Morning...
Photos are not possible right now - am away from home for a while. But i promise you, inflated - it looks exactly like it does on Martin's website. Packing it away needs a bit of practice. And 2 wide straps about 2m long ( I have something like a seatbelt that i took from my ARK inflatable seats ) I think that a rope is too thin and is likely to rub more roughly against the boat material.
2 people can definitely fish from the boat. 1 person will stand at the back - he will be low to the water and will have to cast over the pontoons (which are MASSIVE). Just watch where you cast! And maybe dont take all your
cr@p with you.
There is a decent size hatch in the front that will keep things dry. It has a velcro'd cover. I put my coldrinks and chow in there.
Improvements - I want to put a fishfinder on it - but am not sure where (dont really want to be drilling holes into the transom).
A life jacket is a good idea - my 45lb trolling motor is really very powerful on this ultra-light craft - one moments missed concentration at full taps and you could be in the drink with the boat heading off accross the water!
Martin gives you a pair of oars in the price. I have not used them yet - although our next club outing is at a dam with LOTS of lillypads and i dont want to be pulling lilly stems from the prop every 10m. So i'll give them a try. Just a thought - you could maybe get some velcro straps and glue them to the outside of the pontoons - then velcro up your oars - completely out of the way - thats an awesome idea - i think i'll try that myself!
Inflating is simple. Ask Martin for the electric air pump option (its about R140). Looks like it could never work - BUT IT DOES! Set up the boat close to the water and park the bakkie next to the boat. The pump runs off the 12v socket in the bakkie. By the time you've thought of where to fish first, the boat is up. You just top the pontoons up with the manual pump (3 minutes max). Load up the gear. Shove the boat into the dam and you're fishing.
Deflating is also an easy task - but you are usually tired from being baked in the sun and catching fish - so it seems like a mission. I just open the valve and lie on the pontoons to push the air out. Fold it up. Straps on. Load on the bakkie.
Punctures?
Unless you're really dof
- dont try and beach it in a thorn tree or drag it along the rough ground. But C for serious now. I have been pushed by the wind into some submerged dead trees and then some riprap at Wriggleswade and nothing has happened. I dont believe anything will happen. A bit of common sense. Keep trebbles and exposed hooks secure. This is not mickey mouse material - its going to take a serious dedicated effort to puncture it.
My batteries are Raylite branded AGM technology brand new (made in December 2011) 90 amp hour units. I use the motor on full power for about 70% of my trolling. 1 battery easily lasts me 5 to 6 hours. On the water, at full throttle - you move quite fast (depending on the wind - into or with it).
Regrets?
I regret not having bought a monster in 2007 :cens
#%%$$@**&%!!!!! I have a stack of old bass magazines from years back. I could have saved about R4000!!!! Dammit!
