Thought I'd share a little discovery that I think could be a nice addition to an FJ's expedition gear. It's a bear to get a canoe on top of a lifted FJ; at least alone.
I've been working toward upgrading to a better sailboat lately, and unlike the old boat which was great in the shallows, the new one draws four feet of water and so a dingy will be useful to have when cruising. However I will mostly be daysailing and using it as a dockside man cave for the near future, so I was hesitant to spend a lot for a dingy.
What I came up with was the Intex Seahawk II, which is a mere $115 on Amazon. Motor mount is about $30 more. I was really pleased with how hefty it is; three ply pvc, reinforced in wear areas. It is somewhere on the spectrum between the yellow inflatables at Walmart that are essentially pool toys, and a proper zodiac or achilles inflatable. In my opinion it seems closer to the latter.
The oars screw together with a plastic fitting in the middle that is reputed to be prone to breaking, so upgraded oars or a trolling motor\small outboard would be a good idea. I think the folks complaining about the oars are using them in whitewater, they'd probably serve fine floating rivers around here.
These boats seem to have a cult following, some folks make plywood floors and other mods.
I've been working toward upgrading to a better sailboat lately, and unlike the old boat which was great in the shallows, the new one draws four feet of water and so a dingy will be useful to have when cruising. However I will mostly be daysailing and using it as a dockside man cave for the near future, so I was hesitant to spend a lot for a dingy.
What I came up with was the Intex Seahawk II, which is a mere $115 on Amazon. Motor mount is about $30 more. I was really pleased with how hefty it is; three ply pvc, reinforced in wear areas. It is somewhere on the spectrum between the yellow inflatables at Walmart that are essentially pool toys, and a proper zodiac or achilles inflatable. In my opinion it seems closer to the latter.
The oars screw together with a plastic fitting in the middle that is reputed to be prone to breaking, so upgraded oars or a trolling motor\small outboard would be a good idea. I think the folks complaining about the oars are using them in whitewater, they'd probably serve fine floating rivers around here.
These boats seem to have a cult following, some folks make plywood floors and other mods.
