inflatable kayaks

thamesS23

thamesS23

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Joined
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hertfordshire
www.spotonprint.net
just wondering if anyone on here has ever used an inflatable kayak on the thames. Saw a couple at the boat show, and thought they could be quite a fun thing to have onboard when we get our boat. Like the idea that they can be packed into a reasonable sized bag when not in use. One assumes that you should have to pay for an additional license, although would you get away without one provided you didnt go through the locks.
Are there many little rivers that go of from the thames (nr Bray) that a kayak would be good for exploring?
stearns-canoe-red-2.jpg
 
They are quite good fun to use and certainly you can get into some little streams with them as even with an adult they only draw a couple of inches. However... they are tiring and you need be quite fit to go any distance and the boredom factor soon sets in.
 
I have one of THESE on board. It packs up small, it's light,it's easier to inflate than the dinghy, it seems well made, it is very stable and good fun if you want to explore places.
It doesn't carry it's way as well as a rigid kayak so I agree it can be tiring if you go a long way ..... but so would rowing an inflatable tender.
 
You tend to get really cold in them because:













You cannot have your Kayak and heat it! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

(I'll get me coat!)
 
I bought a pair of those the year before last (£35 each in Makro), have had excellent fun in the in the Kennet, obviously not the Thames because I haven't got them licensed /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif, took one to Portugal and used it for surfing the waves on the beach. Loads of fun for a relatively small outlay!

A friend bought a two-seater (possibly better quality), but I figured the fun potential for racing, bumping, generally larking around justified two singles !
 
We have one on board and it stows in a nice small bad beneath the forebunk. No 1 sons uses it. I tried it and agree with Byron, tiring but fun in short bursts. Purchased from from a forumite on here for £20 I think and it had been used once so was a bargin.
 
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