Before starting inflatable boat fishing, this is what I thought:
“It’s an inflatable boat. You just pump it up, right?”
Air goes in, engine goes on, and off you go.
…That was the plan.
Then I tried assembling it at home for the first time.
Turns out, it’s real work.
This is a record of my first attempt —
and how many times my motivation nearly snapped while assembling and packing an inflatable boat.
The Big Picture: Basic Assembly Flow
- Carry everything out of the house
- Inflate the boat
- Install the floorboards
- Mount all the small accessories
- Final checks
On paper, it’s simple.
On paper.
① Just Carrying the Gear Outside = Already Sweating
First problem: volume.
- Inflatable boat body
- Floorboards
- Outboard motor
- Dolly wheels
- Anchor
- And a surprising amount of “other stuff”
Each item is manageable on its own.
But together?
It’s just… heavy.
By the time I moved everything from the house to the yard,
“Wait, did I already go to the gym today?”
Light workout achieved.
② Inflation Time Takes Way Longer Than Expected
Now comes the pumping.
I used a manual pump.
It never ends.
I did have an electric pump,
but it was a cheap one I’d bought for something else,
so for proper pressure,
manual pumping was unavoidable.
“Almost there.”
“Still soft.”
“One more round.”
Repeat until:
Sweaty. Out of breath.
In summer,
this will absolutely become
a form of punishment.
③ Floorboards: The Final Boss
Inflatable boats rely on floorboards for rigidity.
These boards?
The timing matters more than you expect.
Fully inflated — they won’t fit.
Too deflated — everything shifts halfway through.
“Here?”
“No… maybe not?”
“Is this angle wrong?”
I was muttering to myself the entire time.
Too tight, and nothing goes in.
Too loose, and everything slides out of alignment.
Adjusting without knowing what ‘correct’ even looks like.
④ Small Gear Setup Eats Time for Breakfast
Once the floor is in, it’s time for rigging.
- Rod holders
- Flag
- Fish finder transducer
- Anchor rope length adjustment
First time?
All of it.
“Where is this supposed to go?” mode.
Install it.
“That’s in the way.”
Remove it.
“Maybe here?”
Time disappears quietly and efficiently.
Endless Trial and Error in the Yard
I did all of this in my yard first.
With limited time,
adjust,
pack,
inflate again,
adjust again.
Honestly,
“Should I just take it out once and deal with it later?”
crossed my mind more than once.
But I stopped myself every time.
If something feels wrong offshore, you can’t fix it there.
So I kept adjusting on land
until I was at least
reasonably satisfied.
I’ll write about detailed rigging setups another time.
Packing Up Should Be Easy, Right?
At home,
- No seawater
- No sand underneath
So I thought,
“Just deflate it.”
…Nope.
That story deserves its own post,
along with the first actual trip to the sea.
Looking Back
Now that some time has passed,
this whole process was interesting
and genuinely educational.
But at the time,
I did not expect this hobby to be this exhausting.
Honestly,
“Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
That thought crossed my mind more than once.
I’m not fluent in English, but I really wanted to share this story.
So I tried my best using translation tools to write this post.
If you find anything that sounds strange, unnatural, or offensive,
please let me know in the comments.
I’ll check it carefully, translate your feedback, and fix it.
Thank you for reading!
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