred. The boat moved through the water easily. Between the floor and the air compartments, central one included. I easily rowed far out on the water and back within a couple of minutes. *A small not here. Another Jon boat went into the water at the same time and I was rowing back from my exploration and they were still setting up. When I rowed back to the dock, I picked up my wife and daughter and took them out. This was a fair amount of weight, probably around 500 pounds of human in there and wasn't sure how the boat would handle. It handled as easily as I handled myself. Wow! I thought this was cool. So my wife goes from "My husband is nuts" to "Drop off the kids and let's go rowing around the lake." I don't think I have seen her that relaxed in a long time. My 16 year old? Well apart from the argument over the life jacket (there were other teens fishing) she loved it too. The boat was a hit. Sorry, I'm not done. I rowed the ladies back and picked up my two younger boys who waited patiently on the dock. This was the true test as we were going fishing. So I loaded up tackle, the boys, lunch and waved goodbye to my wife and daughter. There was no lack of confidence that the boat would float. I took the air pump with me, because I noticed section two was losing air. This was my fault, because of what I mentioned before. The valve did not seal right, because the ring was caught in the threads where it screws on. I added air and it filled immediately with about three or four pumps of air. We went out fishing in a quiet cove, ate lunch and fished. Each of my boys caught a small panfish and had a blast. I didn't fish, because I wanted to make sure they kept their lines in the water. Since I don't have an anchor I just kept repositioning the boat. After about an hour, we called it quits for the day. I noticed we lost air again on the #2 section and decided to see how the boat held up. The other three compartments and the central tube in the hull kept us afloat without issue. It's not that we lost a lot of air, but the section wasn't firm. I believe if we had blown a hole it would not have been much of an issue. When pulled up to the dock, we unloaded quickly and I packed up the boat into two bags. We were done so quickly, I thought I forgot something. We beat another Jon boat who pulled in and loaded up. It was very easy and the valves let the air out quickly. Pros: Very Sturdy Boat, Love the Floor, Easy to set up and break down, Great boat to get into difficult places Cons: I don't know how this rates as 4 person. I think you can do 3 adults for a fishing trip or excursion comfortably. 4 maybe with kids and the probably have to lean to the side. Intex may want to consider not including the original set of oars as they can break easily. Recommendations: Get the aluminum oars even if you are getting a motor, A small, light anchor kit is helpful for windy days. I also placed a piece of fabric underneath the seat at the front to keep the valve from popping up on the floorboard. I have not gone out with the electric motor yet. I bought the Minn Kota C240. As soon as Virginia returns the registration we are on our way. This is an excellent product for the price and we all had a blast. Enjoy!

I have been living close to a lake for a few years. I have just recently started taking up fishing as a hobby. I am by means no pro. Fishing from the bank just wasn't offering me any excitement. Yes, maybe a bite here and there, but the water is just too shallow to get anything good. Dock fishing was ok at best. I live near a man-made lake (dam) which all start off shallow for a 15 feet. Deeper water have more of a selection of fish. I searched online for used boats. Everything was out of my price range, or would take a lot of work to get it to be usable. Not to mention I would have to pull a boat trailer around and park it, or pay to store it. This may make sense to some, but I also live in an Apartment. I thought about a Boat Club. $299 a month for a year was steep with limited hours of operation. I don’t like reoccurring expenses. I came across the Intex Mariner 4 Inflatable Boat. It was not the cheapest inflatable, but it also wasn't the most expensive. It also featured 4 people. It would work perfect for the son, wife, and myself. After reading the reviews I was just a little hesitant. Some said the boat leaked air, others got holes in the boat. Spending this amount of money for one time and having problems didn't sound that great. Generally the reviews were great, but the negatives always seem to stand out. What I liked about this boat was that it would fit 4 people. Also it had a floor you can place in the boat to make it more sturdy. I decided to buy it and purchased away. I also ordered a motor mount, 40lb trolling motor, and battery box. I didn’t want to spend my time rowing. I wanted to enjoy the outing. The boat in a two days just in time for the weekend (thanks Prime)! The boat was packaged nicely. I unrolled the boat and inflated it using the hand pump. At first I thought I was going to take while, but It didn’t take more than 10 minutes to inflate. There wasn’t any leaks. I just make sure I had all the plugs screwed in snuggle with the rubber gasket properly. The floor fit perfectly in the boat. The boat looked nice. The motor mount and trolling motor looked great. I purchased a marine battery to use with the trolling motor. The real test was going to be on the open water. I loaded everything in the car with my fishing poles. I drove 14 minutes to the lake. I unpacked everything and began inflating. It was on a gravel surface. I was nervous with it being an inflatable boat, but it didn’t hurt it. I put the floor in and installed the motor mount and motor. I put the battery in and carried to the water. Yes the boat is heavy. I think it is around 120lbs to carry. With two or three people it is easy. You might can get a folding cart to take the boat to the lake, or carry the boat, then the floor separately. I placed the boat in the water. I got in the boat and I was off. It seems to float so that is good. The paddles are good to use to get away from shallow land. Also, good for backup if the battery were to die. After 15 minutes of being on the boat I was starting to feel comfortable and not worrying if we were going to sink. After the first two hours we decided to call it a day. It was windy. We made it to land and deflated the boat. It deflated quickly and was easy to roll up and store back in the trunk for the next adventure. I was excited about it. The boat seems to be well made. It is vary durable on the bottom. Dragging across sticks and rocks (within reason) are ok. I would always carry the air pump, patches, and vinyl boat glue on the boat at all times. Better to be prepared, then not to be. Now since the boat had a motor it is now a Motor Vehicle which it has to be registered with the state. I live in TN. I needed two things. 1. Proof of Origin and 2. Proof of Sale (Amazon). The Proof of Origin was available from the Intex website. You just enter your HULL ID number from the boat and it will generate one for you to print out. Going the DMV to get it registered was almost a hassle. Registering a new boat people seem to think that you purchased it from a boat dealer who does it automatically. No. It was purchased from Amazon. You paid taxes on it (if you have to) already. The Proof of Sale will show that. The DMV will not collect tax money in that case. Now, they have to do something special. They have to create an affidavit saying why you came in and have you sign it to register the boat. 1. The boat did not come with a motor. 2. You modified the boat with a motor. 3. The boat is now a motorized vehicle that must be register with the TWRA. They will print and you will sign. They will stamp a form saying you came here and all is well to mail to TWRA. Then after a few weeks you will get your registration. After going out on the lake a few times I decided I needed a few things. I needed an Anchor. The boat will drift in the wind. Getting a mushroom anchor seemed to help that. You can attach it to your motor mount, or make something to attach it to. The seats the boat came with are ok, but it is helpful to be able to swivel. I was researching boat chairs and I came across a modification website just for this type of boat. You can search for Intex Mariner 4 mods and find the same site. It came me some interesting things like making a wood floor and still make It fit in the trunk, how to install chairs, lights, ect. I am going to make a wood floor, add chairs, and add lights to boat for night. Also, people have trouble with registration numbers sticking the boat. You can get a patch with the registration online you glue to the boat, or make a sign you can hang from the rope. I found plastic (Gutter Gard Cover) for less than $5 that I cut to 4 x 24 that I put my registration on. As soon as I take it out I will take pictures. Overall for the price this boat is great. It makes it even greater that you can put it in the trunk of your car and take it anywhere.

Pro's: Solid Craftsmanship, material seems strong and resistant to puncturing. Inflates easily, and pump that comes with it is excellent. The solid floor insert, makes the board sturdy and legal on some waters. A motor can be easily attached with a $25 kit from Amazon. Has a keel which makes navigating waves easier. 5 separate air chambers, nice safety feature. Update:You can legally register this boat in Illinois. Just recently got all my paper work for it. Con's: Bag that comes with the boat is pretty flimsily and is starting to tear. When inflating the keel there is no measurement to let you know when that chamber is full. I just guess but I am surprised there is no mechanism to let you know if the keel is properly inflated since the other four chambers have a measurement device. I am constantly amazed at how amazing this boat is considering I only paid $232. I have taken this boat out ten times so far and never had one issue. I've had up to 4 grown adults on this boat but it is a tight fit. Three adults are pretty decent but two is ideal. I first took this boat out on the lake without a trolling motor with four adults - bad decision. I find rowing this boat rather difficult compared to other aluminum and wood boats I have rowed before. The next trip out I attached a 40 lbs Minn Kota trolling motor and my level of fun and adventure on this boat was vastly improved. I have taken this on several lakes and rivers including the Chicago River. Particularly on the rivers, I am glad I went with a 40 lbs thrust. I have heard others gripping about getting holes and punctures on this boat. I am not sure if they had a bad product and/or operator error to some degree. I pulled up on rocky shores and hit pieces of trees on the water. I have not had any problems thus far. Another person in this forum recommended putting a tarp down on the ground before you inflate and deflate this boat - I highly recommend that. I think that is where people are running into problems because when air is in the chambers of the boat it seems to be pretty impervious to punctures. I am still careful though even when it's inflated. For those wondering it takes me about 20 minutes to unload, inflate this boat, and attach the motor mount. The pump that comes with it works surprisingly well. I have nearly every accessory for this boat and was contemplating buying an automatic pump to inflate this boat. However, the pump works so well I decided not to. I followed another person's advice about inflating this boat. I inflate all the chambers to about 30 percent and then insert the plastic floor and motor mount. I then inflate to the recommend amount. The boat comes with a measuring ruler which lets you know when each chamber is full. When each chamber measures 10mm it is fully inflated. I have done 10 hours of research about boats in this price range. I will save you the hassle. At this price point, you cannot find a better deal on an inflatable boat. I highly recommend getting this boat over the Intex Excursion 5. The Excursion 5 has an appealing price point of approximately $130 and fits up to 5 people. It load capacity is higher as well. However, it does not have a factory solid floor insert. The Intex Mariner has a roll up PVC (I believe) floor insert which makes the boat floor solid. This is not only important for stability and function but on some lakes I have been on this is mandatory. I was stopped by the Forest Preserve Police and luckily I had the solid floor insert because the Officer initially thought I didn't have one. I think he wanted to give me a ticket which I heard is around $120. I live in Cook County, Illinois. Long story short, pay the extra $100 and get this boat. From my research, it is much better quality and also many lakes won't allow an inflatable without a solid floor insert. Hope that helps.

This boat is a great buy. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a great little boat. I went camping with a group of friends, and was asked by several campers where did I get it and how much. This boat will hold a lot of stuff. I'm a big guy and my buddy is just as big; we went out and could stand up in it with no problem. It's very stable I never felt like it was too small or unsafe. If I had one complaint it would be the oars, I notice that they didn't stay straight after rowing for a while. Now I understand that they are in two pieces and needs to be put together. I would have like to seen a better set up for the oars. It will not fit in its original bag; well the boat and floor will, but the oars and pump will not. I found that a (50 gal) tote will barely hold the boat and floor. you will need a extra bag to put the oars, pump, and whatever else you have for it. I would recommend to get a anchor for it, so if you need to stop and fish you can. All in all this is one of the best boats for the money. I promise you will not be disappointed in this purchase. Like I always say do your homework on it ,and you will not find a better boat for your money. pro's It's very stable in the water It's has a great hard floor so you can stand up in it. Made from tough material that is quality very durable Well made product Will hold a lot of weight and cargo Easy to row and get where you want easily Con's The boat is heavy I mean It's around 100lb. Not easy to move by yourself ( I can movie it but it's not easily done ) Needs two people to get it to the water. It will not fit in its original bag

So when I was looking up all the different options and benefits between the navigator the mariner 400 and the seahawk 9 and even a few other knock off brands I decided to go with the mariner 400 I am not going to go into why I picked this particular boat there are plenty of other reviews on here about that. I want to talk about the actual boat, it seams that since this boat came out they have made some great improvements. From 2004-2012 Now I am only going off of what I myself have noticed on the boat. The new boats seem to have a more durable bottom then the old ones, including a rubber strip that runs along the bottom for if you run up on the sand rocks or whatever, definitely a lot stronger. The bottom material also is a lot stronger and doesn't rip as easily. I noticed it is easier to put in the hard bottom after filling up the 4 chambers about half way or so. Which takes me to another great update, now we have 4 air chambers instead of just 2. I know it says its made from 3 ply pvc but they have really improved on this concept, the material is much thinner then you might think they have come up with a thinner lighter 3 pvc material which is really great since it is much lighter, the boat itself weighing around 77 pounds it is still heavy and takes some effort to get back and forth but it is lighter because the material is not as thick and heavy but still very strong. The boat itself is about 10 feet long it is actually a pretty good size raft if you are 2 adults some stuff and maybe a kid or a dog that all would fit nicely adding 4 adults gets a bit close but I guess it could work if you really want it to. Much much more roomy then some of the other rafts. Bottom line this is a great raft for the price and quality, if your looking to get the trolling motor and all the things you need to get that up and running then your looking at around $600-$800. I still haven't found a canopy for mine so I believe they don't actually make one for the Mariner 400 but I have figured out away to rig one on. I hope this helps everyone and have fun this summer enjoying life!!!

This raft does the trick! It is easy to set up and easy to break down. I love that it has 5 chambers to make filling it up easy and in case it gets a leak, which it hasn't in a year of ownership, will ensure you can make it back to shore OK. It seems most of the 1 star reviews have to deal with leaks when first getting it. I have had no leaks and it stays inflated for days at a time when we camp. The material it is made out of is very strong and durable. We have hoisted it over rocky terrain and had it resting on boulders without issue. Perfect size for 2 adults and 2 kids. 4 adults would probably work best with each one sitting on the edge of the raft rather than in the middle and you could easily fit a 3rd kid in it if it was just two adults. The three inflatable bench seats are good...I only wish they were quick release valves like the ones on the main body of the boat for quick deflation, but it really doesn't take that much time to deflate them either. The oars are very durable. I wish they were a couple inches longer to make them dig deeper in the water when moored into the oar locks, but the entire system works very well. Getting in and out of the raft is a lot easier than the bigger "professional" river rafts you often see in blue color being run with guides. The narrower body is perfect for navigating smaller river ways. In open water, you don't have as deep a keel as would be optimal for maneuvering, so make sure you have a strong rower in your boat if you are paddling across a lake and the wind kicks up. I don't see what people are talking about when they say they can't get the whole boat in the storage bag, as I can fit it fine. Keep in mind that it is heavy though. I would say that the entire boat in the bag definitely weighs at least 75 pounds and it's large size makes carrying it awkward. It would be nice if the bag straps had more padding for when you put it on your shoulders. Once inflated the boat is pretty heavy and large, so plan your put-in locations well. If you are looking for a 4 man raft, this should be at the top of your list. Lots of fun and priced very nice!

Love this boat! Very durable and stable. The hard plastic bottom makes it easy to stand up without rocking the boat too much. Between the boat and the plastic bottom insert, it weighs about 75lbs, but can easily be launched with only 1 person. Just put all your gear in after it's in the water. Bought this mainly for fishing but decided to put it to the test and load up with 2 people, 2 65L packs, 4 fishing rods, 2 chairs, and a tackle box to paddle across the lake and find a secluded camping spot. It more than exceeded expectations! Cuts through water like a charm! Left it inflated over night on the water and thought we'd have to add some air in the morning... Nope! I don't think it lost any pressure at all! With that being said, I do have 2 complaints. And I guess they're not really too bad since I still gave it 5 stars. #1 the Boston inflate valves CAN be over tightened and stripped. To fix this, I made 2 marks with a sharpie on each valve so now I know not to tighten any further than this mark. #2 the inflatable seats work well but do take up a decent amount of floor space and sit lower than I like. I elected not use them and put my backpacking/camp chair in there for some added comfort. Overall, this is a great boat for 2 people and your gear. Would not advise 3 people unless they are kids. I have yet to put an electric trolling motor on but my buddy has the same boat and says it works flawlessly. If thinking about buying this boat.. It does go on sale for ~$265 so if it's a bit pricier than that, just keep an eye out!

The boat is fairly easy to use once you get it set up as well as easy to disassemble. Getting it set up was a pain in the neck as the instructions leave a lot to be desired. The included instructions were meant to cover not only the Mariner version but several other varieties the manufacturer sells. The Mariner comes with a sturdy floor that has to be inserted separately, yet that whole process was left out of the instructions and after a lot of trial and error I was able to get it to work. From a high-level perspective, put the slats in the floor liner, fill the two sides of the boat about halfway, then work the flooring in and make sure the hole you see in the flooring goes over the middle portion of the boat’s inflate nozzle. Once it is in securely, fill the two main side air bladders up and you will be ready. The oars really help out and do a great job and it is easy to maneuver – they are easy to lock them into the notches and you don’t have to worry about them falling out if your hand slips or you just want to take a break. The two fishing rod holders work well, and the inflatable seats are the right size. Once you get the floor figured out and installed (see above), you will feel confident standing up – carefully – if you feel like it. The boat comes with a hand / foot pump that would take you quite a while. If you have an electric pump and access to electricity, I would recommend using that but make sure you pay attention and don’t over-inflate: the instructions do say to not use an electric pump but after screwing around with it for a while trying to figure out setup I did it anyway without any issues. Overall, this isn’t a bad little raft /boat and much cheaper than buying a kayak – and much easier to store.