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Old 02-23-2015, 08:44 AM   #1
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Best Inflatable Kayak/Canoe

In a Spring Trips thread there was an interesting sideways on inflatable canoes and kayaks with a picture of a Sea Eagle in its natural state - upside down! Followed by some helpful comments on newer inflatables that are more stable.

I used to enjoy being wet all the time but for chilly mountain lakes I'd like something that is stable enough to keep me dry, and ideally I want something that could even mount a small sail - perhaps with outriggers, oh and a trolling motor! Lazy, yup....

The best thing I have seen is the Paddleski. Any other contenders?

https://www.seaeagle.com/PaddleSkiKayaks
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Old 02-23-2015, 09:10 AM   #2
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I don't own an inflatable Kayak but I've read Innova are good and they are lightweight. However, they do run a little more expensive.

Top 5 Inflatable Kayaks

Kelvin
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Old 02-23-2015, 09:19 AM   #3
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Can I save folks some rummaging and clicks and re-post the bulk of my content from that other thread?

I would be interested in hearing accounts from people who have stored inflatables long term. How did they hold up? Did you see break-down of your hull material? An inflatable is such a great idea for Airstream owners, whether trailer or motorhome - unless there are caveats.

Repost:

Originally Posted by Protagonist
I have two. The first is a Sea Eagle FastTrack 385 two-person model. ...
The second is a brand-new single-seat Sea Eagle Razorlite ...
....
I looked 'em up... the FastTrack is obviously built for stability. Quite the premium on the price, however. I'm a bit concerned because they obviously did put substantial effort into the redesign but appear to be using much the same hull material as years ago. What I have found is that, while the hull stands up superbly to use, it doesn't do well in storage. Remember your materials science and what happens energetically at one and two dimensional points (corners and ridges). I've seen scary degradation at many of the crease marks in the 330; in fact, the one time I had to haul out and patch on the fly, it was at a crease mark. So I tried to "fluff" the deflated boat periodically so that the stresses would not accumulate perpetually in all the same spots, but that didn't seem to work well, so I'm left with a creased-up boat that I know will fail in any one of about a hundred different spots, given enough time. And it's hard to get excited about taking it out when I don't know which chamber is going to let go next.

What is the solution for this? Store partially or wholly inflated? Now there's a hassle - kinda defeats the purpose of having an inflatable. I would be amenable to dropping almost a grand on another inflatable but only if I knew that there was an effective workaround for this because I would want that kind of investment to last more than ten years.

Part of the problem with narrower model stability seemed to be the load weight. It might work better with higher loads. I am only 130 pounds wet (and wet I did get). Even routinely tossing a couple of small children into the nose of the thing, the CG was really high relative to the waterline, so any movement or reaching had a huge impact (see photos with one child, two children... too high, fixin' to roll). The children would get anxious because they would feel how unstable it was, and having no desire to get dunked in a Houston bayou, they'd take to whining... sigh...

Anyway my point is, as one person with a narrower model, you might not like that effect.
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Old 02-23-2015, 09:24 AM   #4
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Thanks for that link. Who'd have thunk - a whole site called Inflatable Kayak World. On digging deeper there is another page with best three for fishing, families, big people, small people, lightest, traveling, whitewater, etc, etc. Several brands I'd not seen before.
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Old 02-23-2015, 09:25 AM   #5
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Top Three Inflatable Kayaks Per Category
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Old 02-23-2015, 09:47 AM   #6
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Since you are looking for something that can be used with a motor and or sail, look at the Portabote. You would have alot of options. I have one, the 12 foot model,and run with a 6hp motor or trolling motor depending. The portabote size is the length plus 4" wide and 15" tall FOLDED. The length is either 8, 10, 12 or 14 feet long.
I had a Zodiac, but ran into a mouse problem when I stored it the garage.

mike
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Old 02-23-2015, 09:53 AM   #7
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I bought a used Hobie i9s kayak last fall. New ones are pricey, but you can find used ones on ''One craiges''for around 900.00 to 1,200.00. Check out ''you tube'' if curious. It has the mirage drive which keeps your hands free to fish, photograph, or eat lunch. Try renting one before you buy. It deflates and folds down to the size of a large suit case. I couldn't be happier I use to paddle, now I peddle.
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Old 02-25-2015, 10:29 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DuncanK1 View Post
I used to enjoy being wet all the time but for chilly mountain lakes I'd like something that is stable enough to keep me dry, and ideally I want something that could even mount a small sail - perhaps with outriggers, oh and a trolling motor! Lazy, yup....

The best thing I have seen is the Paddleski. Any other contenders?
We recently purchased an advancedframe convertible(Advanced Elements Advancedframe Inflatable Kayak at Austin Kayak - ACK - Product Details ) We like it, but we are both novice paddlers so take it for what its worth. Very stable and has optional zip in decks to help keep you dry. But there is no option for a trolling motor.

We also considered Saturn ka boat and fishing kayak (Saturn 13' FK396 PRO-Angler Series Inflatable Fishing Kayaks). both of these look like they meet your must haves.

Also here is one more inflatable review site http://www.paddling.net/inflatable-kayaks.html to help add confusion to your search

Good luck in your quest
Benn
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Old 02-26-2015, 09:53 AM   #9
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I too have an Advanced Elements and am vey happy with it. An option is a small downwind sail that I have not purchased, so no comments on that. There is no provision for a motor, so it is just a plain old kayak. We have the convertible model so it can be used by one or two people. I did add the optional inflatable back seat as I didn't like the original seat. My wife is happy with the original seat.

Happy with the quality, ease of inflation/deflation and tracking. Easy to carry in the back of the truck.
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Old 02-26-2015, 10:18 AM   #10
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Hi from AZ. . . Although it's not an inflatable, has anyone here tried an Oru kayak ? very interesting design, same idea as inflatable, seems to be just as portable. thanks, Craig
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Old 02-27-2015, 01:28 PM   #11
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Had paddle ski. Loved it; very stable. Like Airtamden, I had a major mouse problem during winter storage. Plan to keep next one inflated and hung in garage.
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Old 02-27-2015, 01:38 PM   #12
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I just ordered one of these:



not inflatable but extremely well reviewed and very portable - no pump needed
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Old 02-27-2015, 02:42 PM   #13
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Wow, that looks like a great solution. I don't have a place to store a canoe or kayak and it would save having to purchase a mounting system on my tow vehicle too.

Thanks

Kelvin
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Old 02-28-2015, 08:43 AM   #14
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I have a portaboat 12'-6" with a troll motor, love it is very stable!
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Old 02-28-2015, 09:48 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Airtandem View Post
Since you are looking for something that can be used with a motor and or sail, look at the Portabote. You would have alot of options. I have one, the 12 foot model,and run with a 6hp motor or trolling motor depending. The portabote size is the length plus 4" wide and 15" tall FOLDED. The length is either 8, 10, 12 or 14 feet long.
I had a Zodiac, but ran into a mouse problem when I stored it the garage.

mike
Our Zodiac works great for us with or without a motor ...
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Old 03-03-2015, 03:12 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by InterBlog View Post
I've seen scary degradation at many of the crease marks in the 330; in fact, the one time I had to haul out and patch on the fly, it was at a crease mark. So I tried to "fluff" the deflated boat periodically so that the stresses would not accumulate perpetually in all the same spots, but that didn't seem to work well, so I'm left with a creased-up boat that I know will fail in any one of about a hundred different spots, given enough time. And it's hard to get excited about taking it out when I don't know which chamber is going to let go next.
I looked at the material specs of the Sea Eagle 330 vs the Fasttrack 385:

330: K-80 Polykrylar
Fasttrack 385: The 1,000 denier woven base cloth gives tremendous strength and the PVC coating on both sides creates a waterproof, air-tight seal.
The price difference is substantial between the two. I'm not too keen on the PVC but many inflatables use PVC in their construction.

Innova is PVC free. I was looking at the Sunny but I prefer the design of the Fasttrack. The price is similar plus there are a bunch of accessories for them.

Innova is made in the Czech Republic and Sea Eagle, China.

So far the Fasttrack is my first choice. You can even get sail kits and put electric motors on it.

I found a cool electric motor for Kayaks, Torqeedo 403. Water proof lithium battery, built in gps and a range of 21 to 26 miles at 2.6 miles an hour. Whole thing weighs only 15lbs. Unfortunately, its $1900.
Torqeedo Ultralight 403 with integrated battery for kayaks and canoes

Kelvin
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Old 03-03-2015, 04:31 PM   #17
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We purchased 3 Zoik Inflatables last year and very much enjoyed them. Ocean, lake and river with a little white water and it was good for all. I decided to go with the Zoik because there are pluggable self bail ports and the weight is pretty low. We got two singles and a double.
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Old 03-03-2015, 10:34 PM   #18
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Not a yak.. just a boat..

Porta Bote | The Revolutionary Folding Boat

I have seen and used.. quite interesting and 'usable'..
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Old 03-04-2015, 06:10 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by streaminwild View Post
I bought a used Hobie i9s kayak last fall. New ones are pricey, but you can find used ones on ''One craiges''for around 900.00 to 1,200.00. Check out ''you tube'' if curious. It has the mirage drive which keeps your hands free to fish, photograph, or eat lunch. Try renting one before you buy. It deflates and folds down to the size of a large suit case. I couldn't be happier I use to paddle, now I peddle.
The Hobie inflatables are very nice. You might check with the dealer as they sell arm extensions (side pontoons) for the regular Hobie kayaks that greatly increase stability and would prevent a tip over. They may also work on their inflatables.

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...igger-Kit.html
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Old 04-14-2015, 09:10 PM   #20
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The Hobie inflatables are very nice. You might check with the dealer as they sell arm extensions (side pontoons) for the regular Hobie kayaks that greatly increase stability and would prevent a tip over. They may also work on their inflatables.

Hobie Sidekick Ama Outrigger Kit - austinkayak.com - Product Details
The i9s is 3 ft. wide and pretty stable. Good enough to stand up and take a ............ ....................picture . I forgot to mention that you can buy a sail for this kayak. 275.00
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