inflatable canoe/kayak

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kashurst

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can't decide what to do about a small tender for latest boat. I rarely use one as ship to shore as MrsA likes marinas.
So I have been thinking about getting one of those blow up kayaks. They seem to pack up very small, only weigh @ 20Kg and with an electric pump easy to blow up/pack away. However I have never seen one in use or been in one. Are they any good ?
 
I use a sevylor 2 man inflatable kayak as a tender as i dont have room for anything larger on board.

It works very well, is stable ,dry, easy to paddle. Packs away small,is not too heavy and is easy to inflate.

It also seems quite tough,having been paddled up beaches, over shallow rocks etc without damage.

The kayak cost£175 from decathlon about 3 years ago.

It is one of these

http://aquascene.co.uk/shop-kayaks/4556561216/sevylor-adventure/248797
 
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We use a Sevylor Ottawa but as fair weather alternative to the dink. In flattish water and low wind, it is great fun, very stable, and seems robust. But paddling against a stiff breeze is a bugger, and I would guess, though we haven't tried, that it would be all but impossible to make progress in a late F5 and up. And we have not yet found a way to paddle energetically without getting wet from paddle splashes., but that is probably just technique. All in all, I love it but not as the only option if I would have to use it in all conditions.
 
We have one of the smaller 3d dinghies and a sevylor riviera kayak.
The kayak does pack up smaller but is not much lighter.
The dinghy is (surprisingly to me) much quicker to deploy (we keep it deflated and bagged onboard) and put away.
For us the dinghy is much preffered for ship to shore duty.
The kayak is much better for longer exploring trips.
So we keep the dinghy onboard all the time, only taking the kayak when we want to go kayaking!!
 
Nooka said:
We use a Sevylor Ottawa but as fair weather alternative to the dink. In flattish water and low wind, it is great fun, very stable, and seems robust. But paddling against a stiff breeze is a bugger, and I would guess, though we haven't tried, that it would be all but impossible to make progress in a late F5 and up. And we have not yet found a way to paddle energetically without getting wet from paddle splashes., but that is probably just technique. All in all, I love it but not as the only option if I would have to use it in all conditions.
Click to expand...
These things help keep you dry while paddling
IMG_0890.JPG
 
It's very difficult to stay dry in a kayak, as the paddles drip a fair bit of water on you at the top of each stroke. Also, if you go for an inflatable kayak, i'd choose one with only two or three inflation points. We had a Sevylor 3 man kayak, but there were about 11 separate bits to inflate, with three different fittings, so not ideal for daily inflation/deflation.
 
We've got 3 of the Sevylor kayaks, brilliant pieces of kit and the newer ones have a single point inflation valve.
Great little 'yaks and about the cheapest you can get that aren't toys.
But, very hard work in the wind and I wouldn't personally use one just for tender duties if I was reliant on it.
 
A 3D Tender is a brilliant piece of kit, its incredibly light, a solid floor when inflated (use a high pressure battery operated pump) and is the easiest thing in the world to row, fast and fun and so manœuvrable you can spin it at high speed. Packs away easily but it's nice to have a flat bit of deck to lay it out so do your calculations. Also if it is too small then it's hard to stretch your legs out when rowing if you have a passenger. Not cheap but it's not a toy (although you can play with it)
 
Bouba said:
A 3D Tender is a brilliant piece of kit, its incredibly light, a solid floor when inflated (use a high pressure battery operated pump) and is the easiest thing in the world to row, fast and fun and so manœuvrable you can spin it at high speed. Packs away easily but it's nice to have a flat bit of deck to lay it out so do your calculations. Also if it is too small then it's hard to stretch your legs out when rowing if you have a passenger. Not cheap but it's not a toy (although you can play with it)
Click to expand...
Ps. You can put a motor on it which is very hard to do on an inflatable kayak
 
I've got a 4 person dinghy and a 2+1 Sevylor kayak (Alameda).

Personally, I wouldn't see the kayak as a possible replacement for a dinghy, because it is not as stable and space for shopping etc is very limited. But, the kayak it is great fun for exploring rivers and creeks, etc.
 
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