In spring of 1997 I bought a little inflatable boat from West Marine. (Specifically, a SB-285, which had an length over all of 9.4 feet, had a Plywood floor.) It costs about $1000 so it is more than a toy, but is definitely at the small end of serious inflatables. Actually, it was a very nice little boat; rated for up to an 8 horsepower motor. The one I got had a slight manufacturing defect. It leaked. Not much, about a quart of water each day. While I was disappointed in having a defect it turned out for the best. I returned it and got my money back! (The leak was a defective weld where the floor joined to the side tube.) Not knowing that it leaked, I took it to Las Vegas and spent 17 days on Lake Mead camping from the boat. It was a bit cramped, but I was certainly able to carry more gear than one does when they backpack.

Obviously, in a boat that size it would be impossible to carry enough gasoline for the entire trip. Most people with powered boats refill their gas tanks daily; but I did not want to be limited by the size of my fuel tank. For most people, that leaves two options: Row or put up sails. But, an inflatable is not really suitable for either. So I bought a Solar panel. At the time, it was the biggest standard one that Siemens made. (For custom installations, I guess they will make about any size you want.) The one I bought was rated at 75 watts.

Even the smallest electric trolling motors take more than 75 watts. The saving grace comes from the fact that in the spring you can depend on bright sunlight about 14 hours a day around Las Vegas . I bought two six volt deep cycle batteries. Fishermen, only going out for a day; and with a big outboard, usually use a single 12 volt marine battery for trolling. But I felt I might need more capacity since it would be my only power. As it turned out I probably could have gotten by with one 12 volt battery.

The motor I chose was a Minn Kota 42EX because, in terms of pounds of thrust per Ampere of current, it was the most efficient one they made. It is important to get one with variable speed, not that 5 speeds wouldn't be enough; but the variable speed ones use Pulse Width Modulation, and at lower speeds they are 5 times more efficient. Incidentally, Min Kota is owned by Johnson World Wide Associates who also own own: Scubapro, Ocean Kayak, Old Town, Eureka, Johnson Sea Horse, and other sporting goods companies.

The only other equipment I felt I needed was a Cellular Phone and a GPS, so I could tell rescuers where I was at; if I needed an expensive helicopters ride. I bought a water proof box (available at SCUBA stores) to keep them in, and attached it to the Life Jacket that the Coast Guard requires you to have. If the boat and my heavy batteries sank; the phone, the GPS, and my hide is what I wanted to save.

Although I don't smoke; I rigged up a cigarette lighter to provide power to charge the Cell phone and GPS batteries. I was delighted to find that I had more than enough electrical power. I had anticipated that I might have to stay in one spot, like every other day, to let the batteries recharge. But, in fact, almost everyday when I got back in the boat after a lunch break, the charge controller was cutting off the battery charging. (You should have a charge controller to prevent over charging of the batteries.) My experience was that you really don't want to boat for more than a couple hours at a time. You need to get out and stretch your legs. Also, it felt good to go swimming to cool off. I took swim fins and a mask, and for me I would not take the trip if I could not get in the water.