Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

[IN Mariner4]

In mariner... Your floor looks great! Regarding battery... I def think 2 batteries in parallel will be the way to go. I now have a sea eagle foldcat, I have a TM on front and back with separate batteries, however, sometimes I leave the front TM and only use the 50#... Those times I run the 2 batteries in parallel. And yeah, don't waste your time on the solar..... I researched it before and you would need a panel the size of your boat to even start to make a difference... Just get that second battery and you'll be fine. I have a 3rd 18ah battery that I use for my ff, lights, aux outlet, etc

Thanks Mrdrh99,
I researched the solar idea and came to the same conclusion. I am going to to get another battery and run it parallel. I found an extra lawn mower battery that I bought last season for my mower and never used and think I will use that for my lights and misc electronics (its small and the weight is very low). I am extremely happy with how long the single battery lasted on our maiden voyage (over 6 hours of running in river current, granted it was not strong current but still) but like stated before, I want a little more for a little more distance to reach an area that is accessible only by water (going to metal detect and do a little diving there). So I believe two run in parallel will do the job.

Just curious, what batteries are you running? I have though about rigging up a mount for the bow for a 30# TM my neighbor just gave me for free .
Next mod after the battery and rigging up lights for night fishing is swivel seats. We used camp folding chairs and it was comfortable but it was a pain to turn it sideways to operate the TM then switch back forward for fishing etc... plus I think the swivel seats would take up less room.

Thanks for the reply Mrdrh99!

 

[mrdrh99]

One of my batteries is an interstate deep cycle... I think it's 101ah... The other is an ac delco dual purpose marine.... I think the ah is around 90. I generally use the interstate for the mk50#, and the delco on the mk36# on front. I've been out for over 12 hours and never come close to running out of juice. However, I'm fishing smallish lakes (250-500 acre) and not fighting any currents

 

[KingPhoenix]

I've tested these two mods. The battery kill switch works nicely. When the key is turned 45 degrees it pops out the plug. I hold a small rope when I'm doing a long cruise and If I go overboard I know the boat won't be heading off without me.

The Nite Ize JamCam XT is awesome. The anchor rope runs through the hole. When I anchor, I clip it onto the side tube grab rope. I drop the anchor down and feed out line to my liking. I then pull open the spring loaded cam cleat and insert the anchor line and it hold the boat nicely. Easy to remove and no more knots.

Thanks for this, much better for the anchor going to get me one of those Cam Jams, was thinking of using one of these for keeping the anchor line organized. Anyone have anything better they use?

 

[Starkonian]

The Cam Jam can be found on ebay for $10 or so. Make sure you get the XT because it's aluminum. The smaller ones are plastic.

For anchor rope I use, I think 3/16, para cord. At Home Depot they usually come wrapped on a holder and I just use that. It looks something like this

I use the old milk jug and I keep it a smallish 2 gallon bucket with a handle. So when I want to anchor, I grab the bucket and put it under neath the motor and drop the anchor in the water etc and then stow the bucket. It's nice to use the bucket when I retrieve the anchor to keep any water,muck or water ever may be attached to the anchor from getting all over the boat interior. The spool looks cool, I guess it depends how much room you have. With my son along, every inch is premium space so I'm fine tuning and downsizing my gear where ever possible. Using the M-4 reminds me of a back country canoe trip I did in Canada. I was out 8 days and every item I brought and square inch of the canoe was carefully planned and scrutinized.

 

[IN Mariner4]

For an anchor I used a 15 lbs weight plate from an old weight lifting set I have. It did great in the river and only drifted a little when I hit sandy areas but in the rocks etc... it held good. I wrap the rope around a old extension cord holder (a fiberglass, "H" shape piece). Does ok but thinking of something like a retractable dog leash if I can find one long and strong enough (need about 25ft of so).

 

[Starkonian]

Damn, look how cheap these high power trolling motors are now...

 

[Starkonian]

Here's an 86 lb'r, whoah, two batteries and this would fly...

 

[ScottishScript]

Damn, look how cheap these high power trolling motors are now...

Yeah they're cheap alright, 'straight out of deepest China' cheap.

I bet if you visited the factory where they're made you'd find them also churning out those so called
Hoverboards that spontaneously burn your house down. I can picture buying one of these, sticking it on
the back of my Mariner 4 and the damn thing going up in flames. That's a HIndenburg/Titanic combination
I could do without.

Seriously though, you want the one piece of kit you rely on to make it ashore at dusk to be anything but cheap,
because if it fails, you're stuck on the water in darkness.

Some things you should never buy cheap:
Parachutes
Breast implants (in fact any implants)
Contraceptives
Body armour
Baby milk (especially from China)
Anything you put into orbit
Sex toys
Tattoos
Pedigree dogs

And that's just off the top of my head, oh and Crash helmets.

 

[IN Mariner4]

Yeah they're cheap alright, 'straight out of deepest China' cheap.

I bet if you visited the factory where they're made you'd find them also churning out those so called
Hoverboards that spontaneously burn your house down. I can picture buying one of these, sticking it on
the back of my Mariner 4 and the damn thing going up in flames. That's a HIndenburg/Titanic combination
I could do without.

Seriously though, you want the one piece of kit you rely on to make it ashore at dusk to be anything but cheap,
because if it fails, you're stuck on the water in darkness.

Some things you should never buy cheap:
Parachutes
Breast implants (in fact any implants)
Contraceptives
Body armour
Baby milk (especially from China)
Anything you put into orbit
Sex toys
Tattoos
Pedigree dogs

And that's just off the top of my head, oh and Crash helmets.

Laughing at that Scottish! Your list is so true!

 

[IN Mariner4]

Here's an 86 lb'r, whoah, two batteries and this would fly...

When I first glanced at it I thought those were Minn Kotas LOL I was about to get mad because I spent a lot more than that for the Endura Maxx 55!!
Would you gamble on these? I think if you only used your boat a couple times a year it may be worth it??? Or how about one for the Bow and a "better brand" for the transom, that way if one goes out you are not rowing.

 

[IN Mariner4]

As I am sitting here drinking my morning coffee, surfing the interwebs and waiting on the rain to let up I am thinking about anchors now. My 15 lbs plate (weights) worked out good for the rocky areas of the river but drifted on the sand/smooth areas (which was fine because we drifted and fished worked out great), but if diving or out of the boat, I dont want to turn around and find her drifting a mile away lol. What do you guys use on your Mariner4's? I probably wiill just stick with what I have but you know me always asking questions.

 

[Brusac]

As I am sitting here drinking my morning coffee, surfing the interwebs and waiting on the rain to let up I am thinking about anchors now. My 15 lbs plate (weights) worked out good for the rocky areas of the river but drifted on the sand/smooth areas (which was fine because we drifted and fished worked out great), but if diving or out of the boat, I dont want to turn around and find her drifting a mile away lol. What do you guys use on your Mariner4's? I probably wiill just stick with what I have but you know me always asking questions.

I use a 10 lb mushroom anchor I found on Craigslist for $5. A lot of the areas I go have muck bottoms, the anchor tends to sink into the muck and holds me in place pretty good. Sometimes it takes some pretty good pulling to unstick it from the muck but it has not been a real issue. The guy I bought it from dives in all the local lakes, he is always finding anchors so he brings them up and cleans them up and posts them on Craigslist for pretty cheap.

 

[Starkonian]

Yeah they're cheap alright, 'straight out of deepest China' cheap.

I bet if you visited the factory where they're made you'd find them also churning out those so called
Hoverboards that spontaneously burn your house down. I can picture buying one of these, sticking it on
the back of my Mariner 4 and the damn thing going up in flames. That's a HIndenburg/Titanic combination
I could do without.

Seriously though, you want the one piece of kit you rely on to make it ashore at dusk to be anything but cheap,
because if it fails, you're stuck on the water in darkness.

Some things you should never buy cheap:
Parachutes
Breast implants (in fact any implants)
Contraceptives
Body armour
Baby milk (especially from China)
Anything you put into orbit
Sex toys
Tattoos
Pedigree dogs

And that's just off the top of my head, oh and Crash helmets.

Meh, maybe. I sent an email to a distributor for the Renegade 58 lb motor I posted. Here's their reply:

"Renegade is a Chinese made motor that is private labeled for one of our marine distributors. We have only been selling them for about 1-2 months and in that time we have sold over 150 motors without a single issue to this point. We test ran one of the motors in a test tank in our service department when we first got them in. We let it run for 9 hours straight (which they are not designed to do) and it didnt skip a beat or overheat.

AHLSTRAND MARINE
1300 Town Line Rd. (Rt.60)
Mundelein, IL. 60060
847-949-8899 "

I've also learned they take MinnKota replacement props.

Btw, Minnkota and Motorguide motors are also made in China. I've bought no-name China stuff over the years, some has been junk, some has lasted longer than name brand items of the same category. The internet has made purchases much less risky. Before I take the plunge I always find out who makes them and get as muck feedback as possible. If the feedback is acceptable and price savings are extreme, sometimes I take the plunge.

 

[Starkonian]

As I am sitting here drinking my morning coffee, surfing the interwebs and waiting on the rain to let up I am thinking about anchors now. My 15 lbs plate (weights) worked out good for the rocky areas of the river but drifted on the sand/smooth areas (which was fine because we drifted and fished worked out great), but if diving or out of the boat, I dont want to turn around and find her drifting a mile away lol. What do you guys use on your Mariner4's? I probably wiill just stick with what I have but you know me always asking questions.

If you're anchoring in sand, you probably need something with a sharp edge that will dig into the sand. Something like this maybe

 

[JC2133]

This is what I have. I got it in the 7lb version. Although not as heavy as I would like, the spikes grab hold of the bottom well enough to keep me from drifting. And the best thing is it is very compact and fits in my utility bucket that I keep with me in my boat

http://www.walmart.com/ip/SeaChoice-41000-Folding-Grapnel-Anchor-3.5-lbs/32739325

 

[KingPhoenix]

Ya i use the grappling hook style of anchor only 3.5lbs, works great and very compact. Use about 1-2 feet of chain to help it grab the bottom properly.
Rig it something like this pic. That way if it gets really stuck the zap ties will break ad youll be able to pull it up from the bottom no problem.

 

[ScottishScript]

As I am sitting here drinking my morning coffee, surfing the interwebs and waiting on the rain to let up I am thinking about anchors now. My 15 lbs plate (weights) worked out good for the rocky areas of the river but drifted on the sand/smooth areas (which was fine because we drifted and fished worked out great), but if diving or out of the boat, I dont want to turn around and find her drifting a mile away lol. What do you guys use on your Mariner4's? I probably wiill just stick with what I have but you know me always asking questions.

I have one of those collapsible claw anchors and to be honest I have never used it once. Having said that, if I want to sit in one spot to either fix gear or fish a spot, I sometimes throw a rope around a buoy in the loch I'm fishing and run out line from it. Fortunately a lot of bait fish will hang around buoy anchor lines to eat the stuff that grows on them, which in turn draws in predators.

I have read those mushroom shaped anchors are pretty good too.

 

[ScottishScript]

Meh, maybe. I sent an email to a distributor for the Renegade 58 lb motor I posted. Here's their reply:

"Renegade is a Chinese made motor that is private labeled for one of our marine distributors. We have only been selling them for about 1-2 months and in that time we have sold over 150 motors without a single issue to this point. We test ran one of the motors in a test tank in our service department when we first got them in. We let it run for 9 hours straight (which they are not designed to do) and it didnt skip a beat or overheat.

AHLSTRAND MARINE
1300 Town Line Rd. (Rt.60)
Mundelein, IL. 60060
847-949-8899 "

I've also learned they take MinnKota replacement props.

Btw, Minnkota and Motorguide motors are also made in China. I've bought no-name China stuff over the years, some has been junk, some has lasted longer than name brand items of the same category. The internet has made purchases much less risky. Before I take the plunge I always find out who makes them and get as muck feedback as possible. If the feedback is acceptable and price savings are extreme, sometimes I take the plunge.

Not sure I trust the distributor guy whose livelihood depends on selling as many of these things as he can.

And you're correct, a lot of stuff we wouldn't expect is in fact built in China. I mean Apple build their overpriced toys there too. It all comes down to oversight at any given factory.

I've heard stories of factories there churning out high quality Goretex jackets by day, but at night the same factory switches to inferior materials to churn out 'identical' cloned kit for the black market.

As with any product, we won't know just how reliable these engines are for at least a couple of years following ordinary folk using them in the field etc. Then we'll read good or bad in the forums.

And with that in mind, I bought one of those GoPro knock offs, a Qumox - which like these engines taking Minn Kota parts - can be used with GoPro stuff. And I love it, great piece of kit, but I waited until others had used them for a couple of years before buying one.

But as I said, I have read about and witnessed so many Chinese products bursting into flames. Mate of mine bought a head lamp with a ridiculous number of Lumens - 1000 I think - from Ebay and a week later I literally watched his hair catch fire when the battery pack ignited. It was tragic and hilarious in equal measure.

My point is, his 1000 Lumen head lamp was no brighter than my 150 Lumen Black Diamond, which means the manufacturers lied about their product's basic specification. With that in mind, can we really trust them on how much thrust poundage these cheapo engines supposedly have?

I'm just not sure I want to be one of the field testers for something that could leave me stranded, but if it turns out they work, great, I'll take two please.

If you decide to take the plunge Stark and buy one, keep us updated on your progress. Especially if the thing melts while fishing and you're forced to literally 'take the plunge' lol.

 

[Starkonian]

The 1st Motor Guide I bought broke within 6 months. Under warranty fortunately. With my Minn Kota, if I'm not really careful, when I extend the throttle handle all the way out it pulls right off the motor. So, the big name companies are not perfect either. I probably would take the risk, after the proper research, unfortunately my budget is fixed for the foreseeable future so I'll keep trudging along with my Minn Kota 30.

 

[IN Mariner4]

I use a 10 lb mushroom anchor I found on Craigslist for $5. A lot of the areas I go have muck bottoms, the anchor tends to sink into the muck and holds me in place pretty good. Sometimes it takes some pretty good pulling to unstick it from the muck but it has not been a real issue. The guy I bought it from dives in all the local lakes, he is always finding anchors so he brings them up and cleans them up and posts them on Craigslist for pretty cheap.

I guess I should do the same when I start diving this season. I occasionally find them but usually leave them.... this weight plate does good in the muck and rocks plus its my way of re-purposing cracked weights .