Are there any suggestions for an emergency, rarely used, BOB (bug-out BOAT) for use in a flood zone?

I have the cheap Coleman inflatable boats for 2 people but doubt it would stand up to any use. I am looking for a boat such as an inflatable liferaft, or aluminum bottom boat, and preferably one that could be well-used with a small motor.

Any ideas? Costs?

Thanks

My votes for a canoe. Lightweight (relative to an aluminum flat bottom), low maintenance, and can carry a fair amount of gear.

The town where I went to school had a flood in the 80's and afetrward every other house had one of those aluminum fishing boats in the back yard, it was pretty funny to see.

My suggestions would either be a canoe or a flat bottom john boat, neither sit low in the water. So if you have to go through shallow as well as deep water either because of the dept of the water or because of obstructions you'll be able to. They make some hard bottom inflatables but they are expenxive and you still run the risk of puncturing the inflatable sides. You can pick up canoes and john boats pretty cheap, if you can't find either a V or Semi V will be better than nothing.

You can pick up a used canoe or john boat around here fairly reasonable, I have seen them under 200.00 all depends on bells and whistles, thats probably the exception to the rule, expect to pay anywhere up to 1,000.00 which might also get you a small motor either gas or electric.

If you do decide on a canoe I would suggest attaching pontoons to make it more stable, any dealer would have the kit.

Could you tell us a little more about how you foresee using the boat in a flood, some more about the type of conditions found in the flood area, and the budget you had in mind?

Jeff

I think my biggest question would be to ask your options for storing the boat. An inflatable seems like a good idea if your do not have the room to store a canoe. As I live in a NYC apartment, there is no room for a canoe unless it becomes the coffee table. When I finish my house in a suburb, I should have room, but that won't happen before the end of summer. Budget, intended use and the durability you want would be next on my list of things. Your intended use should also consider how much you want to bring with you in this boat.

john boat..flat botton and very stable..you could carry
alot in it..canoes would be tricky for people who have
no experence around them..think about a mom with a baby
and bags trying to get in and out of a canoe--john boats
go as fast as you would want--with no tricky bends to the
hull they are easy to repair with sheet metal and pop
rivets--you can run the bow of a john boat up on a bank
and it will be stable--a canoe with its just it's bow up
on something tips very easy..you could carry a john boat
in the back of a pick-up if you needed too..
the guides in canoe country use them as "tow" boats--they get
a lot of wear and tear but keep going..

In general I'm a fan of the freighter-style canoes. However, for the home in the 'burbs the john (or is it jon?) boat is probably best for the reasons stated above. For an apartment maybe you could look into a Sevylor or something similar. I am not sure if you can use compressed CO2 to inflate them. Just my two cents.

A canoe make the most sense but I think these would be more practical (until you ran out of gas)

http://www.argoatv.com/recreational/recdetailvehicles.aspx?x=Eyd6xjM6%2fFP8uuK%2bZYevYg%3d%3d

A few years ago parts of Edmonton flooded pretty badly. I was working at a dealership that sold these and the new models were parked outside in a coral waiting for PDI. They were so boyant we had to hop in one and ride out into the yard to lasso and anchor them before they floated out into traffic!

If you only have yourself to worry about and have little stuff to deal with, I suggest a kayak