20 Best Jon Boats For Fishing (2023 Updated)

Pelican Intruder was a great purchase for us. It is heavy duty but light enough for two people to lift and carry. The construction build is excellent and it is very stable in the water. It is low in the water as a John Boat is, but it maneuvers very well and sturdy, it is not “tippy” at all.

We are using it in lakes for bass and speckled perch, bluegill and catfish in Florida. Academy has the best price and they were very handy and helped me put it on my van cause I did not have a trailer.

The seats are solid, it has 4 pole holders and can handle a 6 hp engine. There is a moter pad on the rear and a smaller one up front for an electric. This is a nice boat we really like it and Pelican is a really good manufacture of all sorts of cases and flashlights, we buy many of their fine products.

We bought this boat for a small flat water boat for fishing in tight places where we cant take our 17ft center console skiff. I love how quiet it is on the water, how stable it is, how well laid out it is, and how much storage space you have.

It’s also much cooler to sit in and touch the inside surfaces than an aluminum jon boat when sitting in the sun. We ran it in a fairly strong current in a small river with a 3hp outboard and it performed as you would expect from a flat bottom boat.

It seems very study and durable too. We hit a stump in the river and surprisingly it didn’t even leave a mark on the hull. The major disadvantage, and what I hate, is the seats are too low for someone my size (6’4” and 215lbs) to sit comfortably and mounting seats is a real challenge.

There isn’t any wood inside the seat tubs so all you have to mount the seat to is the plastic tub top and I’m not sure thats going to be strong enough to hold a guy my size. There’s also the concern of drilling into the flexible tubs.

It’s hard to seal something flexible like plastic so theres the danger of creating a place to funnel water into the hull. If the seat tubs were designed with wood reinforcements to be able to securely mount seats then this would be a 5-star boat all day long.

It moves through the water effortlessly and silently, just not very comfortably.

well the price is good , i had the boat sins a year know. lets see , i will say the good thing first then the things i think need improve. well first of all this boat got some space , woow i love the space it have i can now fit a cooler in the back ouh i can fit all my gear at the back no problems, cooler fishing lures and fishing gear + a small continuer with some things in it like light ad list goos on an on , then the factory fishing rood holder one of the best things about it , the handle is helpful.

the siting positions is not that bad but you need something to set on it if you stay a long time in the boat. good thing that it coms with to motor mount , the material got some advantage and dis advancing.

it’s though but it’s hard to stick something on it or to modify. NOW LITS SEE BAD THINGS , no drain plugs so if you ben to some high waters you will have some hard time , the boat is not stabile as i wanted but some foam in the sides fixed it 50% , the sets had no back support :(.

i would love to have 3 person in it ,, come on it’s a 12 foot , but the thing is when the 3 person set the boat be come front heavy so waves gets in. so i would love to see this thing fixed , amm the max lode you can have in is 190 kg , i had a 8 foot and it got the same max lode !! last ting this thing is heavy so don’t think that you can lode it on a car by your self.

do i recommend it? well yes i do but if you only can live with the dis advantage by the way this boat is a good boat to modify be your own , EXTRA INFO. i use this boat with a 2. 5 mercury and the fastest i got with 2 person on board is 6 or 7 KM/H lights are addable if thy work by batteries ( using bicycles lights green and red) floor is not confortabil to set on so get something to bot behind your back and under you , this way you will stay longer in the sea , good way to add to the confortabil level is to install cop holder.

(not much work ). you may need a jet ski trailer to move it essayer. GO AND HAVE FUN :).

I gave it 5 stars because the value is great. I payed $636. 00 new from academy sports. It’s better than every kayak on the market. It’s strong and water proof, fishes two people with plenty of room for extras.

High weight capacity. Pelican can do better: 1 piece 12 foot boat Forged Ram X four times the thickness, widen the hull, extend and make flush the front water contact areas. include a carpeted floor, lighten the boat using spray in foam for buoyancy.

Include hull protectors, and pelican decals with updated logo. How about calling the boat something that makes sense, Pelican Bass Raider 12X. Storage compartments, coolers, live wells, rails, rod holders, elaborate carbon fiber reinforced hull and motor mount design, integrated remote controlled trolling motor, with options from the factory! Comfortable, adjustable noise free seats.

Your customers like to customize these types of vessels. Give them options to choose from the factory! The 10e is a good boat but it’s not good enough. It’s not near good enough, you pry won’t negotiate wider more efficient pickup beds to keep that luxury without sacrificing the increased size capacities.

Don’t even get me started on the waste of space storage crap on the 10e. You are going to stand there designing a boat with the word bass on it and not include these things? Let’s kick it up a notch Pelican, my gosh! Shock the nation.

The star rating for these boats should 5 all across the board. However, there does seem to be issues when these get delivered to your house vice picked up at the store. I got at BPS and it was flawless.

But getting it at the store also gave me a chance to go over it with a fine tooth comb. I also think, when reading reviews about this boat on other sites, that folks have a poor expectation of what a pond boat is, how it’s made, and the materials it’s constructed of.

Yes, there is a non-water tight seem that joins the the top to the bottom. however, if you are getting water through this seam then the operator is taking the boat in conditions it wasn’t designed for.

It’s a pond boat, not a lake boat. It will take on water and hold it inside without draining. However, the hull is foam filled to meet certain federal and state boating safety standards. For most users, it’s design isn’t an issue with the seam, so don’t let that deter you from purchasing.

My recommendation is watch some videos about the boat. I feel it’s a great purchase for small lakes and ponds and well worth the price. I also recommend getting it at BPS or Cabela’s so you can inspect it.

My first boat. Sturdy enough. Problem is mfg. didnt seal seam where top attaches to hull with non ss staples. Leaks through this seam. Spent hours ressearching sealer to fix but all say dont use on polyethlene.

i tried 6 different kinds anyway and none adhere to the P E. The black vinyl banding around seam doesnt keep water out of seam because it is not sealed to boat. Staples are rusting. Hull drains are on bow pontoons rather than stern so you have to stand 140 lb boat up vertically on bow to drain the water that always collects in leaky hull.

Should have put drains in stern. All in all I should have bought a metal jon boat.

The boat itself is great value to have. As a family of 5, we have had some fun on the water with this boat. The first two times we used oars only, and to be honest, that was not as fun as we imagined, because most of the time we were fighting the current and got to basically nowhere.

Adding a 55 pound Minn Kota Endura Max made a day and night difference. Finally we can virtually go anywhere in a lake without much effort, and spent time enjoying fishing or just skimming on water instead of padding and fighting the wave.

Yes I am aware of the manufacturer recommendation of a max of 33 pound motor, but I found 55 pound is also workable. The boat can handle this motor well and I have the option to use this motor on a bigger boat in future when I upgrade.

Because I added a motor, registration is needed in California. Intex’s customer service is helpful, but getting the boat actually registered in a CA DMV could be a bit tricky depends on which DMV you go.

Not all DMV employees know how to handle the registration of an inflatable boat and they may not take the Certificate of Origin that Intex provided as a valid certificate. I had to call Intex to request an ‘original’ Certificate of Origin, which is essentially the same as the one can be downloaded on their website but with an original signature.

I went back and forth three times to two DMV to finally find someone that knows how to handle it and got it registered, and the time I got it registered, they only took the Certificate of Origin that I downloaded from Intex website, not the one that has the ‘original’ signature.

Besides the registration, in California, you also need to pay a $16 mussel fee and get the mussel sticker, unless the boat will be exclusively used in salt water. The mussel fee is not required to register the boat, but it is a good idea to pay it and get the sticker when registering the boat, so that your boat is ‘water ready’ instantly.

Otherwise, the mussel sticker can be purchased on CA DMV website and they will mail it to you in a few days. ********Update after two months of ownership********So after two months of owning this boat and three times putting it in the water, I’m disappointed.

After the third time deflating the boat, the inner chamber’s 10 cm mark did not shrink back to less than 10 cm, which means I will not be able to measure the pressure next time. Besides of that, there are couple areas of the boat that are showing a hump, though the boat had never hit anything.

I called Intex customer service and the lady picked up the phone seems to have a hard time understanding English. But in the end, they said will offer a replacement and asked to mail in the cutouts. Now, the problem is, since the replacement boat will have a different HIN, I will need to register it again with DMV if I want it to be legal with the motor.

What a hassle and waste of money and I really don’t want to go through again. Considering the extra cost of buying the motor mount, electric pump and time of making the wood floor, I’d say if you want a boat, get a real one and don’t waste your money and time.

Bought this in 2014 but didn’t get round to writing a review until now. Paid a little over 500 euros for the complete set including 75Ah battery and Sevylor motor. In addition, shortly after also bought a foldable “bolderkar” for transportation on the train.

I have made many trips including Breukelen-Utrecht along the Vecht and Bunnik-Utrecht through Amelisweerd along the Kromme Rijn. Contrary to others, I have been very pleased with the range of the motor having typical trips lasting 3-4 hours and longer.

I cannot say how the performance is affected when loaded with four adults but I usually travel with my two boys (10 and 12), a day bag and the (collapsed) bolder car. I also do not run the motor at full power (5) continually but I have been happy to coast along at 2-3.

This means, with stops for drinks and lunch, the set up is more that enough for a day out on the plassen (have done both Vinkeveen and Loosdrecht). The only real thing to bare in mind is that the boat is an inflatable and NOT a rigid inflatable.

This means it doesn’t perform well on choppy water (typically the lakes shared by lots of other boats generating wake) since it is rather long and floppy. However, considering the price and size its a small issue which can be solved by choosing your destinations carefully.

We received our Intex Excursion 5 the other day and it had its first voyage today on a state park lake. It was so much fun! We also own a 17 ft. canoe but that is becoming difficult to transport now that we have smaller cars.

This boat really meets our needs! Fits in the trunk, inflates quickly, has room for 3 to 4 adults and is a lot of fun in the sun! The vinyl is heavyweight and sturdy and the oars worked well. The oarlocks rotate so that you can put up the oars when you are not paddling.

It inflated quickly for us- power inflator was an added expense but well worth it to get this specific Kobalt inflator. ***. com It takes about 7 minutes to inflate with this, cordless, and the Kobalt is the best inflator ever (said after many years of blowing up camping beds.

) Some people find this boat more comfortable after adding a hard floor- search Excursion 5 floor and you will see how. There are also many YouTube videos about fun and interesting modifications you can make to this boat, which has inspired us for the future! Great purchase!.

Bought this cover for my Lowe L1232 jon boat as I was getting tired of hassling with a tarp that took alot of work to secure to the boat. The extra size gives me room for my pedestal seats which also provide a rain relief so I don’t get any ponding.

It’s sturdy and has decent attachment points, although it would have been nice to have four more, but with a little creative securing, seems to work out well. Most of my fishing is local so probably won’t travel with cover attached, but as I said, with time spent on attaching securely, it should weather the ride.

I have bought other classic accessories products in the past and very satisfied with them for the money and durability and would recommend them highly.

This cover is good for it’s price and will do the job with a few extra additions. There are a few problems with the 12′ to 14′ model that I bought. It does not fit my standard 12′ Jon boat well and had to be modified for a snug fit.

It needs more of the web tiedown straps to keep the fabric taught and prevent sagging. I had to build a frame to hold the fabric up for rainwater drainage, The first time it rained water collected and collapsed the cover.

Cover should have come down further on the sides, Corners could have fit tighter also, Also could have used a few more tie downs also, Rain water puddled up In the front and back of the boat even with the front of the boat raised and tilted backwards, The weight of the water seems to have stretched the cover.

This is a cautionary tale and – unlike most of the other reviews on this product – this is a true story and its authenticity can be qualified by any major news outlet and my newfound knowledge of expertise in seamanship and respect for this here product.

Let me begin by saying I consider myself to be a well-known sailor and businessman in the greater Lexington area, however certainly not one to crave attention or go on a voyage longer than the Firebrook pond.

On any given day I can be found racing minivans down Harrodsburg road, soaking in the Kentucky scenery and procrastinating college essay deadlines. This is me. Law-abiding and introspective. Which is why it came as a shock to me to find myself eating tacos in another country in a matter of days because of a so-called amazon’s choice product more commonly known as the “Intex Seahawk 3 inflatable boat.

”I’ll set the scene: It was late winter, early spring in Lexington and the city had just been digging itself out from a late season ice-storm. It was 5:45 am and I had just finished packing for a trip to Destin when I had an interesting idea.

I’ll bring that raft I ordered a few weeks ago and paddle around on the ocean during high-tide. Prior to this event, beta testing had occurred on the Kentucky river with limited success but as I was aggressively forcing this vessel into the trunk of my car I remembered a famous quote: “pain is temporary but quitting lasts forever.

”Fast forward a day of interstate travel and the group I was with was in Destin doing the usual- enjoying the warm weather while spraying sunscreen in mass quantities. I hadn’t sailed in a while and I was feeling like testing the raft out in the ocean, which caused me to look around at the other travelers swimming in the ocean and think to myself: It’s time.

6:45 pm. As the sun set along the sandy coast of Bluewater beach I could be seen hastily carrying a 50 pound cardboard box down the beach access ramp, avoiding any sharp objects that could compromise the mission.

After using the included handheld pump to inflate the raft to peak O2 capacity it was finally time to set sail. Oars attached and loaded with zero cargo I pushed off of the sandbar and into the fast-flowing current in a scene comparable to George Washigton crossing the Delaware.

However, as the current began to pull my barge further from the coastline I had to imagine the origins of this product being conceived in a boardroom of an air-mattress company. The point here being, I made a very, very, very poor choice.

You see, unlike other boats there was no forward or reverse. Most modern boats are controlled by either sails or a gasoline engine. This boat had two plastic oars and I soon came to realize this was no boat, this was a floater.

After trying to drink seawater in desperation I passed out probably a mile off the coast of Florida. This moment is crucial. No food, no water. Only 2 plastic oars, a do it yourself patch kit, and an instruction manual printed in Chinese.

I woke up the next morning drifting somewhere inside of the Gulf of Mexico. The way I figured it, I was still on vacation and still had 5 days to kill before I had to be back home so I decided to do nothing for the rest of the day and accept the situation that this $80 investment had cost me.

With my advanced knowledge of boating I decided the best course of action would be to ride with the trade winds. The next morning to my immediate surprise I woke up 100 meters off the coast of Cancun.

As I looked up from my green and yellow personal floatation device I could see hundreds of tourists look at me, repeating the same phrase:“That’s got to be be the best pirate I’ve ever seen”“So it would seem”, I said to myself with a look of accomplishment and life-changing perspective.

While Ben m may have made it across the green river on February 17, 2017 I had crossed the Gulf of Mexico in only a couple days and I don’t even remember most of it. Having since then sailed through multiple hurricanes and over various boat locks I can confidently recommend this product not for its speed, but it’s endurance.

Think of it as having the boat equivalent of all-wheel drive. Intex wasn’t lying when they gave this thing a warranty and neither was Amazon when they said it was their choice. 5 stars. Buy it now.

After doing a little research, the Intex Seahawk boat series seemed the best buy overall. Everything included in the box gets you on the water in about 15-20 minutes. The hand-pump is A VALUABLE MUST-HAVE! It inflates the three Seahawk chambers quickly and efficiently and you WILL want to keep it on the boat with you.

The oars are pretty strong with good grips on them. The boat itself is a dream. My friend and I are both 6 feet tall and together with our gear, lunch, and tackle box, the Seahawk comfortably carried us (about 600 lbs altogether) and stayed inflated on the swamp for about two hours.

Deflation is easy, too. The Seahawk folds nicely and fits in the back of a car or in a trunk. We’ve taken it out about three times now and each time has been better than the last, each with varying weight (but never nearing 810lbs like the Seahawk max capacity suggests).

It’s a very comfortable ride, too: we glided over the swamp like nothing, and even when the underside of the Seahawk hit reeds, branches, or logs just under the surface of the water, the strong PVC held up and moved us forward without any snagging.

(Always check your boat before and after you take it out on the water, especially the seams and bottom. This thing holds up!)My only wish is that Intex would include a second 10 CM measuring “tape” in the repair/gear bag.

The 10 CM measuring “tape” is a flimsy piece of plastic that allows you to properly measure two of the three chambers in the Seahawk to make sure that they aren’t overinflated (which makes you more prone to punctures and leaks!).

The piece of plastic is just that. a little strip that you have to keep in the gear bag, lest it be lost forever. Overall, I think the Seahawk is a great purchase and that Intex has a great product here for anyone who loves the outdoors and the water but doesn’t have a lot of money or experience.

Will be buying a smaller boat (probably the Challenger series) for single-person use! Thanks, Intex!.

Item arrived a day later than promised but we still had a couple of days for our 4 grandchildren to enjoy it while on vacation at the beach. One of our traditions during our beach vacation is to push the kids on the raft as the waves break, providing them with a lot of excitement and thrills.

We had an older version of this particular raft that had given up the ghost the previous day but we were determined to finish the week on a high note, hence the replacement at the last minute. We like this version because it is made from a sturdy vinyl, has a lanyard that the kids can hang on to as the waves hit, and allows them to get back into the raft quickly when they (intentionally) tumble/fall out.

We don’t use the paddles and I don’t recommend using the air pump that comes with it unless someone intends to spend several hours inflating the thing. Better have an quality air pump system available or sundown may greet you.

We used the three man version so all 4 kids (12 and under) can ride together. I will say even when it’s fully inflated, it takes a bit of effort to manage in the waves with everyone aboard. If air leaks out one of the two larger compartments, it becomes more difficult to maneuver because it wants to buckle or wallow in the water.

It’s fairly easy to move around when properly inflated. An adult and our 12 year old can transport it to and from the beach. Riding the waves at the beach during Summer vacations in this type craft has been one of the most enjoyable things our family (kids/grandkids) has done for at least two generations.

I had good luck with this Intex Mariner 3 boat. This Intex Mariner 3 color looks extremely nice and clean in person. However, the flooring is white can get dirty very easy. But there’s product you can buy to keep it clean and shiny after each used.

My suggestion is when you get it in a box delivered to your house. Let it sit for 72 hours before open the box and inflate the boat because during hot and cold weather it can cracks or splits PVC. Also follow the instruction and use a measure piece that comes with the boat to measure the lines when you inflate the boat.

Do not over inflate the boat because in the sun is hot the PVC boat will expand that can results in PVC to splits. It was a great buy for me. For trolling motor I had Minn Kota C2 30 lb thrust mounted on this boat.

The motor push this boat well but moving slow other word is better than paddle. I switched to Minn Kota C2 40 lb thrust and I think is perfect for this boat. Don’t go crazy and get 55 lb thrust motor because is bulky and too heavy.

It will sag on the boat.

I bought one of these 3 months ago. About a week ago the floor in one spot pulled and ripped from the tube and opened a hole in the tube. Now I’m patching it. this is not a boat that is meant for everyday use although it is tougher than the toy boats out there it’s still does not compare to real inflatable ***.

the boat does row very easily. I do like the oarlocks I do like the thickness of the material I do not like the floor. It cannot be removed to clean unless you deflate the boat and the floors design makes it almost impossible to get all the water out that had got in from rain or whatever.

As I suspected when I bought the boat the weak Achilles heel of this product is where the floor is welded to the tubes it will not take prolonged standing in the boat. I bought a patch kit and patched it, this is about two months later now, it helped for a week now it’s leaking again and now I have another leak on the other side in the same manner floor pulling away from the tube.

This boat is very easily rowed. I really love the boat but it’s not tough enough and where the floor connects to the tubes. This is definitely not an everyday use dinghy from mooring to shore. Definitely not!The seats leave much to be desired.

When you try to adjust on them you just roll the cushion and never really move the position of your butt. Since the floor is hollow, when the water gets in the boat it is very hard to get it all out without deflating the boat and removing the floor or turning the boat over.

This boat needs improvements in the floor to tube connection and it needs a floor that will distribute the weight more evenly. I really like this little boat. I wish they built it a little better. They’ve got a really nice design but it is China.

My advice spend twice the money and get a real inflatable if you want everyday use and use with other than children using it.

Used it a lot over the summer on lakes around Alberta for Pike and Walleye fishing. The semi-solid floor makes it more sturdy, but still a bit sketchy to walk on. Overall, really enjoyed it, felt very sturdy and solid.

Pros: Fairly quick setup. Sturdy. Feels very good on the water, great to use with a trolling motor. Cons: Its fairly heavy, hard to move around with only one person. The storage bag it comes with is low quality and isn’t big enough to store the boat and the fold up floor.

There are rarely times when I am at a loss of words and this is one of them. I am completely astonished by how big this boat is how comfortable this boat is how stable the floor is, the fabric is extremely thick and durable I have absolutely no worries whatsoever about any punctures at all ever.

This is one of the thickest nicest transoms I have seen on an inflatable boat and I own quite a few. Did somebody say D rings I counted at least 18 on the boat. You will forget that you are in an inflatable boat.

It is definitely a head-turner everyone at the lake we’re inquiring about where I got it and what it was. I like to give honest reviews and really want to find something wrong with this but I can’t. All of the glue and seams we’re very neat, it was very simple to assemble and even with only a 10 horsepower motor in maneuvered extremely well.

Right now I’m so in love with this boat I plan to put it on a trailer add some traditional boat seats and eventually a steering Helm and 40 horsepower motor. With the cost of yearly maintenance on a traditional boat even if it does not break down I will never buy a regular boat again now that I have my 15.

4 ft inflatable outside of the outboard motor I have absolutely no maintenance! This boat will easily seat 9 adults. As a man and an ownerof several different manufactured inflatable boats I will say Bris boat is top quality and probably one of the best companies out there.

Im in LOVE!!.

I have been looking for an inflatable boat for sometime. Found these. Asked supplier questions and they was answered quickly and accurately. I used the boat at the weekend and just love it. Combined weight 2 people and dog 190kg.

I have 3. 5 hp motor and it is just perfect for fishing and the fun activities I need it for. Its easy to inflate and deflate. When its inflated I can comfortably walk and stand on the inflatable floor.

I purchased the seat bags as well and they very comfortable and practical. Thanks for your support.

I was in the market for a Chinese inflatable boat with a rigid aluminum floor and this one seems to be the most popular/had the most information on it available. Also it actually had some YouTube videos of people reviewing it positively so that was good.

So I’ve had this boat out a few times and it’s AWESOME. I have an Evinrude short shaft 15 hp (2 stroke) on it which is the max hp for this boat, and it’s pretty dang fast for this little guy. It seems quicker than it is because you are so close to the water but anyway I used my GPS and I can get going 22 mph on plane! Oh and it planes off no prob if you have the proper amount of HP.

The construction seems good and of quality I foresee it lasting for a long time if you take care of it (just like anything). The PVC is the 1100 denier and once inflated properly it’s like a rock. The material itself has a slight texture to it which was a pleasant surprise as it adds grip for sitting or standing on top of the tubes.

The bottom of the boat is smooth however. Yes you can stand on the tubes no problem once in the water it is extremely stable and solid feeling. I was diving off the tubes into the river and the boat is very stable it does not roll around at all.

Also standing up on the aluminum deck feels great. Again it’s extremely stable. Putting the boat together is a little tricky as expected. It is VERY tight but it’s designed to be that way so don’t get discouraged as you will develope a technique.

It is possible to do by yourself but I’ve had two people every time so far. Once you get the technique down you can expect 15-20 min setting it up. Once setup it is very heavy with the floor installed so even with two people it’s extremely difficult to lift and carry to the water.

So if you’re alone expect to be dragging it through the dirt or asphalt to the water which I wouldn’t recommend doing everytime as it would wear the bottom down prematurely. It does have a rub strake down the middle on the bottom to protect the keel when coming onto a beach but it’s just not meant for dragging through the dirt.

The aluminum floor is awesome as I like the feel of a hard deck and I also have dogs so it’s good for dogs vs a high pressure air deck. The bow section is marine grade plywood however which is not mentioned anywhere but it’s of very high quality finish just like the transom.

The bow and transom are finished in epoxy and a nice coat of marine paint so it’s very smooth/solid and durable to the feel with no rough edges at all. Everything lines up perfect as long as you take your time putting it together and followthe directions.

The valves work perfect and so does the supplied foot pump which you can use on the aluminum deck once out on the water if you need a little more pressure after the tubes cool down after being in the water for awhile.

The only thing that I don’t like and is already failing is the horribly cheap “carry” bag it comes in. It is single stitched and already ripped at the seams when I grabbed a handle to pick it up. This boat is heavy so the bag should be made a little better.

At least double stitched. A better bag can be bought or just have somebody double stitch the supplied bag so just be cautious with carrying it around while in the bag. Using the oars works great and is actually pretty nice sometimes if you want to just float around and paddle with some peace and quiet instead of listening to a screaming 2 stroke motor in your ear haha.

The seats are awesome as well. They are aluminum so they are very sturdy and you can actually slide them fore/aft to adjust how close you sit to the tiller handle for your motor or rowing position. If you are going to register this boat or any inflatable boat really, the hardest thing about it is putting the registration numbers and sticker on the boat.

Inflatables have a plaque kit you can get and hang it off the front on either side but it flaps around in the wind and might be viewed by some officials as not legal/visible at all times so just be advised its a little tricky to find a good setup for the registration numbers as here in NV on Lake Mead they are VERY picky about sticker placement.

Anyway sorry for the long review but there is not very many reviews on this awesome boat so I wanted to share my thoughts. It’s a great deal and seems very durable. I see no glaring issues at all except the crappy carry bag but that can be addressed separately so it’s not a big deal to me.

I love not needing a boat trailer and love not needing to go to a busy marina. Just find a beach/kayak launch area and go. As long as you don’t mind setting it up everytime it’s great. So overall I do recommend this boat I’m sure there are better ones out there but this does the job perfectly and the price can’t be beat.

I didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars so this is perfect.

I bought this boat as a car topper to get into some of those back woods lakes. It is easily manageble by two people. It only weighs 110lbs but has a capacity of 500lbs. We have used it twice and have made note of some improvements.

I used an electric trolling motor and 40lb trust and it has no problems powering the boat with two people and moderate gear. I find that the back seat is too close to the transom and twisting around to hold the trolling motor arms for long periods back wrenching.

On our second trip out we installed swivel seats and that helped. There is no where to tie off a dock or anchor rope other than the front metal tie down. I have since installed some cleats that I purchased at Canadian Tire.

I had to used well nuts as the plastic hull is too thin. I guess you can have it both ways, light and portable but thick hull. So far the boat is great. Looking forward to taking it out on our next back woods adventure.

Compared to a 12 foot aluminum boat you can’t beat the price. Keep in mind though that this is a small boat and is only 48 inches wide. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall and I can take another person with me.

Using a 30lb thrust trolling motor and a group 27 deep cycle we can fish all day. The boat can be choppy in the waves and is best suited for small lakes and slow moving rivers. Not the most comfortable seats and is hard to steer with the location of the seats.

All said, I am very happy with it. It is light but sturdy, can be loaded and unloaded by one person, and for what you pay you will not go wrong. If you don’t have a lot of money to put into a boat and you want to go by yourself or with one other person, I highly recommend this little boat.

The boat looks nice and is pretty Saturday. Main concerns are that with it being plastic, it’s hard to attach things to it. Also, there are two drains in the back (one for water that gets in the boat and one for water that gets inside the hull) however, the one for water in the boat is only for the compartment where the battery is, not the middle or front and the drain doesn’t run all the way through so after every rain there is water in all compartments that you have to either use a manual bulge pump (or bucket/cup) to get out, or you have to keep the boat covered.

For those removing the boat from the water every day, this probably isn’t an issue, but for those that plan to leave it outside it may be.

I did a good amount of fishing from this boat. It is working great, just have put away for the winter. I do not have a motor on this boat. I would say that this is a great boat if you are going to go out with 3 or 4 people a lot.

It fit 3 fit adult males well. 4 would be stretching it for sure. I ended up going more often with just one other person and also with just one person on the boat (me). For these situations, the size of the boat was luxurious, but the thing is hard work to row.

I’m an athletic young man and it gave me and my friends some tough workouts on our lake. Especially when I was alone, I knew I would get a killer workout trying to go out on this. It was definitely doable though.

But I mean a killer workout. I would recommend a two person inflatable kayak if you don’t know for sure that you will mostly be going with 3-4 people. This thing is great, but the size does make it hard to deal with at times, which made me and others less likely to go.

It’s just hard work. Good quality boat. Good rod holders. Oars worked for me. Anchor came in handy for windy days, but other times it was more work than it was really worth. Consider if you really need this size, or if it would probably be better to just go for a more maneuverable kayak.

Waited a long time to find this boat new or used. Bought the 10e NXT online BassProShop while hunting the internet for one over a year and lucked out. Worth the wait , extremely stable , I’m 220 lbs , and my son 160lbs , battery 70lbs ,trolling motor , all our gear and this boat never wavered.

Lots of fun , felt safe at all times. Built very sturdy , pontoon style ,and the RamX plastic body , rubber bumper around the two parts of the boat is not an issue as you might have read or heard online.

I own a 8e also which is 6 yrs old and the RamX body , the rubber bumper and the two halves of our 8e six year old boat is solid. I highly recommend the Pelican Bass Raider 10e NXT and the 8e also. Fun to modify , and the 10e is safe for 2 fishermen and the 8e great for a solo fisherman.

I have had the Sun Dolphin Sportsman 10 for a few weeks. I have had it out on a small pond twice. I have made a few customizations to it so far. This review is based on having two people throughout. I was between purchasing the 8′ and the 10′ but I am very glad I went with the 10′.

The space is perfectly adequate, and I can imagine having less being a bit uncomfortable. Size and Weight: The boat is listed as weighing 138 lbs, I am guessing that doesn’t include the seats. 138lbs is actually pretty manageable when there are two people trying to move it.

So far I have loaded it into two different truck beds without a problem. However, moving it by oneself would probably prove quite difficult, especially because it’s over 10′ long. My battery weighs probably another 60 lbs, and my motor around 20.

I find it easier to take as much out as possible when trying to load it. Having a trailer would make it all a lot easier, but with the hassle of buying and maintaining a trailer and registration. Boating: On the lake, I have a 40lb thrust Minn Kota electric motor to power it.

The motor is probably perfectly sized, however, one could probably enjoy a 45lb, and get away with a 35lb. We’re able to reach probably 3-5 mphs without wind. An anchor is highly recommended; one with the right style for the lake bed one is over, and of the right weight.

I use a 3. 5lb grapnel anchor, which I think is a little insufficient. If it catches rocks, it will usually keep us from drifting, but for the most part, the wind will cause us to drift. On the water, the boat carries probably about 400 lbs and there is no sign of stress or the boat wanting to capsize, it was very stable.

Accessories: The boat comes prewired to have a trolling motor mounted on the bow, which is awesome. Sun Dolphin provides the connectors necessary to plug in. Also, the swiveling seats on the 10′ model are an upgrade compared to the 8′ model.

They are extremely comfortable to my surprise. They allow a good posture, and the cushions reduce any fatigue; I’ve spent 3 hours at a time with no sore butt afterward. Personally, I was able to buy this at a discounted price because a promotion, however, I had already been hoping to purchase the boat.

I am incredibly blessed to have gotten what I wanted for cheaper. It is worth every bit that I paid for it, and if you have the money to pay full price, I would say it’s a great bet.

I love this little boat! This is the perfect bream and crappie fishing boat. It also works pretty good for running trotlines as the boat is easily pulled along the line. I would buy one of these again if this one was lost to me.

Also you can easily increase the speed by putting a trolling motor on each end of this little boat. It also increases the maneuverability while fishing with two people. I would certainly suggest this boat to anyone looking for a lightweight small fishing boat.

I hope this review helps someone and most of all, happy fishing!.

I use this mostly by my self so this worked great as I added a back deck and then tried a front deck but didn’t seem to even out the weight. I will work on it to get it to work but if you just use the boat as it ships then pick your self up a motor and get it titled because ores will get you no where unless they are the 6 foot ores.

this boat is great over all as I used it camping beside a lake and I have never caught more fish in my life. Really recommend this to anyone with a kid or someone wanting to get into fishing or boating.

I have found that the capacity plate says it can take a 3. 5 engine and I have a 40lb motor on it but it probably needs a 45 to 55 lb. Anything in between as well I recommend buying from somewhere else because the buying and shiping process was terrible they shipped it and took 1 week which was ok but when it arrived e drove to Morgantown wv to pick up and they didn’t notarize it correctly and sign the certificate of origin correctly.

the whole process of buying it online to finally at my house and titled was maybe a month. BUY FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Got one of these a few years back thinking it would be a fun toy for the kids at the lake. Turns out we use it all the time for areas we can’t take the bigger boat. Last year our neighborhood flooded and all the kids on the street were taking turns paddling around in this.

It was a blast. It’s is much more durable than I would have imagined.

They advertise this as a 3 person boat. There is no way 3 people can fit in it. My husband is 5′ 10″ 165 pounds and he can’t even fit in it let alone with me being 5′ 6″ 155 pounds. The oars are very flimsy as well.

The manual pumping method would have taken forever, so we just used an air mattress pump. After we bought it I realized they sell it for $80 in other stores. We returned it as soon as it shipped. Definetly not worth $120 with taxes.

We found something else for $90, 4 feet longer with storage and aluminum metal oars. Shop around, if you’re traveling with more then one person it isn’t worth it.

I liked the safety of the design. The molded oar lock is rectangular instead of round and just barely fits my small aluminum oars. My plastic oars would not have fitted. I have other Sevylor boats so I know they know better.

I taken it out twice now and it rows nice and easy. I found the inside depth of the boat to be a little shallow. Unless you are sitting on the floor, the oars hits your legs. I only use a 4 inch seat and I hit my knee (I am only 5′ 4″ tall).

Oh not having oar holders is a little inconvenient as now I have to carry the oars to the lake along with my other gears. Overall I am still happy with the purchase for the price.

I seldom give 5 stars unless I have been using the product long enough to be that enthusiastic. However, I only purchased my boat a month ago and have only assembled and disassembled it. It will be spring before it hits the water.

From what I can tell, it appears to be well made, and the components are of good quality. Pumping the boat up with the foot pump would be brutal. The foot pump really should be considered a backup incase your electric inflator isn’t working.

I found my Milwaukee junior leaf blower works excellent, extremely fast fill, but it won’t deliver full recommended pressure. But sitting in the sun will probably finish the job. Really looking forward to putting it on the water.

I think it will do everything the manufacturer claims it will.

Well. It took longer than the 5 minutes to fully assemble as advertised. About 30 min. But once assembled it worked out very well. Add an electric motor, skegs, and other accessories and this is great boat to use without the need for a boat trailer.

Love my Seaeagle! I particularly enjoy the ability to silently glide across high mountain lakes and watch the various wildlife without scaring them off. It is the perfect platform for all types of fishing whether it be fly or spinning.

Really appreciate that. When the time comes, I will definitely purchase another, and my son and grandson are getting close!.

Yes, it’s phenomenal in even up to class 3, except you’ll be bailing it out all the time because it doesn’t have an inflatable floor or self bailing holes. You can add scuppers or make it self bailing since there’s no after-market air floor available for it either.

So, it’s just a grandma/ grandpa lake toy that looks and is built like a river raft. I so hate this thing. My wife won’t let me buy a $1300 Daggar / Jackson / Piranha or a good $2000 10 foot river raft so we spend all our time bailing this POS out and it’s miserable and makes me wish i was i on my 21′ power boat.

Do yourself and rent a good raft for $100 and enjoy your day. This is one of those perfect ideas / horrible execution and design type of deals. I’m not even sure it would make a good fishing boat so i’m not really sure what that stupid thing is for except to frustrate and anger people.

Seems to do a good job at that until someone makes an inflatable floor for it or a high speed battery powered bilge pump. I haven’t tried the $30 battery bilge pumps out, but i doubt they would be enough to make me happy with this.

Otherwise, it is awesome once you cut the oar mounts off and make a small metal seat and oak rack system for the back of it. I guess an inflatable floor adds $1600 to the price of a river raft! This raft could have been the slam-dunk smack-down to all of the stupid-over-priced river rafts, but instead it came to the $400 gun fight with a $2000 samurai sword.

Don’t over tighten the valves or they leak! Also, the inflatable keel has held up well to dragging over shallows, but i guess we just got lucky from all the bad reviews of people saying it rips easily.

Granted, we are getting out and pulling it over smooth river stones. We’ve had it 7 years and use it 2 to 3 times per Summer. And again, i hate it every time i use it on the river. And if i’m on a lake i better have at least 350 horse power or i might as well paddle board.

an aluminum, having had my share of bent and dented seats after dropping weight belts, etc. The wood is bullet proof. Shipping was super fast, and communication with the seller was 5 star also. Like I said, this isn’t my first inflatable rodeo, so I have a pretty good idea of what works for us.

It’s has to be tough, easy to install aluminum floor, easy to assemble and disassemble, and hold together in the worst ocean conditions. For the price, it’s the best value on this size and spec inflatable, with a large company with a whole lot of accessories for this boat, from trolling motors, to under-seat storage, to complete canopy for winter use.

Consider using a low cost, light trolling motor instead of feeling you need an expensive, heavy and messy outboard. The trollers are the bomb these days. Highly recommend for fishing, diving, family fun in small, affordable package from known manufacturer.

Kevin T.

This is a great boat! It is really well constructed and very durable. It has many different uses weather as a rescue boat or to use to get to shore from boat or as just a simple boat for fishing it is top of the line quality and performance for bargain price.

I also bought trolling motor from Aleko and marine battery in nearest Walmart store for $50. THis is it! All the rest comes with the boat. It fits in the trunk of our compact car when deflated (takes 10-15 min to put it together or deflate).

Our family is having fun! This is a great buy!.

I bought this boat few month back, it is so good. It has thick PVC. It also has pre-installed rod holders that are very useful. That is the best price on market, I dream for that type of boat for a long time and only now when I found ALEKO I was able to buy it.

That boat is incredible stable, I can walk in it with no problem. Now I can go fishing with my family and have fun on it with a gas motor.

This unit is exactly what I’ve been looking for in order to attach a seat to my small, freshwater fishing boat. It was very difficult attaching the seat to the unit, but once it’s done there is no need to go through the acrobatics again.

I had zero idea what I was doing because there were NO INSTRUCTIONS included with the product. On that note, I winged it and finally figured it out but I am still not sure if there isn’t a much easier way to attach a boat seat to this clamp.

The clamp works well and is easy to attach and remove. Two safety bars are included and recommended but they are supposed to be screwed into the boat, I think, (again, no instructions) which would make it impossible to remove the seat once it is in place.

I store my boat outside chained to a tree near a lake across the road. It is there year round. My goal was to have a seat I could remove, so I did not use the safety clamp feature. Several times the seat has slipped on me a little, and this could be dangerous, but knowing this can happen I am careful to tighten the clamp and check that it doesn’t get loose while I’m out on the boat.

The swivel feature works great! Overall I’m happy with my purchase, but it was very frustrating initially because of the lack of instructions for attaching a seat to the clamp.

I purchased clamp to swivel seat to my Jon Boat. I already knew they werent reliable, but I used 2 endless loop tie straps to secure the seat mount to the boat seat. Bad design on bolts and wing nuts, you cant turn them because mount is so low.

If your seat is narrow plan on cutting 4 mounting bolts to long.

The Springfield Jon boat seat clamp (mount) works very good. The two additional brackets that secure the clamp to the lower sides of the seat help keep the clamp from ever getting lose or coming off.

These brackets are the reason I bought the Springfield clamp as most other makes don’t have them. I very happy with this product and would recommend it to others looking for a seat clamp.

My wife and like to fish, however fishing from shore is so limiting. We bought the pond prowler as we did not want another item to tow let alone the mortgage prices you pay for an item that will have limited use.

So far it exceeds expectations. There are drawbacks such as needing to carry it to the water and then load it up. Minor inconvenience in our eyes. If you just glance at the seats you may assume they would not be comfortable.

We found that to be untrue. We are both in our 50’s and have spent up to four hours fishing with no discomfort. Your experience may vary. We put a small trolling motor on for power. FYI, once you do that, you must register it with fish and game in TX.

We have found that after only two trips the letters and registration sticker are not designed for the rough surface of the boat. We will secure in another manner to ensure they are present. Thanks to this boat, we scored 10 catch today split evenly between my wife and I.

Might not have had that luck from shore. I would recommend this boat or one similar for a two person excursion.

Bought this little 10′ pond prowler 2 months ago 2021, this thing is a peice. When i first purchased, the next day after vetting it home when the sun hit the boat i could see little pin holes all in the plastic(it’s really thin plastic).

So because of the pin holes obviously it takes on water slowly. So my first time taking the boat out a come back let the water out of the inside of the boat and peices of wood started coming out. I Identified this wood as pieces of OSB, i guess the transom thats built-in on the inside of the boat(that holds water) is made out of OSB.

Wow just wow. Now folks the fun doesn’t stop there. I’ve taken the boat out about 5 times and the plastic is now warped horribly on the sides, it looks as if the side of the boat is caving in. I weigh 150Lbs so im sure its not because of weight in the boat.

Aslo ive tried to Contact the KL outdoors company (makers of the boat) through phone and email and get no replies, even after weeks no replies. Dont do it.

My Buddy and I have taken this out on the lakes a few times now, and it went very well. The boat was very stable with two in it, and there was enough room for both of us to fish. He bait fished and I fly fished, and we had a blast.

I see where others have stated that water can get into the boat, I believe through the pole holders, and fill the inside. Yes I do keep mine covered with a tarp. Mine came with two plugged holes in the front of the lower section for draining out water.

I would expect that some moisture will get in the bottom as condensation. Mine seems to be put together with a very sticky adhesive and heavy duty staples, with the rubber trim over the top. Haven’t had any issues yet.

We have had it out several times now, and even in some large lakes, with no issues. I have a 36 lb. Minkota pushing it, and we are happy with it.