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Inflatable Kayaks

Anonymous Tue 29 Nov 2016 01:45:02 No.902436 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>902439 >>902449 >>902464 >>903326 >>903466 >>903621 >>903628 >>904291 >>904719 >>904815

Just saw pic related on amazon for pretty cheap. Does anyone have experience with inflatable kayaks? Would you recommend it to a complete beginner?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 29 Nov 2016 01:46:00 No.902439 Report

Quoted By: >>902452

>>902436
My dad bought a double fitter inflatable kayak and I used to use it before i moved out. ama

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 29 Nov 2016 01:52:26 No.902449 Report

Quoted By: >>902452 >>902471 >>903621

>>902436
Did you use the stock paddle? Does inflatable have any major drawbacks? Was it stable and did you feel safe using it?

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 29 Nov 2016 01:53:50 No.902452 Report

Quoted By: >>902471

>>902449
was meant for
>>902439

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 29 Nov 2016 01:59:58 No.902464 Report

Quoted By:

>>902436
>what would you recommend for a complete beginner

Rent one first to see if you like it.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 29 Nov 2016 02:02:31 No.902471 Report

Quoted By: >>902589

>>902449
>>902452

If by stock you mean the ones that came with the kayak than yes, I never had any problems with the paddles, but then again I'm no professional kayaker who would notice any small differences

No drawbacks in my opinion, the fact that it's inflatable makes it easier to store as you can collapse it into something a lot smaller than any other kayak that size. (we used to fit it in a burley bike trailer and take it one bike trips)

The one we used was something like pic related, if you zoom in you can tell it's made of a thick nice waterproof fabric overlaying the inflation tubes and stuff. The bottom part is really thick material and I always felt safe in the kayak. The one in your pic posted doesn't look safe to me at all, looks like a cheap material, a cheap pump, and very cheap paddle.

WormGuy !B1D272lKwg

WormGuy !B1D272lKwg Tue 29 Nov 2016 02:03:06 No.902472 Report

Quoted By:

Just don't try to fish from it

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 29 Nov 2016 02:34:44 No.902513 Report

Quoted By: >>902589 >>904127 >>905904

They are for calm water and very short jaunts, or as big pool toys. The default sectioned paddles are garbage and will break so get a backup. I would not recommend one to anyone actually intending to kayak. A cheap sit-inside from a company like sun dolphin or pelican is a step better but will still probably make you hate kayaking because they don't even track in a straight line. If you're in warm weather hit up craigslist and find a used sit-on-top that's at least 10 feet.
The $1500+ inflatables with carbon fiber and wood frames are the real deal but are fragile. Not really a beginner venture but you can get those in moddable sections.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Tue 29 Nov 2016 04:43:21 No.902589 Report

Quoted By:

>>902471
I have the single version of that one (Advanced Elements "Advanced Frame") and it's pretty good for the price. Certainly no worse than some of the low end rotomolded fishing SOTs that /out/ seems to favor. I also got the 4-piece metal keel thing they sell which makes a noticeable improvement with stiffness and tracking. My main complaint is that there isn't a lot of cargo room below deck because of the tubes, but they make a longer touring model with more space.

>>902513
Depends on the inflatable. OP's pic looks like a toy but it might still be fun. Mine's rated for class II rivers and I've taken it out in small surf. Some are good for more serious whitewater.

>The $1500+ inflatables with carbon fiber and wood frames
You mean the folding skin on frame kayaks that use inflatable sponsons to tension the skin? Those are something different. Usually bettter, but they take a while to set up.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 00:47:36 No.903126 Report

Quoted By: >>903196

I was in the ocean in an inflatable kayak and a shark bit the kayak and I had to swim to shore, knowing the shark was there and it was big enough to try and attack a large kayak so I was pooping myself the whole way back.

Maybe for lakes or something but there's gators in all the lakes here too and I'll fight a shark vs a gator any day.

Enjoy your non roto-molded safety shell.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 02:31:04 No.903196 Report

Quoted By:

>>903126
holy shit anon
glad you are alive

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 03:23:49 No.903232 Report

Quoted By: >>903455

Is that the CN tower?

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 06:37:50 No.903326 Report

Quoted By:

>>902436
Wear a life jacket.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 17:09:36 No.903455 Report

Quoted By: >>904945

>>903232
Yes, it is.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 17:20:34 No.903460 Report

Quoted By:

Very cool, I stayed at the delta a few weeks ago, it's probably in that shot. I have nothing to say about inflatable kayaks, but I enjoyed learning a bit about them.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 17:56:38 No.903466 Report

Quoted By: >>903621

>>902436
How sturdy are they? If I brush up against barnacles on a seawall, will it puncture the kayak?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 22:23:41 No.903621 Report

Quoted By:

>>903466
It's a collection of relatively heavy duty rubber air compartments held together by a relatively heavy duty external skin. They'd certainly survive barnacles but I wouldn't recommend the ocean in an inflatable unless you get something high end.
>>902436
I got something similar, a local store brand that worked out around the same price. From what I've read of reviews the two behave almost identically in the water. You won't go very fast, no matter how hard you paddle. It's not very stiff so waves are an experience to say the least. If someone on the other side of the world even thinks of a light breeze, you're going to the other side of the lake sideways. Tracking, as others have mentioned, is thoroughly mediocre. Unless you're staying on calm lakes and flaccid rivers, I wouldn't recommend it.
>>902449
Even with all the negative points above, you're pretty safe in one. You'd actually have to try seriously hard to tip them over and the buoyancy is ridiculous. If you actually manage to sink it, post results. You're likely to win some sort of award.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 22:30:08 No.903628 Report

Quoted By: >>903644

>>902436
We had this exact same kayak and as soon as it hit the water it collapsed, filled with water, and proved to be very uncomfortable. Granted we used it in the surf so maybe it would work better in a lake but still wouldnt recommend.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 30 Nov 2016 22:58:22 No.903644 Report

Quoted By:

>>903628
>Granted we used it in the surf
Doesn't the user manual explicitly state that these things are made for calm waters? As /g/ would say, the problem is in the seat, not in the kayak.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 01 Dec 2016 17:44:48 No.904127 Report

Quoted By: >>904132

>>902513
>A cheap sit-inside from a company like sun dolphin or pelican is a step better but will still probably make you hate kayaking because they don't even track in a straight line

this straight line tracking is a fucking kayak meme, made by manufacturers to get you buying long, heavy expensive pieces of shit with rudders that will break. boat going a bit zig-zag is no problem at all unless you are going for 20+ km a day trips really

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 01 Dec 2016 17:51:37 No.904132 Report

Quoted By: >>904670

>>904127
>boat going a bit zig-zag is no problem at all unless you are going for 20+ km a day trips really
Not him but an owner of a cheap and cheerful inflatable kayak. It's no meme, it's actually reasonably important. The lack of tracking can get quite hilarious at times. Sure, you don't need a forty foot long kayak with twenty acres of rudder but there is such a thing as a nice middle ground for each application.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 01 Dec 2016 19:23:50 No.904186 Report

Quoted By:

Hoping to save up enough next year for an inflatable, still trying to decide if I want a packraft or a ducky kayak.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 01 Dec 2016 21:59:48 No.904291 Report

Quoted By: >>904657

>>902436
I have pic related, and I \hate\ it.

Don't get me wrong, inflatable kayaks and canoes are great as they are easy to travel with. However in my experience, inflatable canoes don't have very good structural integrity so they flop around and cause a lot of nausea if you don't have sea legs.

The other thing I don't like is how the air in the tubes change consistency when it sits in cold water, as the canoe becomes even more floppy.

In rivers, or shallow lakes the inflatable canoe/kayak is fine. For open water, bays, or where you really don't want to feel like you will fall out every second, don't get them. Definitely not for beginners.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 08:00:08 No.904657 Report

Quoted By:

>>904291
> in my experience
Your experience is with the shittiest one on the market (I know because I had something similar as a kid). You can't generalize about a whole category of products because you bought the cheapest one at Wal-Mart.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 08:28:33 No.904670 Report

Quoted By: >>904696

>>904132
i've owned both a cheap and an expensive kayak and you are wrong

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 09:33:32 No.904696 Report

Quoted By: >>904822

>>904670
I don't think you own any kayak at all. I think you're lying. I also think you're a muppet.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 12:04:02 No.904719 Report

Quoted By: >>904745

>>902436
Been eyeing that exact same kayak as well.
Fear it will be like most cheap inflateables and be wobbly and unstable as hell. It has mostly positive reviews though so I'm a bit torn.
I guess maybe you could /diy/ some PVC pipes or something to stiffen it up a bit.
It will probably still suck for any even remotely wavy/streamy waters (pardon my poor wording - just woke up)...

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 13:07:44 No.904745 Report

Quoted By:

>>904719
>It will probably still suck for any even remotely wavy/streamy waters
It's not as bad as you'd think but it could still be a whole lot better. It's thoroughly acceptable if you adjust your expectations to be somewhat realistic.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 16:32:52 No.904815 Report

Quoted By:

>>902436
We run a fleet of old ass duckies on our river trips.

They're alright but I hate em.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 16:47:51 No.904822 Report

Quoted By: >>904919

>>904696
you bought a shitty inflatable kayak so your opinion doesn't matter

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 20:31:46 No.904919 Report

Quoted By:

>>904822
You can't even find your shift key so you don't get to give your opinion. I'm amazed you got past the captcha.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 02 Dec 2016 21:42:17 No.904945 Report

Quoted By: >>905790

>>903455
nice. im from toronto. was thinking about getting one to float around the harbor area. Is it perfect for that stuff?

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 04 Dec 2016 05:40:32 No.905790 Report

Quoted By:

>>904945
It's pretty good for that but sometimes I wish I got the touring model. It has a fin so it tracks well enough to cover some distance, but it's also easy enough to steer for poking around in the bays and lagoons at the Leslie St Spit and Toronto Islands, I think it's a pretty good compromise in that respect. It'll take a spray skirt or splash deck for wavy days, but not as securely as a rigid boat so I wouldn't take it out in really big waves (I've surfed it in medium waves though). If you do get one I recommend also getting the "backbone" keel thingy they sell.

I usually launch at Cherry Beach and paddle across to the islands, or near the boathouse at Balmy Beach and paddle east along the scarborough bluffs (once you're out there you can't even see the city).

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 04 Dec 2016 14:56:14 No.905904 Report

Quoted By:

>>902513
>They are for calm water and very short jaunts
The cheapo ones on Amazon maybe, but some of the world's most serious adventurers use inflatables.

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