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float Pad- which is best?


mtnbkr738

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hi All

I want to buy one of the big float pads (like below) for the family this year.

1) what size is best for family of 4 plus guests?

2) best brand and material and location to buy????

thx!

dan

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I would get one that has the puncture resistant layer in the middle.  I have seen a few brands with it at the shows. 
A few lake buddies have gotten to costco / sams cheapies and seen kids split them in half jumping on them.

The foam is susceptible to punctures or it wouldn't be soft. So kind of need something to help support it. 
The down side is it's harder to roll up and tends to try to hold it's curl. 

I was sold on mine when I saw our dealers mechanic towing his standup behind his boat with it(at idle).

 

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We have the O'Brien 15' Deluxe 4 layer, and it works well.  I wouldn't go any thinner than that.  I know there are other that have a smoother/softer feel to them, but not sure how durable they are.  I have a couple of friends that have "lily pads", but the are pretty thin.  They are a pain to move around and store though.  

If I were to do it again, I would do this:     https://ravesports.com/whoosh-15-02657   or something similar that inflates.  This way I can store it in the boat and is much more portable.  

Edited by Brodie
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They is 2ply and 3 ply or layers. 

The 3 ply are ok for small kids and have the advantage of rolling up smaller and far easier to transport.

3 ply are great and can support much more weight and adults, however they often require 2 adults to roll up and obviously do not roll up near as small.

We have a 3 ply and keep it in the water at dock all summer long because it's a PIA for myself to take out every other day.when we do take it to the Sandbar it's a task to roll up and put onto transom and then strap it down.. kids live it but pia.

I'm looking hard into the inflatable ones now similar price and much easier to transport. The inflatable ones however will support tons of weight And dint sink like the mats so I don't know if it will be as much fun although kids may like it as a slip n slide.. 

Bart's.com has a green one and a yellow one. The two color yellow is 2 layer and had two texture sides more soft . The green one is more rough and more durable but you wouldn't use it as a slip n slide.. the longer the Matt the MORE FUN!! 

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I bought one of the "cheapies" at Sams Club in summer of 2014 (think it was around $300 then when most cost $600+), it still looks great tho i was always careful to make sure it was dried at end of day. No doubt its a PIA at times since they are big, you gotta roll them up...then when you get home unroll and dry and then roll up again (if you wanna make sure no mildew grows). Kids love them tho and it was worth it despite the BS. Last summer I parked that one (actually plan to list it on CL for sale sometime soon this summer) and I bought an inflatable one that is pretty tough feeling, maybe a WOW brand? It was a cheaper one too....folds up into about a 16"x30"x12" thick, so easier to carry around and blows up in about 3mins and so far has held up very well. Took it out to the lake for the kids yesterday.

I was actually at Sams Club today and saw they have a 6x17 (like the one shown above at Costco), for $250.

Also saw someone post a link to one of those higher end ones that Costco is carrying this year, cant remember the brand name. Like everything, ultimately you get what you pay for, but i saw no point is spending huge money on one and its worked out for me just fine and it got used a LOT

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The Costco one is $379 online, but if you go into a store they're $299.  I think Aqua Lily is a good brand, and I know Costco always stands behind their products.

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10 hours ago, Sixer said:

The Costco one is $379 online, but if you go into a store they're $299.  I think Aqua Lily is a good brand, and I know Costco always stands behind their products.

There was 3 left in our store and I thought they were 279 but either way if you're getting one I think you gotta be nuts not to jump on that deal.

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  • 2 months later...
1 hour ago, saxton15 said:

What size did you get @JeffK

I bought this one during one of their sales.  Essentially got this one for the price of the smaller one.

REEF Inflatable Mats - REEF-85 (157" x 78" x 4”)

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15 minutes ago, saxton15 said:

Nice, I like the fact that it packs up out of sight too.  

That was the game changer part for us.  Where we boat, we will regularly take a 20-25 minute cruise to get to our spot.  I can't zip back to our slip to drop it off.  If it is coming with us, it stays with us all day.  We roll it up wet and put it in the floor during the day.  We blow it up in the evenings to dry off.  I could probably towel it off, but that's a big mat to wrestle around to dry off.

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