cynthiarose
COLORADO
MH
Posts:133
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| 06/08/2012 11:36 AM |
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Ok so we're considering buying a small 4 person inflatable raft since ultimately it will be cheaper to buy one of these then rent a boat for a day on our vacation.
Mike has concerns about taking Havoc on the boat. Actually his biggest concern is that Havoc will damage it. Does anyone have experience using an inflatable fishing boat/raft ?
Here is the one we're considering
http://www.amazon.com/Intex-Sehawk-4-Boat-Set/dp/B00177BQC6/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1339103898&sr=1-4
What precautions should we take? This will be Havocs first trip on the water whether we decide to rent or go ahead and buy this thing. I'm planning on getting him a life vest, is there anything else I should do? |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
MH
Posts:1191
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| 06/08/2012 11:57 AM |
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I personally wouldn't be brave enough to try a do and an inflatable boat unless I knew the dog was super calm in a boat and I had a thick canvas or something to go under him/her.
We just canoed with Bella for the first time and she did VERY well but a dog isn't used to the movement of a boat so she often sunk those feet in to brace herself.
It would, to me, take just one attempt to jump out for those nails to shred the boat. But maybe they are stronger than I remember. Others may have first hand experience to speak of. I know werubbertummy recently mentioned attempting to do so... And I believe she was planning a recent camping outting. She may come back with some knowledge for you  |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 06/08/2012 2:18 PM |
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| yeah I am not sure an inflatable would work well... I buy kiddie pools the hard type not blow up and my dogs put holes in those... |
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DrWiffel
Prior Lake, MN
MH
Posts:175
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| 06/08/2012 2:27 PM |
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Bring lots of duct tape! Just kidding, but really I wouldn’t use an inflatable. Sounds more like a recipe for disaster rather than relaxation. You could take a look on CL for a small boat without a trailer or motor. Probably run between Free to $200 for one that floats. And just throw that on top of your car, no real need for a trailer unless you can’t put it on top of your car.
Good Luck!
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cynthiarose
COLORADO
MH
Posts:133
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| 06/09/2012 11:12 AM |
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The only problem with purchasing a boat/canoe would be that I have no where to store it unfortunately.
The raft we're looking at, and some other similar ones, are made for lake/river usage and made to take some impact from rocks, branches, etc. (made with 30 gauge PVC vinyl) If I have Havocs nails filed pretty good, do you think that they would still be able to do more damage than whatever we would perhaps scrape in a lake or river?
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
MH
Posts:3136
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| 06/09/2012 3:29 PM |
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| maybe you could get a rubber cargo mat to put in the bottom for Havoc to sit on... |
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weerubbertummy
Ayrshire, Scotland
MH
Posts:726
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| 06/10/2012 1:19 PM |
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Hey CynthiaRose - we had planned to use our sevylor inflatable kayak when holidaying in the north west coast of Scotland with Keely based on our experiences taking Kintra out on a rib (with a solid floor admittedly).
In the end we abandoned the idea because of the room it takes up in the camper (still a lot of room even when deflated) and also because Keely is still gaining experience in the water. I do think she would be ok when a little older and experienced(and with clipped claws) in an inflatable (the sevylor ones are pretty heavy duty) but if she panicked or grabbed-on we could spend a lot of time making repairs!
I am however looking at solid plastic sit-on-top kayaks for the time being as i think she could gradually become accustomed to that while she is gaining her confidence. From my experience of the sevylor kayak (cant remember what model) i think a calm dog (and with a mat at the bottom as suggested) would be ok but cant comment on the boat you are looking at. Great fun though  |
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Miss you forever Kintra baby xxx |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
MH
Posts:1191
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| 06/10/2012 1:47 PM |
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I forget too that you still have a wee bitty guy too who needs puppy naps and would be easier to control.
Give it a try. Oh, I also meant to ask if you had looked into renting a boat. Most places have some sort of rental place of where you live is at all outdoorsy.
Good luck report back! |
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cynthiarose
COLORADO
MH
Posts:133
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| 06/11/2012 10:17 AM |
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Thanks for the input guys. I think we have decided to ditch the inflatable idea for the time being. We're spending a week at Lake McConaughy in Nebraska. We aren't even sure how Havoc will be around the water so making the investment in the boat the first time we go out with him may have turned into a great disappointment. He runs through shallow water in the creek near our house, but will not go in past his ankles with out freaking out. I think we're going to take it slow and see if we can get him in and swimming before we chance taking him on a boat and perhaps having him jump out.
If we really want to, there is a place there that rents aluminum boats- but at about $175/day it was going to be cheaper to buy the raft and get to use it over and over again. |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
MH
Posts:1191
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| 06/11/2012 10:28 AM |
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I think renting is the better option for now. You will be there for a week so spend a day acclimating him to water and see how he does. Bella has the fish gene so it didn't take but a minute for her to realize she loved and wanting to be in the water. Problem with this is, she also doesn't necessarily want to be a in a boat..she wants to be in the water.
If you are staying at or near a campground on the lake, they usually have very reasonable boat rentals too (though, they may require you be camping there, but I'm not sure). |
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JoeyBean
Albany, NY
MH
Posts:315
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| 06/11/2012 2:04 PM |
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I think you made the right decision. I would definitely stay away from an inflatable. We've taken joey in canoes and kayaks many times... but as smatulawitz said, the motion of the boat causes the pup to dig in nails to move with the motion of the boat. It can be pretty entertaining watching them try to stay balanced.
That being said, my buddy has one of these which is an inflatable that is covered with a thick nylon and is very rugged and might work well for your situation, which is why my buddy got one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Sevylor-Inflatable-Colorado-Hunting-2-Person/dp/B0032GRD72/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339444276&sr=8-1
a couple boating pics of joey, I couldn't find a kayak or canoe one off hand:
this one we put her out on her blow up dog bed, she loved it, and that is inflatable with a canvas shell.
and after:
sorry for the pics! can't wait for another summer of boating/gsps! |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
MH
Posts:1191
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| 06/11/2012 2:40 PM |
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| I love the tubing pic! Also, the last one is eerily like something I see here daily. Hubbs and Bella snooze on the couch just like that lol. |
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JoeyBean
Albany, NY
MH
Posts:315
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| 06/11/2012 9:34 PM |
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lol yea, we had couch rules. then they went out the window!!
if you miss out on sleeping with your GSP....well, you are missing out. we figured that out |
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Max2
Oneonta NY
MH
Posts:1111
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| 06/12/2012 5:59 AM |
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| She look's at home on the boat . Good stuff ! |
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Chris |
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cynthiarose
COLORADO
MH
Posts:133
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| 06/12/2012 6:12 AM |
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Great pictures  |
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weerubbertummy
Ayrshire, Scotland
MH
Posts:726
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| 06/12/2012 1:21 PM |
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| Love the one of her standing on the floating bed, and the cuddly pic too - ever get the feeling that they sometimes see us as furniture? ;0) |
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Miss you forever Kintra baby xxx |
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halt3rtop
Innisfil, ONT
JH
Posts:25
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| 06/20/2012 2:15 PM |
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| my gsp bullet enjoys 57mph on the lake...he crawls underneath our console, and when we slow, or stop to fish, out he comes to check things out, and to lay in the summer sun. then again our boat is a 19' skeeter fiberglass bassboat, not an inflatable...if it's a true zodiac, you should be able to get away with it. those things are bomb proof pretty much. but as for a little inflatable, or a blow up raft, i'd be a little leary and hesitant. |
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halt3rtop
Innisfil, ONT
JH
Posts:25
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| 06/20/2012 2:15 PM |
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| my gsp bullet enjoys 57mph on the lake...he crawls underneath our console, and when we slow, or stop to fish, out he comes to check things out, and to lay in the summer sun. then again our boat is a 19' skeeter fiberglass bassboat, not an inflatable...if it's a true zodiac, you should be able to get away with it. those things are bomb proof pretty much. but as for a little inflatable, or a blow up raft, i'd be a little leary and hesitant. |
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roadterp
Posts:2
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| 06/21/2012 9:43 PM |
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I live in Fort Myers Fl with my wife and GSP (Olive). Our boat is an 18 foot skiff and Olive has gone on the boat frequently since she was a pup. When she gets in the boat she calms right down. Absolutely no problem, even when out or long fishing trips. I was worried about a high energy dog in a small boat with low sides but she just takes it down a notch. I bet you will do fine. |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
MH
Posts:1191
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| 07/08/2012 8:58 AM |
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| So, it's obviously a too little too late, but maybe you're still considering one just to have on hand. Earlier this week I had Bella at the beach and a couple pulled up to shore in their inflatable boat and had a pretty big lab with them. It had a fairly large motor on it so it's bound to be pretty heavy duty...but, those things are a lot hardier than I remember than being. Maybe it could work. |
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