Any Feedback on Zoik Inflatables ?

Advice
#1

I’ve been looking for a couple of IK’s for local river play here in NorCal.



I’m love to get a pair of Hysides or Sotars but the $1800+ a piece price tag is a bit more than I want to spend.



I recently found the Zoik RF’s at $899 a piece (I actually found some lightly used ones for $699) and am certainly attracted to the price and general look of the boats, but have yet to see one in person.



http://www.zoikinflatables.com/RFsolo.html



Does anyone have any experience with Zoik or feedback on other moderately priced white water IK’s ?

#2

Zoik RF Solo
I bought my RF Solo a few months ago from gravityplay for $499. (now $599) It is a fleet sale model. It does not come with thigh straps or pump. They agreed to throw in the straps at no charge. With pump delivered to my door was just over $550. It looked brand new out of box. I have paddled it twice on class I/II WW. In the coming months I will paddle some II/III WW. I cannot compare it to other IK’s as this is the first one I have ever paddled. What a blast to paddle! I am used to paddling hard boats. I specifically bought it to help me test the waters on a little more challenging WW. It is unbelievably stable. It turns and maneuvers far better than I anticipated.If you are used to paddling WW boats…you will have no trouble with tracking. Time will tell how it holds up. So far…I am very happy with this IK.

#3

Excellent … Thank You
Glad the hear it presents like a quality product in person … I’ll probably go ahead and order one soon.

#4

Might Compare With Aire Tributary Tomcat
You might want to compare it against the Tributary Tomcat made by Aire. About the same specs and lower price.



Have not done WW in years, but back in the day, the Aire was the Cadillac of WWIKs.



http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1609



I did not notice that the Zoik said it was self bailing, which is required for whitewater


#5

Aire
I looked at the Aire Lynx I. I am sure it is a great IK but just could not justify spending $1,200+ dollars at this point. If I only paddled IK’s…perhaps. I paddle approx 35-40 times per year. I anticipate the RF Solo getting about 10-15 of those outings. I considered the Tomcat too. I am sure that is a fine IK also. It does spec close to the RF Solo. The biggest thing that jumped out at me was the 5 year Zoik warranty versus the 1 year for the Tomcat. The RF Solo is also 4 lbs lighter. That is my buck and a quarters worth. Good luck!

#6

RF Solo
is self bailing.

#7

Topher,
here is another consideration:http://www.boatstogo.com/kayaks.asp



Good luck on finding the right one!