Inflatable Canoe/Kayak - ideas??

RichardTaylor

RichardTaylor

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Does anyone use one as a tender?

Thinking about getting a 2 man canoe/kayak for my wife and I to sue as an occasional tender when the water taxi is not working or in the case of Yarmouth too darn expensive to get ashore several times a day. Also it could be fun for exploring (up to Freshwater or in Newtown).

With a combined weight of around 28st are they stable enough?

Do they carry boat gear (food, clothes etc for a w/e away) well?

Also are they easily carried from the car to the river or better still backpacked? (size and wt - got to be lighter than lugging a inflatable dinghy? )

Any thoughts, practical or just a good idea which doesnt work??

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
I've got a sevylor colorado 2 seater which I use as a tender. Easier and faster to row and manouevre than a dinghy but perhaps not quite so easy to get into and out of down a transom ladder or at a pontoon or landing. You have to get the canoe sideways and hold it there while you get in and out. Surprisingly stable with one or two people and with luggage. Plus great for investigating rivers and backwaters.
 
I too am thinking of buying one of these for exoloring shallow rivers keeping fit and keeping my two boys amused. will keep an eye on trhis thread with interest.

Maurice
 
Thanks for the replies, looks encouraging.

Do they pack up nicely into a back pack which can then be carried overland easily (and around Tesco)?
 
I have a Stearns 2 man inflatable canoe, but dont use it as a tender. It's packed-up size isn't much different to my little dinghy and it's less stable. A quick Google search tells me it weighs 39 lbs deflated which is more than I like to carry around, but manageable from car to river.
On the other hand, it's great fun for exploring.
 
We carry two single inflatable kayaks - Advanced Elements - and they are so much fun exploring the upper reaches of an anchorage like Newtown Creek. Also used them a lot last year on the Fowey, Yealm and Dartmouth rivers and in North Biscay in quite big waves. Agree you have to be a little more careful getting in and out but we have found them to be surprisingly stable and can now step off the boarding ladder and stand up in the kayaks before gently sliding down into the kayak cockpit. We tried a double but prefer the freedom and less arguements of the singles. The max loading is 136 kilo so we can carry 40 to 50 kilos of luggage in each one. If you are any where near Ashlett Creek, come and try one before you make up your mind.
 
We carry two Sevylor singles, the yellow ones that look like a surfboard with paddles. We are ex-canoeists and we find them excellent for exploring bays and beaches. I wouldn't like to use them for carrying supplies though, too tippy and wet, unless just a few items in the waterproof rucsack.
 
We keep a Stearns BackCountry aboard-2 man Canadian style inlatable canoe. Great for messing around and surprisingly stable, but not a replacement for our tender. With two aboard there's little room for 'luggage' as well. It doesn't take long to inflate/deflate and packs up to about a third the size of our Avon but isn't light enough to carry very far, plus you'd have the paddles/pump to lug around too.

I'd say the canoe's great to go off exploring in but it wouldn't be a substitute for a decent tender.
 
No, but I'd quite like one ;->

Note to self: Three tenders (fiberglass, inflatable & WB (sailing rig :-) ) is quite enough for a 27-footer. - 'tho I claim the inflatable & o/b is for the safety boat once the kids get their hands on the Walker Bay.

I've seen a 2-person canoe used as a tender off Emsworth before, but that was a couple going to a Wharram-esque cat, so it's probably normal for "that kind of person" /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I have a Stearns Cordova single-seat inflatable kayak, which is great fun and ideal for exploring but not really suitable as a yacht tender due to limited storage capacity.

A friend has a two-seat Sevylor Colorado (latest model that has an additional detachable fin for greater directional stability). It has more carrying capacity and is stable enough for use in estuaries, etc. It can also be used with a side-mounted electric trolling motor or (I think) with a small outboard with an additional outboard mounting bracket.

Stearns Cordova video

Sevylor Colorado video
 
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