Customer Reviews

RST Marine Navigator II 500 Heavy Duty Inflatable Recreation Boat

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This raft is exactly what I wanted. I bought it for rafting down the Truckee River in Reno and Lake Tahoe. It is tough and durable and no problems over the rocks and rapids. I plan on taking it further up the river next spring (should be a tougher ride).
I have had as many as 4 adults and 2 small children on a 3 hour trip down the Truckee (that's as full as it gets).

[...] This boat is nice and rigid, with a good streamlined hull shape for low drag, and both these qualities are important for sailing. It comes with a good pump and pressure guage, which really helps for proper inflation. It's designed for higher pressure than most mass-market inflatable boats. All around, it seems really well designed and well made. The closest comparable products on the market are the Intex Mariner (same size, but much heavier due to solid floor) and the Intex Seahawk II (smaller and a little lighter). Both of these also sail well and cost less. But this is better made and has the space of the Mariner without being very much heavier than the Seahawk II. All in all, it's a very welcome addition to the marketplace.

THE GOOD:

The raft itself is amazing. Construction is uber good. valves on sides don't let any air slip and are super easy to use, you can even stand up in the raft on the water. Oar locks are solid, engine mounts are solid, oar holders are solid, fishing pole holders are solid; everything is welded on well.


THE BAD:

Included accessories are crap. The pump and attachments are reasonable. Seat cushions are also reasonable although only made of 1 layer PVC - not like the rest of the boat. Oars are garbage - one has already warped (it did not get left out in sun or abused), my pressure gauge has not worked from the beginning, the bag to hold the boat and the small bag on the boat are both of poor construction and poor materials.

The idea that this boat will accommodate 5 people and 880lbs is ludicrous. Amazon I noticed you already corrected the weight capacity to 830 (although it's 837 technically), but you still have this listed as capable of carrying 5 adults, the boat says 4 adults right on the PVC. 4 adults and light gear would be acceptable river rafting when at least 2 adults are sitting on the side. Fishing is another story all together. I would say 2 adults can fit comfortably with a motor on the back, cooler in the middle, and your fishing gear.


THE UGLY:

If you are starting from scratch and thinking about adding a trolling motor on this boat, it gets expensive fast...

Boat - $400
RST made Motor Mount (which by the way is pretty good quality, although I had to seal the plastic caps at the end of the metal bars on both the motor mount and included paddles with waterproof adhesive because they kept falling out) - $60
Quality dry bag and small dry case for extra valuable stuff - $45
Trolling motor - $170
Deep Cycle Marine Battery - $100
Power Center (Circuit breaker and battery holder) - $60
Battery Charger - $50
Marine Radio (good thing to have) - $50
A good cooler (honestly can you go out on the water without cold beer?) - $50
And this is true at least in Oregon, any motorized water craft needs registered - $70

TOTAL - $1055 (your total could be more, could be less, depending on what you need - I bought some extras I didn't list)

Other items you might need, PFDs, whistles, an anchor, quality replacement paddles, quality PSI gauge, I'm sure there is more I can't think of atm.


THOUGHTS AFTER A SUMMER OF HEAVY USE:

I have taken the raft out about 8 times now. The bottom is very durable. After a night of heavy drinking in the woods, I drug this raft over countless rocks and bush, in an effort to reach the water for a midnight float on Opal Creek. The raft came through this ordeal completely unscathed.

On the other side of the coin... I also seemed to have poked a hole in the top of the floor, and also the top of one of the bladders has a pinhole leak. Also, I cannot seem to get all the air out of the floor at the moment, I think some debris may have found its way into the floor valve and is keeping air from easily escaping when the valve is opened.

We took this boat to Panama city, used it for 8 days, sometimes in 3 foot seas, 150 yards from the shore. Had me, wife and 5 and 8 year old boys fishing in it. Anchored up with the 15 lbs anchor and set around among white capping waves. The boat is comfortable and rigid and took it well. Thought about buying Intex Marirer 4 but after using Navigator I don't want another boat. Multiple reasons: 1. The biggest reason for me,- oarlocks are unbreakable. If you are in rough ocean with the family and your boat has 1 set of plastic swivel oarlocks (and that's what Intex Mariner has) and one of them breaks,- I think you are in trouble... With Navigator this is not an issue. 2. Intex Mariner's oarlocks are positioned towards the middle of the boat which dictates you where to sit, so you can not sit on the tube. Navigator has 2 sets of oarlocks: at the front or in the back. I sit on the tube in the front (saving inside space for gear), right next to the front D-ring (which I use to tie the anchor to), I paddle (sometimes in the wind or current) and I lower down the anchor and tie it to the D-ring right away (before the wind takes me to where I don't want to be): and I don't have to move or ask somebody else (one of the kids?) to tie the anchor. 3. Intex Mariner's floor may be nice but it would be too heavy for my situation. Carrying it up and down the hotels stairs to the 4th floor would be hard. Navigator 500 is roomy yet much lighter then Mariner and we were doing just fine without hard floor.

Here are some minor disadvantages: 1. Paddles are like toys for kids: don't even think about going out in the ocean with them: you'll be crying for help. Buy yourself a $50 set of 6 foot solid shaft, 1 3/8 SeaSence oars: wow they feel solid!
2. Pressure gauge is a great idea in theory but doesn't work in practice. When it is inserted, it doesn't push the inflation valve open to let the boat pressure come back and get shown on the gauge. The gauge only shows pressure coming through the pump and not the pressure in the boat.(Strange, ha?)
3. Return air tube fell out inside the air pump and it stopped working in the very beginning. Had to buy another one from Wall Mart.
4. Unlike Mariner, this boat doesn't have carrying handles on the front and rear. I'm rigging up my own, because it is very uncomfortable to carry it by the grab robe.
5. I wish it had fishing rod holders on both ends of the boat (may be 2 at the front and 2 in the back?) so fishermen on both ends of the boat could enjoy the convenience of rod holders
6. To deflate 2 floor chambers you'll need to insert small straws or tubes in the valves or they will not let the air out. It would be nice not to be dependent on auxiliary pieces to deflate the boat.
7. Used boat carrying bag for 4 days or so and it started to tear. I will have to buy a big and strong backpack for it instead.
8. Be ready to receive a different color boat then advertised: advertised as mustard green but the boat itself is navy green (much darker then online picture)

Let me repeat myself: the things listed above are MINOR disadvantages. Overall this is a VERY NICE BOAT and I would buy it again if I had to. And the most important: I had to contact Red Star Marine customer service for some help and... let me tell you: they went above and beyond and out of their way to make sure I'm happy and satisfied. I will advertise their product any chance I get on the trips we take.

In theory, this is a great boat and there have been a lot of great reviews for it. However, if you get a lemon pressure gauge like I did, beware of overinflating. redstar traders stopped making boats and you will not get a refund, repair, or new boat through them. the lesson is to make sure you inflate the raft several times during your amazon.com return policy period to test the accuracy of the pressure gauge otherwise you will be out $300+ like me. The problem was that the pressure gauge (that you must use with the boat because there is a special connector piece) was way off calibrated and underestimating the actual pressure. The result...a nice loud disheartening pop. Now, the boat still works but chamber 1 and chamber 2 are one big chamber and I don't think that is something you want to boat your family around in.

This boat far far better then "Sevylor Fish Hunter H360" I had previously. H360 now looks to me a toy, bought from a dollar store. Here are some of the observation:

- I filled up the boat 75% the recommended pressure and this boat was solid like a rock.
- Air chamber 1 & 2 fills up in L shape, which was unexpected for me. I was expecting inner chamber and outer chamber configuration like H360.
- Because of its location, air chamber 4 (which is optional to fill - for keel) is hard to deflate.
- Does not have swivel oarlocks. With swivel oarlocks, it is easy to park oars along each side of the boat. Not really a big issue just a convenience.
- You do need to use manual air pump that comes with it to fill it up. Electric Quick pumps does not work very well with this boat. There is a workaround to this issue. Disengage the lock by follow the deflation process as described in the manual. Use quick pump to inflate to the max you can, then engage the lock and fill up rest of the air using manual pump.

Overall 5++++++++. Finally inflatable boat and I can enjoy like a real boat without worrying about storage space.

Well done RST Marine, you did it and you did it right.

I purchased this boat after much research and am very happy with the purchase. I wanted something for me and my son to fish around the lake in and it does the job. It seems extremely durable. The most I have had in this boat is two adults (5'7 & 5'5), my son (9y/o who is very tall) and our equipment. I would not recommend adding any more than that as it may get cramped.

It pumps up very quickly and I like how the pump can also be used to easily deflate the boat after use. The only complaint I have is about the pump. It is made of plastic and mine broke after the second time I used it, so I have to constantly take it apart and reallign the broken part. It is a great pump other than it being easily breakable.

After doing a significant amount of research I ended up buying the Navigator II raft, and I have to say that I am totally satisfied. After going on several day trips with this item, I have absolutely no complaints. It is a great raft for fishing or just exploring!

The outer shell is supposed to be inflated to just over 2 psi, which is more than firm enough to sit on, providing a comfortable alternative to sitting inside the boat. Also, the floor and keel give enough flotation and firmness so that you can easily stand up, unlike many other inflatable rafts I have used. I bought a small electric motor to use with the Navigator (the motor mount did NOT come with the order, and had to be purchased separately) which makes cruising around the lake a blast!

There is plenty of room in the boat for two people plus any gear you may want to bring. If you don't plan on bringing much with you, you can fit three adults in comfortably. Carrying 4 people, as the boat is technically made for, would be tight but could work.

Overall, this is a great raft and I am amazed at how durable it is. With proper care, I am sure that it will last for many years.

The boat is great although it is a chore to pump it up on a hot Texas day. I bought a 110 volt Coleman air pump for $25, money well spent. The electric pump will not put any pressure on the gauge so you still have to finish it with the supplied hand pump. One very good feature of the electric pump is deflating the main chambers, it sucks them flat in seconds! I find that 1 to 1.5 psi is good for the two main chambers and you have to guess at the floor since you don't use the gauge for that. The keel feature puts a hump in the floor when inflated but I've never used it without the keel inflated so I don't know if it is needed or not. The oars are adequate for what I use them for.

I now have the motor bracket and a 30 lb thrust Minn Kota motor on order. My wife and I camp a lot in the East Texas state parks in our pop up camper, the boat fits in the camper when it is folded. My plan is to purchase a deep cycle marine battery for the pop up and use the battery for both the camper and the boat. When I'm done fishing for the day I'll stick the battery back on the camper tongue. The camper has a built in 25 amp charging circuit so I'll have a full battery each time I use it.

When I ordered the boat from Amazon it was $341, then it was unavailable for a few weeks, now it is back and priced at $450. It has become very hard to find the boat anywhere but Amazon so I think they swung a deal with RST Marine. I had a heck of a time finding the motor mount for the boat. Something to note, the motor mount is the same for the Navigator II 500 and the Navigator III 400, the instuctions tell you how to assemble it for the different boats.

The wife and I fit OK in the boat, she is 100 lbs and I am 200. I wouldn't want to add another person. The Amazon ad says it is a 5 person boat but it is rated for 4 persons and that is plainly written on the boat along with the max weight. You would be illegal with 5 people in the boat.

My best experience so far was in Huntsville state park. We had a camp site with lake access for 4 days. We fished in the morning and in the evening. We found the best fishing was across the lake and it wasn't that difficult to paddle across. She caught her first large mouth bass and her first crappie, then a few more. She ended up besting my biggest large mouth by an inch or two, great fun with an amazing little boat.

I looked around at several rafts. This is the nicest inflatable raft I could find. Its sturdier and better built than anything in its price range. The paddles are pretty weak, chances are you will want to buy a motor.