Inflatable Kayak

[AWCHIEF]

I am in the market for an inflatable Kayak. Sort of impressed by the Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Kayaks. The AE1012-R seems to be what I might be looking for. Does anyone have any experienced based opinions on these kayaks? They seem to have very good reviews around the net. MY Ocean Kayak Tetra 12 has just become to heavy and hard for me to carry around. The back and shoulder are just no longer up to it. I sold it today after it only being listed on Craigslist for less than an hour. Recommendations for other simular kayaks in the same price range and size would also be appreciated.

[Landrum]

How about a folding origami kayak......

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...at/description

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . I too am in the market for an inflatable/foldable kayak and thought that the Advanced Elements units looked pretty good. I have also looked over ones from Oru Kayak, Innova Kayak, and Foldboat. I know there are a bunch of pretty serious kayakers on the forum, I was hoping to find some with actual experience with any of these. I'll be watching and Thanks, Craig

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by Landrum

How about a folding origami kayak......

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...at/description

Good one! Just a bit over my budget.

[extiger]

We have an Advanced Elements yak and are happy with it. We have the one that is either a one or two person. We wanted an inflatable as our goal was to take two bikes and at least one yak.

A local dealer had a demo day and we tried both singles and the dual. Spent a lot of time talking with the factory rep. We specified that we are not avid but want to yak for about 3 -4 hours in relatively calm water. Since getting the yak we added the spine and an inflatable seat back.

The yak tracks well, is ruggedly built and works well. We are not serious about yaks but my impression is that it is close to a real yak but not one. Having said that we are very happy with it and would buy it again.

We have talked with SOB inflatable owners that we're not happy with their purchase

[bolerama]

Take a look at the Hobie Inflatables with a pedal system.
Mirage i12S : Inflatable Kayaks : Hobie Cat

We have it's sister the Tandem Island and absolutely love it. Petaling on the water is so much more efficient.

Paul

[AWCHIEF]

Extiger, tell more about the spine/backbone. I have read that some feel it is necessary, others seem to think it is not. Apparently, if I understand it helps with possible center sag and tracking.

[DryFly]

Depends on what you want to do with the kayak (or any inflatable) and how long you want to keep it. My personal opinion is that I would not own an inflatable that had pvc bladders. I've owned several inflatables over the years and by far and away the best, most durable have been made by Aire and Outcast, all with urethane bladders, tough skins and high quality valves. Their customer service is of Nordstrom quality. If you find yourself on an unexpectedly rough stretch of river, or in the middle of Puget Sound tracking with a pack of Orcas, you don't want to have a sudden issue with a poorly constructed boat. The Advance Element looks like a nice design, but I wouldn't put much trust in something imported in this situation, especially when there are alternatives. Just my 2c
Edit - check out their warranty. 1 year for Advanced Elements vs 5 years for Outcast/Aire. Ok, I'll shut up.

[SteveH]

We had two of the Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Kayaks with the backbones, which I recommend because they make the boat more ridged, and when the bottom forms around the backbone with water pressure, it acts like a keel. They are very good kayaks, for inflatables. But in the end, with unpacking, assembly, and inflation, then deflation, cleaning, drying, and repacking, we found them more trouble and work to deal with than hard sided kayaks, so we outfitted the truck with a rack, and went that route.

[extiger]

I can't add much on the spine. When I researched it there were two camps. You need the spine or it is an unnessary option. The yak tracks well without it. The spine does add some rigidity. My suggestion is not to buy it initially and see how you like the yak without it. It can always be added.

[Firedog1]

we have been looking at the SeaEagle Fasttrack 465

FastTrack Inflatable Kayaks – Patented Inflatable Keel for straight tracking and Smooth Paddling

love to hear feed back if anyone has this one.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Firedog1

we have been looking at the SeaEagle Fasttrack 465

love to hear feed back if anyone has this one.

I have a Sea Eagle FastTrack 385 Pro Package (the older two-person model with the straight sides, not the newer one with tapered sides). The inflatable keel does help it track straight for flatwater paddling, IF you also use the removable skeg at the rear. The 385 is a two-seater, but normally only fit it with one seat. To be perfectly honest, I paddle more like a wounded duck than a real kayaker, but I enjoy it, and my Sea Eagle paddles easily even with just me paddling. I do prefer the Pro Package seats to the inflatable seats; you sit lower, but you have superior back support; I tuck a throwable Type IV PFD cushion under the seat to gain a bit of elevation.

The floor inflates to about 4.4psi and is pretty rigid. Tubes and inflatable keel inflate to 3.4psi. The way the inflation valves are designed, you have to slightly over-inflate because inevitably some air will bleed out as you disconnect the inflation hose. But once inflated, it will go at least a week without losing any air (maybe longer, but I've never had mine inflated for more than a week).

It's a bit heavier than you'd expect from an inflatable, but not excessively so. One person can portage a two-person model with little difficulty if necessary.

You do have to watch out for wind, though; the inflated tubes catch the wind a lot more easily than a hard-shell kayak with less freeboard, so a stiff breeze makes for some hard paddling in any direction except directly downwind.

If you're looking for something suitable for whitewater instead of flatwater, you might want to try Sea Eagle's Explorer models instead; they're more nimble but also less directionally stable.

Honestly, though, I don't know why they're called inflatable kayaks; they're really inflatable canoes, except that you use double-ended kayak paddles to make them go. You can't teach a Sea Eagle to do any of the really cool kayak tricks like rolling 360° and coming back upright with you and everything still aboard.

Oh, and avoid the fishing seat they sell for the FastTracks; it doesn't fit right, and if you tip the kayak, it will fall right out. I tried the seat, and never could find a good way to lash it down since it's not even designed to lash down.

[Pivot429]

I researched this quite a bit over the winter and ended up getting Zoik Alter Ego inflatables (single and double). Single is only 26 lbs and double is 36 lbs. I liked the fact that self-bailing ports are there but can be plugged. Tried it in the ocean and on a tidal river in South Carolina and was very impressed. I am new to kayaking however so I can't say how it compares to any others.

Sent from my HTC One using Airstream Forums mobile app

[AWCHIEF]

Thanks to everyone for their input. Went ahead and ordered the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame Kayak this evening. I feel that it fits my needs and pocketbook the best. Going to hold off on the backbone and see how the kayak feels without it.

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . the Oru Kayak is going to be on a show called 'Shark Tank' on ABC TV Monday May 9th, at 7pm MST. Since I haven't found anybody who's seen one, might be fun to see.. . . as an aside, another alternative we've used is renting yaks when we get someplace, they're usually less than a hundred dollars for half day and no transporting, cleaning, storing, etc. We may buy one yet, but just a thought . . . Regards, Craig