Inflatable kayaks

[Lady D]

Wondering if anyone on here has ever bought and used a single or tandem inflatable kayak? We saw people out in a yellow one where we were staying and it seemed to hold up well out in the surf. We have our eyes on one right now we are thinking about buying that has two paddles, the pump, removable seats, a patch kit and a storage bag. This can be used in Class 3 Whitewater, not that we would attempt anything Class 3.

Thought it would be something we could tote around with us here to certain spots and test it out in a area lake. This kayak can support 500 lbs. I think this is neat, and reasonably priced, running from $189 to $259.00! Well, on Ebay it runs for that but I've seen it on Amazon for over $300. We are not needing anything fancy. Found these on Ebay along with several others. Just giving it some thought. Any thoughts?

 

[Mermaid]

Take a look at paddling.net: http://www.paddling.net/buyersguide/ From what I've heard, the thing you need to watch for most in inflatables is how well they track. I'd read the reviews.

 

[tistheseason]

Thanks Mermy! We've been thinking of getting an inflatable one as well. Our kids are pretty little (2, 5) and we want to do more extensive kayaking down the road. But in the meantime, we thought an inflatable one would allow us to transport it to more places -- and might be less of a hassel. Especially when I think we'll only be able to use it for small outings (before our kids get tired of sitting still and try to jump overboard!)

Are we being short sighted? Should we just wait another few years and invest in more serious kayaks? Any one out there Kayak with small kids?

 

[Mermaid]

Thanks Mermy! We've been thinking of getting an inflatable one as well.

Are we being short sighted? Should we just wait another few years and invest in more serious kayaks? Any one out there Kayak with small kids?

My Canoe & Kayak magazine recently had an article on inflatables and it's on-line now:
http://canoekayak.com/inflatables/2008inflatablesreview/

Our kayaks aren't particularly good ones--if they were cars they'd be plain old vanilla Ford Tauruses. But they were the first ones we bought, and at the time we didn't know if kayaking would hold our interest. Now that we've fallen in love, we can upgrade at some point knowing that we haven't spent money foolishly. So I guess to answer your question, go ahead and get something that suits your needs and budget, now. It's not like you couldn't get rid of any kayaks later. There are posts all the time about people wanting kayaks!

River Otter and the jdarg have young kids (though not so young as yours) and they'd be good ones to ask about family-style kayaking.

 

[Jdarg]

We have a "family truckster" style kayak- a tandem. Holds 2 adults with Kate in the middle, although if I am sitting behind her, she gets whacked in the head a few times.

We bought it used from Big Daddy's- we didn't need anything fancy, just something to mess around in.

I would like to find a single for me that I can easily throw in and out of the car. The tandem is too heavy for me to take anywhere by myself.

The only advantage I see with an inflatable is the portability. The price doesn't seem that great- it's a blow up raft for Pete's sake. You wouldn't have to spend much more money to get the real deal.

 

[Lady D]

We have a "family truckster" style kayak- a tandem. Holds 2 adults with Kate in the middle, although if I am sitting behind her, she gets whacked in the head a few times.

We bought it used from Big Daddy's- we didn't need anything fancy, just something to mess around in.

I would like to find a single for me that I can easily throw in and out of the car. The tandem is too heavy for me to take anywhere by myself.

The only advantage I see with an inflatable is the portability. The price doesn't seem that great- it's a blow up raft for Pete's sake. You wouldn't have to spend much more money to get the real deal.

The portability is what we are interested in. We don't have a way to haul a actual kayak. But we didn't buy it.

 

[BeachSteelers]

I have an Inflatable from SOAR. They are pricey but super durable. Blows up in less than 15. They have 3 sizes 12, 14,16 ft. As someone stated tracking is a problem such as when not paddling it'll drift off course and being higher above the waterline lets the wind affect you more. I have the 14ft which cost over a grand. Weighs 60+lbs and packs into a duffel. Holds 3 people and total weight of 825lbs. and drafts 3 inches. Probably more when fully loaded. I love it in the lakes and have been in the Gulf several times even in high surf. Funn when Big Red pulls you for 1/2 hour. Tough getting to shore in big waves when your loaded with fishing gear but FUNN anyway. However due to the frequency of Large (600+lb) sharks being caught NEAR SHORE in the last year I'm a little leary of the Gulf in an Inflatable.

 

[ASH]

I just picked up a used two-man for $300 that included the seats and paddles. It is a plastic kayak and weighs maybe 50-60 pounds. We haul it around on top of the Grand-Am. It's a 14' kayak.
I got a deal by buying it used from Yellowfin as they got it in on a trade when they sold a new one. Perhaps these folks have a list of people they could contact every time they get a used one they need to resell.
Lady D and Tistheseason, if you would ever want to borrow mine for a couple days so that you get the feel for what you may want in a kayak, just contact me and we'll make it happen. I'll bet there are others that would borrow theirs as well. They are a hoot!

 

[tistheseason]

I just picked up a used two-man for $300 that included the seats and paddles. It is a plastic kayak and weighs maybe 50-60 pounds. We haul it around on top of the Grand-Am. It's a 14' kayak.
I got a deal by buying it used from Yellowfin as they got it in on a trade when they sold a new one. Perhaps these folks have a list of people they could contact every time they get a used one they need to resell.
Lady D and Tistheseason, if you would ever want to borrow mine for a couple days so that you get the feel for what you may want in a kayak, just contact me and we'll make it happen. I'll bet there are others that would borrow theirs as well. They are a hoot!

Thanks Ash! That is so nice!

 

[scooterbug44]

I am completely freaked out by the idea of an inflatable kayak in 'gator and shark infested waters.

I am blaming the latest Smithsonian magazine with the cover of a shark baring it's teeth at me!