UKC

I am thinking of buying an inflatable kayak. I know nothing about them, and wondered if anybody on here might have some advice regarding what to buy. It will be for occasional use by myself and my partner in lakes and lochs, probably carrying a picnic. Thanks in advance.

In reply to tmawer:

Really, what do you think?

Perhaps for floating around in 2ft off the shore but beyond that I would doubt their value.

In reply to Removed User:

The £20 ones are bobbins, but the more decent ones (Sevylor etc) are tough and quite well designed. I've got two, and they have been fine on any number of lochs, llyns and meres so far. You have to be more aware of underwater puncture hazards, but out in the middle of the lake they're grand.

They are more prone to wind, but no more than my big canoe, and the ability to pack them down is a plus. The faffing with inflating/deflating every time is a pain though.

In reply to Removed User:


People do some really quite impressive expeditions in some of them, and when you look at the top quality ones the designs are impressive. But then they're not so different in price from a normal, decent quality sea kayak.

In reply to tmawer:

I've not tried one but my guess (from using inflatable dinghies/tenders) suggests they would be inefficient and harder work as their lack of stiffness will absorb your paddling energy. To me they look like a gimmick.

In reply to tmawer:

If you look at some of the top folding kayaks, they have been just about anywhere there is water. Klepper and Folboot are two high-end manufacturers. The list of expeditions on http://www.kirtonkayaks.co.uk/home/catalogue/klepper/11/39-about-klepper.ht... is impressive!

As for inflatable boats, they are probably not as good for open water as folding boats, as they tend to have a lot of windage. However, they are probably better than folders for white water. http://innovakayak.com/store/store.aspx#ecwid:category=179367&mode=cate... and http://www.inceptmarine.com/whitewater-inflatable-kayaks-incept.htm

In reply to MaxWilliam:
. To me they look like a gimmick.

I have heard some people use inflatable kayaks to make descents from remote entry points. They are a lot easier to transport than more conventional playboats, and can still take a lot of punishment.

I am saying all of this second hand, though, as I am not a paddler. But since when has a lack of direct knowledge got in the way of a debate on UKC?!?!?

In reply to tmawer:

My advice really would be "don't", unless you're looking at the top end ones.

Not used one, but the sheer thought of having to pump the damn thing up would put me off first, followed by the pack size taking up half the boot.

In reply to tmawer:

I met a guy in Alska in 2000 and he had an inflatable canoe and was using to travel up the Inside Passage. So I'd say if you get a top end one there's no limit to what adventures will be possible.

In reply to LastBoyScout:
My thoughts would be to spend a bit on it, say £200-£300 or so, but no idea what to get. What I was told was that the valve systems made inflating and deflating not too big a problem, it really is just for a bit of fun rather than anything (hopefully!) too serious,

In reply to tmawer:

My brother's house backs onto a river and he has a couple of these. They seemed really good when I had a go. Good price as well and I was thinking about getting one myself for doing a bit of a tour of the Chateaux on the Loire.

http://cpc.farnell.com/sevylor/204836/sevylor-boat-canyon/dp/LH01508

In reply to Phil Payne:
Thanks for that. Sevylor have been mentioned a couple of times so they may be the one's to look at.

In reply to tmawer:

I appologise and stand corrected if these really are any good. A top end sea kayak is going to cost you well over a grand and up so I can't honestly see 200 pound one competing at the same level.

We were supposed to be using inflatable Sevlars on an expedition I was leading on a remote part of the Peruvian Amazon. We shipped them over from the UK, but when I tried to inflate them the spring-loaded valves stuck open, so were rendered completely useless. Needless to say I was rather peeved! We ended up using some battered and holed ol' faithful ally Grummans which were repaired and stuck together with gaffer tape. And we used some local wooden canoes too. Can't say I'm too impressed with them, but I guess for the ease of packability etc they're hard to beat. I'm very happy in my Wenonah Prospector 16', although the price has rocketed recently- they're now around £1500- I paid £1000 only a few years ago. Off for a three day paddle this weekend actually down the Tummell and Tay, but that's a conversation for a different forum!

In reply to tmawer:

They can be a pretty good way to get on the water. I had a Sevylor Colorado for a year & it was good enough to get me addicted & saving for an open canoe. Certainly not just a toy.

Advantages: basically the fact you can store them easily, carry them in a bag/rucksack, relatively cheap, surprisingly durable (used mine over 50 times before giving to parents & buying a Venture), very hard to overturn.

disadvantages: slower than other canoes & kayaks, take ages to dry, affected by wind quite a lot, pumping up can be a pain, you never quite get used to the worry of puncturing them

I say try it & see! Like most canoes they hold their value well if you sell on.

Check out the reviews on WWW.songofthepaddle.co.uk

In reply to tmawer: As others have said, the Sevylor ones are pretty good for mucking about in, especially when you compare the price to a new or even second-hand canoe. I don't have one but have used my friends' one. We even had three of us in it once! It does lumber a bit but is more rigid than I was expecting when I first used it. Pumping is quick and easy too. For general use for picnics and holidays I don't see how you can go wrong to be honest! They paid about 300 quid for theirs. Co:

In reply to tmawer: I've got a kayak shop on Anglesey, Sevylor have a reputation as the best brand out there. Which model?? Depends on budget.

In reply to tmawer:
youtube.com/watch?v=5V09d9Lk-Sg&
It's not the quality/cost of the craft that is the issue,it's knowing where you are going/doing. Iain

In reply to iain miller: balls of steel

In reply to tmawer:

Hi tmawer,

For the uses you describe there are lots of good things about inflatable kayaks, although the limitations that people have already commented on are all fair.

My wife and I have been using them for about 18 months and the worst thing that I have to say about them is that we don't go climbing as much these days.

Pumping them up really isn't a big deal: it only takes a few minutes with a foot pump. The faff comes with drying them out and cleaning them.

There are two main types: you can get ones that have a PVC/nylon tough outer and a PVC inner, such as most of the Sevylor ones that people have mentioned. You can also get single skin ones which are more rubber-based such as made by Gumotex/Innova.

The single skin ones are vastly easier to dry and clean. They also pack smaller and lighter.

We started out getting a Sevylor copy for about £180 new off ebay. It's a double but although it can take both of us easily we prefer paddling singly rather than sharing a boat and coordinating paddle strokes. It also works fine as a single and has loads of room for camping gear. We've used it on freshwater and sea lochs but the PVC outer is showing signs of wear. This is mainly from the folds when storing and transporting it rather than from rocks and stuff. It

We also have a Gumotex Solar. It's a single, 3m long compared to 4m for the double, and fitting camping gear in is difficult (but doable). Got it second hand for about £140 and it hardly shows a sign of wear from sustained river trips, and not even a hint of any cracking or creasing from storage. Drying and cleaning it takes a tiny fraction of the time of the double skin types.

We can fit camping, climbing and paddling kit as well as the pair of us in a Fiesta with no need for a trailer or roof rack and can store the boats in a cupboard.

If I was starting again I'd go straight for the Gumotex style, but the PVC boats are good too and Tracy's Airhead AHTK1 is more fun in rapids (we only go up to grade 2 and can't comment above that level) as well as being more spacious than the Solar, at the cost of being slower and not tracking so well in flat water. We did manage to put a big rip in the bottom of that one recently, which we have now repaired, and still consider inflatables to be tough and durable beasts - after all, whitewater rafts and zodiacs etc are inflatables too.

If you do a search for apaddleinmypack you get some good information on some of the pros and cons, also paddling.net. Tracy sometimes posts on song of the paddle where you can see some of our boats.

Cheers,

Andy

In reply to tmawer:

A friend rented one this weekend to try out. I can let you know how he got on next week.

Or if you like I'll build you a custom cedar strip canoe. Might be a bit more expensive than the lilo though, and they don't fold up very well.

In reply to tmawer:

I had the dragonfly inflatable, with hardened stern and bow, had built in compass, storage on top, it was great!

I bought it as they kept running out of hired ones, and I wanted to be on the water right NOW, so decided to just go buy one at the watersport shop round the corner.

This was in Canada at Deep Cove in North Vancouver. I had so many compliments on the water, and everyone including in the hired ones asking me where I got it as they wanted one too.

Very buoyant, and fast to pump up by foot pump, and best part, it stored in the bag straight in the boot of your car

I do recommend them.

In reply to:

This is what I had:

http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Elements-DragonFly-Inflatable-Kayak/dp/B000O...

In reply to Phil Payne: Those ones are only 139.99 buy it now on a certain site

In reply to Andy Macpherson:
Many thanks for that, really helpful.

cheers
Tony

Only thing I can think of that's not been said is that they are incredibly stable and hard to capsize. I took our Sevylor Colarado out to try last summer and I could jump up and down on one side without taking it over. I had to literally jump out and pull it with me to capsize. Admittedly I'm not that lardy, but way more stable than traditional Canadian.

Might not matter to everyone, and not what I'd choose for a lot of uses, but fabulous with small kids.

Other slight hassle is you generally need to re-inflate once you get home to dry it out properly.

In reply to iain miller:

Great effort taking on those seas in the Seahawk! Mine has never seen such hardcore service.
That stack looks great too.

I also own a Sevylor Colorado which is brilliant. I've done Grade 3 White Water and been in quite rough seas.
youtube.com/watch?v=mMbkzqLcUbQ&

In reply to charlieg0pzo:

We used to have a Sevylor too! It's brilliant, we only paddled rivers with it but it was always super steady... Not a gimmic for sure.

In reply to tmawer:

And the moral of this thread is:



















Only comment on things you know about

In reply to Removed User:

Surely that is against all the principles upon which UKC is built!

In reply to tmawer:
Have got a Sevylor Colorado and for the price is great.
If cost was not an issue i would get a Gumotex K1/k2 from my own experience they track a lot better than the colorado, and could more easily load it for some days paddling.

In reply to almost sane:

Hopefully not my principles though. TBF,, I own both a Canoe and a Sea Kayak and go out regularly but have never experienced the inflatable types so should have kept my gob shut.

In reply to tmawer:

We bought quite an expensive one from Decathlon maybe 6 years ago now(700 euros ish), we use it every year in the med and although its hard work when windy we love it! easy to pack in the boot of the car, a pain to wash and dry as someone else said, but easier to store in the shed.

Good luck

Sam Orange

In reply to Carolyn:

Not just great for kids.. great for adults too! I didn't see any kids in them when I was out on the water at Deep cover, but know of another older male that lived right by the water and would go out in his most evenings.

I never re-inflated mine to dry it out either. The sun was good enough, and I just left the bag open to vent it when I'd store it back in the boot of the car. It was fine.

In reply to tmawer:

Deep Cove, not deep cover (typo)