$500 Costco Boat Unboxing & Setup

While shopping at Costco we noticed a $500 inflatable dinghy so we decided to see if it's any good. So today we are unboxing, setting up, and testing this Tobin Sports inflatable boat made by Bestway. We will slap a 6.0 HP Hangkai outboard motor on her and see how she runs on the water.

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0:00 Intro
0:21 Unboxing
3:39 Floor
10:30 Seats
11:12 Inflation
15:09 Thoughts, Overview, & Launch
16:28 Oars
18:32 Motor Install
20:02 Water Test
22:05 Final Thoughts/Outro

[Motorhead-hmjq]

I didn't look through all the comments, but I'll share one thing with you my father taught me 55 years ago with my first jon boat. When mounting the motor you put the bow in the water first with the stern barely resting on the shore. Then you can mount the motor standing on dry ground and not risk dropping it in the water by stepping on some unforseen obstacle on the bottom. Then you lift the back of the boat up, slide it into the water about a foot and spin the boat around. I think he figured that out after my drunken grandfather dropped a 5hp Johnson through the bottom of his hand built boat! By the way, my father never drank alcohol - I think that was a double life lesson...

[robertberry]

I've been buying inflateable dingys for 25 years, this has been the best value for the last 3 years and still going strong for this season. And it still fits in the burrito bag.

[hxhdfjifzirstc]

I think the most important rule for inflatables is DO NOT LEAVE THEM IN THE SUN, while fully inflated -- as the temperature of the air inside rises, the air expands, and can pop a seam or hole. Conversely, after you put it into the water, the temperature of the air inside will decrease (from the cold water) and it will appear to lose pressure (so you should have a manual pump on board to put more air in).

[eman]

I have the older version of the Tobin sports with the aluminum floor boards instead of the inflatable floor. It’s 5 years old now and still going strong. I was using a 9.9hp and that was more than adequate. But I wanted to max it out so last year I upgraded to a new merc 15hp EFI and it seems to be taking it just fine. I’ve ran it on the ocean in some pretty big waves, and have had it on rivers and lakes. I’m yet to have an issue of any kind with the boat. I’ve more than gotten my moneys worth out of it. I’ve beaten the crap put it and it still going strong.
So anyone commenting on it saying it’s not trustworthy clearly has never had any experience with it.

[desert-walker]

For some dumb reason I thought the motor came with it lol I was ready to go out and buy one but very nice😊

[AlbertMoyerJr]

A great value for what the company is selling. Impressive in this day and time.

[Morrisfactor]

My first inflatable was a 16' Avon in 1964. I've owned half a dozen since then, including three Hypalon RIB models right now (used as dinghies for my sailboats). I have to say this Tobin appears to be a nice little PVC material boat for a couple of people. The bottom is rather flat so the boat will pound when there are waves, as opposed to a more "V" shaped model so it is better suited for lakes or rivers. The PVC fabric will be lighter in weight and less durable than boats made from Hypalon and more affected by sunlight so be careful not to drag it up on the rocks or beaches and store in under a tarp (or in a garage). But gosh, the price is a quarter of a similar sized Hypalon boat. I think it is an exceptional value!

[mrw]

Every time he says…ALRIGHT….I took a drink….got pretty drunk lol

[pilotarix]

This thing is almost identically with our dinghy which is a low cost Zodiac 310 with inflatable floor. So not bad for the price, this is half the price of the Zodiac. If it holds up to the elements for a couple of years it seems to be a good deal. We use a three hp e-propulsion electric engine which is plenty to go through the marina.

[chrisrichardson]

I got one of those about 5 years ago, was stored inside always. Was great for a year, by end of year 2 all the glued on parts started coming off, by year 2.5 I was tired of trying to glue them back on. The tubes held up well however, but that was it.

Threw it out.

[jimm]

Not bad for a very light craft. For fair weather skippers. Wouldn't recommend taking it out in big waters or windy days with chop.

[patrickholcomb]

THANK YOU!, for making many GOOGAN mistakes and not editing them out!!!
(I actually appreciate that!)
[and the tampon vehicle &-Pink board shorts. Totally desperate points of interest .]

[larryboles]

OUTSTANDING!! Costco got a homerun here.

[karltraveldude]

super views, thank you for sharing ! Enjoy ....

[Moe-puns]

I'm so glad that you got right to it, as far as opening and setting up without a lot of Talking 🗣️

[georgewarner]

Do you know you’ll never get it back in that bag right

[bigdaddy]

Just got done modifying mine, reinforced the transom with particle board and that allowed me to put twin Merc 150's on it for ocean going redundancy. Added a small cabin with bed and TV for ocean crossings and two 5 gallon gas cans. See you in Hawaii.

[CS-ucoh]

That man bun made you forget about that valve...

[cindyreid]

I inflate the floor last. 6 hp will move on out. Thank you for the info.

[michaelmcmullin]

Just bought this boat so thanks for the video showing how to set it up!