Hi,
I'm still considering which touring inflatable kayak should I buy.
1. I'm planning to hit in a week for 50km journey along the shore. And as I built up my strength, I'm planning to hit another 50km which is total per journey is 100 for a one way.
2. Then, I'm thinking of a touring inflatable kayak sit-in with a good glide on the water, so I can easily save my journey in case I'm tired or so. Including with spray skirts in mind, so that I don't need to worry for having water splashing in the kayak.
3. i heard the fastest inflatable kayak is Innova Seaker 1, but seriously, is it the fastest touring inflatable kayak as putting mind budget wise from USD1500-2500. Im still reading back on AE Expedition. I saw the Trak T1600 but it's just over my budget x(
4. Im an angler, so I'll be bringing my fishing tools with me.
So pls do advise me which kayak with speed and stability in mind is the right kayak for me.
Advanced Elements
I've never taken journeys anywhere near as long as you mention I have seen long journeys discussed on the advanced elements forum.
You mention the AE Expedition as possibility which came to my mind. Also the AE convertible might also be worth a look too because of it's size. It can be paddled in solo position which leaves you lots of room in front and behind for gear. It also has an optional attachable deck.
Training trips ?
What is the farthest you’ve paddled in a day soooo far ?
Touring Inflatable kayak
So far I have been padding up to 20km top, but that was using sit-on hard shell kayak. So, I’m planning to go more than that though, but IMHO with a considerate speedy inflatable kayak, I probably can hit more than 20km.
hard vs. inflatable
A hard shell kayak is a heck of alot easier to paddle any distance than any inflatable. I’d find one to borrow before you make up your mind.
Bill H.
Inflatable kayak
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the advice, I did try the hard shell ones, which is the only reason, I start to like this activity. But, because I have limited space at home, having the hard shell is just not an option considering I don’t have a 4x4 car either.
I read the Trak T1600, and that’s one heck of a inflatable kayak, but it’s too pricey. Probably I’m going to get a cheaper ones and then keeping cash to get Track T1600.
Foam blocks
Almost "any" car can transport a kayak via foam blocks.
You don't need a massive 8cyclinder 4x4 truck...lol.
Many simply store the kayak in our backyard on some
foam blocks with a tarp to protect from sun damage.
Inflatable kayaks become a hassle with inflating & deflating.
Then you have put them somewhere to dry out before storage.
As a general rule, they are slow because they are wide,
with large rounded edges, and simply push water.
I knock out 15 miles in 3 hours with a hard shell kayak on a flat water lake near my home.
On various occasions I've done 40 to 50 miles in a day upon a river with some current.
Tough Situation
You are in a tough spot. A good quality inflatable will cost you as much or more than a hard boat. There are also a lot of hard boats out there that you can pick up used. If you buy a cheaper inflatable I believe you are going to get your fill very quickly. Especially if you paddle over open water, longer distances or if you are in wind. We have two Aires and we love them but we would not want to paddle them any distance. For that we take our hard boats.
See if you can find someone that can keep it at their house or maybe work a deal where they can use it if they story it. You will so much happier I believe.
One other thing. Our inflatables take up a lot of room and are heavy. The area they take is just a different shape.
Have
paddled a Pakboat kayak for 2 years of travel (take it to Mexico via airlines) and used it in the ocean, rivers (Class I & II), and lakes and the Puffin model has far exceeded my expectations for durability, performance, and certainly price at about $800. http://www.pakboats.com/
Have paddled a AE Expedition for a year and while it’s very durable, it’s pretty slow to paddle, but stable, easy and fast to inflate, and easy to carry/transport. Forget Sevylors…not decent quality. Folbot makes a very nice folding/inflatable kayak, but closer to $1500. on up. You might check out the Aire Sawtooth which is supposed to paddle well for a inflatable at the $750. range. See if you can paddle a Pakboat as I was very happy with mine.
agree with Chuck on the folder
I’ve used all three types of boats: rigid, inflatable and folding and agree you might also want to consider the latter.
Folding kayaks tend to be speedier in the water and more versatile than inflatables – weight-wise they are about equal to inflatables and they store in the same compact duffel arrangement. You can also transport them atop a car more easily than an inflatable. I can keep up with most hard shell paddlers easily in my folding Feathercraft Wisper, but I know that’s a costly boat. A more budget friendly possibility for you might be the Pakboats, which are kind of folding/inflatable hybrids, either the Puffin series (under $1000) or their XT-15 (around $1700 but sometimes less on sale or used.) We have one of the latter and have been very impressed with the performance, ease of set-up and comfort of the kayak. The removeable deck makes trip packing and access to gear very convenient. Since it has an aluminum frame and skin arrangement with narrow stacked inflatable sponsons, it can be longer and has more cargo space than any 100% inflatable. It folds down into a 39 pound duffel bag and we can set it up in about 20 minutes or car top it on foam blocks.
BTW: TChuck, thanks for the Teva watershoes (Ebay) – didn’t realize til I went to pay that you were the seller. They’ll be perfect for launching my boat amongst the coral and sea urchins on Virgin Gorda next week!
The Incept boats …
…seem like they might be what you are after:
http://inceptmarine.com/inflatable-sea-kayaks-incept.htm
Honestly, to get the kind of performance you describe out of an inflatable you will spend as much as you would on a folder and probably twice what you might spend on a reasonable hardshell.
I have two IKs and think they are great, but they are just not ideal for long distance touring.
Incept, Innova
I would love to try one of those Incept kayaks. I can see one maybe in my future.
I do 50km in my inflatable Innova Sunny over a weekend easy. I also have a Seaker, and yes it is faster and drier, but is heavy and bulky to move around.
If you’re not planning to paddle open ocean the Innova Sunny is a very very versatile kayak, and well suited for fishing.
inflatable range
My top day is 32km in a seven hour paddling day in an Innova Sunny(including lunch and rest breaks). I typically plan trips with 15-20km between destinations.
Agreed
50K (+/- 32 miles for us south of the border) is certainly doable for a weekend in the Sunny, depending on conditions.
The OPs desire for a spray skirt made me think he had more challenging conditions in mind. The practical limit I have found for paddling the Sunny is when there is enough chop to consistently splash water into the hull (2-3 feet in my experience). After 30-45 minutes, enough water collects in the hull to hinder performance. You would need to bail or stop on shore to empty the water. A skirt/cover for the Sunny would have to be a custom thing. A self-bailing boat like the Sawtooth might be better in that case.
Paddlesheep - I too would love to demo the Incept. Have you seen any in the NW? IKs of any kind are hard to come by in the midwest US…
I like d looks of Incept and Pakboats
Gents and Ladies,
Thanks for the great ideas and advices, I really really appreciate it as I’m quite new in this sport. Anyhow, I like the Incept looks and features, but it is quite expensive compare to AE Expedition and Innova Seaker.
But pakboats are very tempting to try on though, with budget in range. I definitely gonna pick pakboats for my all rounder use. I can go salt water fishing with it and I also can go for touring.
Anyway, thanks again for the advices and recommendation as I will look into it. I’m glad I found this forum as I’m quite lost where to find advices and sort for inflatable kayak.
inflatable and folding
Can also build your own inflatable or folding kayak for a heck of alot less money. www.yostwerks.com
Bill H.
incept
Never seen one in the flesh, only in the catalogue. It is a very nice looking design, apparently Audrey Sutherland had a hand in the specs. What I really like of it over the Seaker is the weight. A 35lb kayak is much easier to carry up off the beach and over the logs than a 65lb one! I plan to do a number of trips with the seaker this year to see how I can manage. At the moment I don’t see it as a solo boat due to the weight.
folbot Cooper
take a look at them
http://www.folbot.com
within your price range, fits in a backpack
definitely one of my favorite boats
Paul