Mission Reef Mat

[KyleP]

Anyone purchased the mission reef mats? Looking for an honest review. We decided on getting something like that rather than a bigger boat this year. Need space for the kids to play while at anchor.

 

[mrcleanr6]

Man those are pricy. Im sure they are a quality piece for that money though. I bought the yamaha mat. A couple other friends bough it as well and when we all go out they zipper together and make one massive inflatable island. The kids love them and never get off the thing

 

[KyleP]

Man those are pricy. Im sure they are a quality piece for that money though. I bought the yamaha mat. A couple other friends bough it as well and when we all go out they zipper together and make one massive inflatable island. The kids love them and never get off the thing

Yea they are not cheap. I have the wife on board with the price if they are worth it. How is the stability on the Yamaha one? Can you walk around, put a chair out etc?

 

[white2kstang]

We bought a Reef85 at the end of the season last year. It seems to made well and it stored back in the bag easily when we unpacked it to check it but we have not used it on the water yet. Looking forward to using it this coming season.

 

[mrcleanr6]

You are not putting a chair on it. Its not super rigid. It a basic heavy duty inflatable. A few kids or even i can stand on but it sags down in the middle. Big enough for prob 5 adults to lay on.The ones you are looking at seem more like an inflatable paddle board.

 

[kgower]

@KyleP We haven't even opened the box yet but we picked this one up. Much less expensive had good reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CISS2A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[HangOutdoors]

We have been eye balling the Reef85. The Admiral wanted one of the lily pads, but the thing is so damn big to lug around. A git pricey.

 

[mrcleanr6]

@KyleP We haven't even opened the box yet but we picked this one up. Much less expensive had good reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CISS2A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That is the yamaha one. Its actually made by airhead but they private label it for both yamaha and that company

 

[Sotally Tober]

So I've owned multiple Aqua Lilly Pads over the last 12 years or so. I love them but they are a pain to haul around, load, set up, and store. This time around we decided to purchase a Reef 85 from Mission. Unfortunately they have been on back order for the last month; however, Mission does expect their next shipment to arrive within two weeks and can expect it to ship then. We decided to pay the extra money for the Reef 85 due to the fact that it can roll up and easily be stored in the boat while not in use. Also, the Mission Sentry fender is a quality product so we figured why not.

 

[KyleP]

@KyleP We haven't even opened the box yet but we picked this one up. Much less expensive had good reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CISS2A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Let me know how you like it!

 

[kgower]

Let me know how you like it!

Will do. hope to be in the water mid to late March.

 

[Troch1]

I have this one...

Blue Water Inflatable Deck Large Water Raft, 8ft x 8ft x 6in - BWDK-886 | Blue Water Toys

Durability has also been assured as Blue Water has gone the extra mile to provide owners an inflatable deck that's made of a laminated UV resistant high grade PVC material. This translates to an increasingly steady experience that will allow owners to partake in any number of activities...

bluewatertoys.com

While it adds a bunch of square footage that easily supports beach chairs, it’s not super comfortable to be on on your knees or to lay on because it is so hard. Inflated to 10+ psi, the thing is like hitting cement when you fall on it.
Other than that, it’s a huge PIA to inflate as its freaking huge compared to the available space on our boats to actually blow it up. It’s also very difficult to store as its heavy and doesn’t fold well due to the material’s thickness.

All in all, would not recommend such a large size if you plan to inflate/deflate/store every outing. Also, for smaller kids, I’d get a softer vinyl mat and let them wrestle on that.

 

[mrcleanr6]

Yea that is what i like about the yamaha/airhead one. Its soft and comfortable but can still support alot of people. Small and stores easily in our boats. I think there is enough seating in our boats where i dont feel like i would need to put a chair on one. Its more like the roll up mats but easy to transport

 

[2kwik4u]

We have been eye balling the Reef85. The Admiral wanted one of the lily pads, but the thing is so damn big to lug around. A git pricey.

Neighbhor has a lilly pad. Kids love it, but if you're not on a pontoon there isn't anywhere to store it while doing other things. he straps his to the "front porch" on his boat and it works out well. I'm not dealing with that on my little 19 ft'r.

We have an iDrodisc that we got on sale for $100. I've sat in a reclining lawn chair with ours before. here's the 9yr old standing on it last summer. We drug it around behind the boat a few times. It's quite entertaining to ride at 9-10mph. There is NO directional control, and that is both good and bad. Has a nice "handle catch" that makes it easy for the smaller ones to ride. not the same as a REEF, but similar construction.


I really like the idea of a REEF mat, but haven't ponied up the cash for one yet. being able to fold them back down and actually store them is a big plus IMO. Mostly likely just going to add a high pressure 12V pump this year and keep rocking the disk. I've been inflating this thing by hand for two seasons. My arms look great, but holy crap it's a LOT of air to get it filled. This one is 5' diameter and take ~10min to inflate by hand.

 

[Sotally Tober]

Let me know how you like it!

Our Boating season is scheduled to start on 18 March with 10 days on the Lower Colorado River in Arizona. Will provide an update shortly after =)

 

[F.M.]

I have one similar to the Reef. Ours is a HO Sports 5x10. We've had it for 3 seasons, going into the 4th season this year. It inflates just like a paddle board and is fairly rigid at 9-10 psi. With 4 or 5 overweight adults on it, it won't taco with you. The kids do cartwheels on it and wrestle (play king of the mat). The kids love it. As an extra bonus, when there are no kids, the ladies love tanning on it.

I inflate it with an auto shutoff pump because the hand pump takes way too long, I just set the psi and walk away until the pump cuts off.

It only takes about 2 minutes to deflate and store. Just pop the valve, fold in half length wise, then starting at the end opposite the valve, fold/roll in about 1ft sections and it deflates as you roll. When you make the last fold, close the valve. Super easy. And folded like that it easily fits under a seat.

We had one that was more like a regular inflatable, but it popped in the first season. I would highly recommend the paddle board or Sup type inflatable, well worth the investment.

 

[Vince]

We’ve had the 6’x8’ Mission mat for 3 seasons now and love it. It’s probably the most used accessory we’ve purchased behind the grill. We considered the roll up mats but they take up way too much space when not in use.

We’ve had no issues with tears and leaks and the material and build quality is excellent. I’d describe the material similar to what is used on those inflatable rubber rafts/boats.

The mat is somewhat heavy even for the small (6x8) version so I’d take that into consideration if you are looking for a larger one. We have a ‘16 242 and I can easily inflate the mat from the cockpit by unfolding it over the transom seats. I use an electric inflatable pump and then switch to the hand pump at the end to reach the desired pressure. I just push it in the water when inflated and repeat in reverse to deflate.

The mat is rigid and you can easily stand on it (balance is key!). The kids wrestle on it, adults lay on it, dog will stand on it, and it gets used as a huge table when we’re in the water just floating. Other things we like about the mat was the thin height which makes it easier to get on from the water. The D ring on the bottom allows for an easy tie off point, and we’ll even tie it off to a small mushroom anchor at times. The best part is it fits under a seat when not in use.

Only downside is this isn’t something you will want to inflate and deflate multiple times in a day but that likely holds true for any of these kind of mats.

They are expensive but worth it from our experience.

 

[KyleP]

We’ve had the 6’x8’ Mission mat for 3 seasons now and love it. It’s probably the most used accessory we’ve purchased behind the grill. We considered the roll up mats but they take up way too much space when not in use.

We’ve had no issues with tears and leaks and the material and build quality is excellent. I’d describe the material similar to what is used on those inflatable rubber rafts/boats.

The mat is somewhat heavy even for the small (6x8) version so I’d take that into consideration if you are looking for a larger one. We have a ‘16 242 and I can easily inflate the mat from the cockpit by unfolding it over the transom seats. I use an electric inflatable pump and then switch to the hand pump at the end to reach the desired pressure. I just push it in the water when inflated and repeat in reverse to deflate.

The mat is rigid and you can easily stand on it (balance is key!). The kids wrestle on it, adults lay on it, dog will stand on it, and it gets used as a huge table when we’re in the water just floating. Other things we like about the mat was the thin height which makes it easier to get on from the water. The D ring on the bottom allows for an easy tie off point, and we’ll even tie it off to a small mushroom anchor at times. The best part is it fits under a seat when not in use.

Only downside is this isn’t something you will want to inflate and deflate multiple times in a day but that likely holds true for any of these kind of mats.

They are expensive but worth it from our experience.

Thanks for the info. I think we have settled on getting one. I just wanted to make sure they were as advertised, and it sounds like they are

 

[F.M.]

Only downside is this isn’t something you will want to inflate and deflate multiple times in a day but that likely holds true for any of these kind of mats.

If my kids decide they want to do some watersports instead of just swimming, I make sure they know, "if I deflate and put away the mat, I'm not getting it back out." That usually guarantees at least a few hours of nothing but relaxation for me and the misses.

 

[2kwik4u]

If my kids decide they want to do some watersports instead of just swimming, I make sure they know, "if I deflate and put away the mat, I'm not getting it back out." That usually guarantees at least a few hours of nothing but relaxation for me and the misses.

We've made the same rule on the smaller disc, as well as the tube. I don't like dealing with either inflated if we aren't using them. Both fit under the starboard rear seat when deflated which is nice. Usually not a big deal, but does make them think twice on which activity they want to do