Inflatable Kayak

We have a 2.5 person Sevylor, (colorado?) which is suprisingly stable and looks well made. Even at 6'4" I find it large enough, but that's the main reason I went for the longer model. Also easy to assemble and as someone who had never been in a canoe/kayak before I found it easy to control and paddle.
 
I have an inflatable "Canadian" type canoe. It has a rather wonderful name, being made by the former Czechoslovakian state rubber company now known as "Gummo-tex", who decided to name it after an American Indian meeting whose name has been adopted into English to mean pointless and chaotic discussion or inefficient faffing about. The canoe is thus the "Gumotex Palava" :)

This takes two people with ease; it's designed for two plus a week's camping kit and that probably isn't over-ambitious. My main complaint with it is that I struggle to get it to track straight while paddling with any power (it's ok if I paddle gently) but that's probably more about my lack of technique - the boat is designed to be manoeuverable rather than straight-tracking for the purposes of negotiating white water. I've been meaning to make a plywood skeg for the stern in hopes of making it travel in a straight line better.

Continuing the white water theme, the seats have two modes - either sitting perched on a thwart (somewhat less stable) or kneeling with the angled seat supporting your bum and your knees strapped in (for rough water). It's a proper boat rather than a toy.

It's a fun thing to have, but probably not the best way of getting to the pub with your shore-clothes dry. I have a conventional dinghy for a tender.

Pete
 
We use a Stearn Spree 2, great canoe for inland and light coastal waters, had it for about 6 years now and still looks like new. Easily stows in one of my cockpit lockers and takes a couple of minutes to rig. I have on occasion used it as a tender as it is a lot faster through the water than the dinghy under manpower.
 
We had the sevylor one with the fabric cover. Water would get between the fabric and the rubber, and it would take forever to dry. I think I'd go for the much cheaper, slightly lighter, one without the fabric if we were buying again.
 
longjohnsilver said:
We have a 2.5 person Sevylor, (colorado?) which is suprisingly stable and looks well made. Even at 6'4" I find it large enough, but that's the main reason I went for the longer model. Also easy to assemble and as someone who had never been in a canoe/kayak before I found it easy to control and paddle.
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+1

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEVYLOR-C...ods_CanoesKayaks_Rafts_SM&hash=item2a0fdb98ed

Really easy to handle. Stable . Lots of storage bags. Packs down nicely.

Only downside that I have found is that just like an inflatable dinghy you have to work harder than a rigid one ... little 'glide' effect.

Then again you couldn't pack a rigid kayak under my forward bunk :)
 
longjohnsilver said:
We have a 2.5 person Sevylor, (colorado?) which is suprisingly stable and looks well made. Even at 6'4" I find it large enough, but that's the main reason I went for the longer model. Also easy to assemble and as someone who had never been in a canoe/kayak before I found it easy to control and paddle.
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+ 2 - fabulous piece of kit and readily available and reasonable spares if need be
 
Re the straight line comment ... the Colorado also comes with a removable plastic skeg. Must try it one day :rolleyes:
 
actionoptics said:
We have two Advanced Elements singles on board and they are faster and keep straighter than Sevylors. They also make a double the last time I looked on their web site. Highly recommended.
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We've got they Advanced Elements double. It's brilliant. We use it as a tender all the time, and its great for exploring when at anchor. It can cover a serious amount of ground and carries a big payload of shopping. Highly recommend.
 
A few votes for the Colorado then. The Advanced Elements one looks good but I may need an advance on my next wage to buy one:eek:. Full marks for the 'gummybear pavlova' - only in Eastern Europe:confused:! Thought it may be a worthwhile addition for those nice calm, sunny days exploring the estuaries in the SW.................. so usage once a season or so in the current climate.:D
 
NDG said:
We've got they Advanced Elements double. It's brilliant. We use it as a tender all the time, and its great for exploring when at anchor. It can cover a serious amount of ground and carries a big payload of shopping. Highly recommend.
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+1 very quick and fast - and keeps a very straight course - ineteresting watchung other makes on the River Yar going round in circles
 
I've had a few inflatable kayaks over the years, they are great fun.....the one we have at the moment is a Sevylor Pointer 2.

We've had it about 3 years and it is very popular with my son and his mates (and me and the misses). It has been very reliable and robust but we do look after it very well.

It's proved to be very seaworthy and the performance is very good for an inflatable kayak.

Anyway, here is a link to a picture of the beast at Abermenai Point at the entrance to the Menai Straits.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56897352@N02/5343706920/in/set-72157625465342645

I'd recommend to others sailors who are prepared to look after it properly.

If my pockets were deeper, a Keppler folding kayak would be on my list as the water performance is as good as a rigid kayak and they fold down to the size of an inflatable.............
 
We have a two-man Sevylor, too. It is great fun for us to explore the creeks.

Earlier in the year, my partner's three year old twin grandsons visited us. We put them in the front seat of the kayak (obviously in good lifejackets) and my partner paddled from the back. He made them each little paddles, but what they really enjoyed was chasing and picking up clumps of floating seaweed. They stayed close to the pontoons, where I hovered, ready to dive in, should the canoe capsize. But the kayak was so stable that even when both of them were leaning out the same side, it stayed level and no one got wet.
 
We have a Z Pro Tango 2 Person Inflatable which I would recomend over the lower end sevylor ones, it has a skeg, tougher material and IMHO a better shape. Also IMHO kayaks dont replace tenders but are fun to explore with and the children like them.
 
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