would you buy an inflatable recreational

the OP was a phishing expedition
"im just trying to understand the demand for inflatable kayaks"









Give me a break!

Well if the OP is a troll
then he succeeded in getting some folks to voice their own typical anti-inflatable rhetoric whilst giving me a chance to once again champion them as a viable alternative to hardshell kayaks. However, it’s probably one of those things like religion or politics in that probably no one is going to change another person’s opinion regarding inflatables. Those people who deride them will continue to do so while others will see the value and offer supporting anecdotes.

no
inflatables really don’t work that well. I think you’re better off renting then selling the rentals as there are more people willing to rent a reasonably handling boat and return it than folks willing to buy a marginal handling boat.

Yep, they’re so crappy
that no one should ever buy one and all the companies that make them should just stop. After all, speed should be everything when it comes to boating, be it canoeing or kayaking. If you live in an apartment you should just suck it up and pay an exorbitant monthly fee to store a hardshell somewhere or just pay enough money in rental fees to have bought several kayaks over the course of a year. Nah, why bother with inflatables and have such a continually suck-tastic paddling experience, when hardshell boats are clearly the best thing for every application? In fact I think if anyone wants to buy an inflatable boat we should just point and laugh and snicker and tell them what losers they are since they don’t have a hardshell boat.

I was surprised
that so many people responded too. Seemed pretty obvious to me. But you get people going on a favorite subject and they can go on for years.

So what?
It made for an interesting discussion.



My only real experience with IKs was a six day expedition, class 1-3 water, fishing the main goal, on the John Day River in Oregon. I found the IKs we used to be so stable and easy to handle that after the first day I would usually just let the thing bounce from rock to rock like a pinball while I kept fishing. It was a pain in the upstream wind that came up every afternoon, but otherwise it was a pretty nice craft. Whether or not I’d buy one would depend upon the circumstances, but I could see using one if storage space was a big problem. I’ve since found a much better inflatable for river fishing, but the IK was on my radar to buy for several years to be able to take on planes and in cars without a rack…just never got around to buying one.

+1
Dear kiltedcelt,



I think I have my fly fishing pontoon boat sold and once the check clears I’ll be buying one of the inflatables you suggested I investigate.



I’m sure I’ll be content muddling along and fly fishing local lakes and streams while all the cool kids snicker at my blow up boat, because I’m clearly too stupid to do otherwise. :wink:



Slainte’



Tim Murphy AKA Goobs

Have you seen the ads on this website?

– Last Updated: Feb-27-12 12:46 AM EST –

A plastic modular SOT like the one frequently advertised on Pnet doesn't cost anywhere near $4K.

The OP's question did not address price anyway. He or she asked whether we (as individuals, not speaking for anybody else) would buy an inflatable if space was tight. I, speaking only for myself, would not buy an inflatable. YOU can state your love for inflatables in your own response to the OP. You don't have to shout everybody else down for preferring something else.

If space is the issue

– Last Updated: Feb-27-12 12:49 AM EST –

...and neither speed nor efficiency matters, then a WW hardshell kayak could be a more attractive option for many people.

If space constrained my choices, they would be as follow, in the order given:

1. Sectional sea kayak
2. Either a folding sea kayak like the Wisper OR a hardshell WW kayak

The price I saw quote for
the Feathercraft Wisper was in fact $4000+. If you’re talking about the Tequila Point 65 sectional SOT kayak, those still go for at least $1200 if you buy all three sections. If you’re talking about a sectional sit-in kayak, I don’t know prices on those but most I’ve seen are probably well beyond the cost of the Wisper boat you mention. It may sound like I’m shouting down everyone on what they’re saying. If that’s the way you take it, so be it. What I’m doing is trying to offer a bit of counterpoint to the typical inflatable-bashing that goes on here on this forum. There are a lot of good people and some good advice on this forum but at the same time there are a lot of people flippantly dismissing an entire category of boat, many of whom have probably never even owned or paddled an inflatable. It’s just like any other hobby. Lots of people who sneer at anyone else who doesn’t shell out a ton of money for the very best like they do.

If someone is interested in flatwater
paddling, provided they buy an inflatable with decent tracking, they’ll probably have a better experience with that than trying to paddle a whitewater boat around in a flatwater situation. I’ve paddled whitewater kayaks and frankly I wouldn’t want to be in one of those any longer than about 30 minutes. That’s like being in an Iron Maiden minus the spikes. No thanks. I think if someone really wants a boat and has storage issues, then a sectional SOT would be a good buy if they’re willing to pay that much. Likewise a folder. However, the OP (troll or not), was talking inflatable, not sectional SOT or folder.

You must be in love with Wanda!
I do paddle a hardshell WW kayak in both WW and flatwater, and tracking isn’t nearly as bad as you make it out to be. Forward stroke has a lot to do with this.



You’re still trying to shout down another viable option. This is getting so predictable it’s funny.



Have fun with your inflatable.

Depends on your location
For lakes and open water I would say no. For rivers where you take advantage of current I say yes. I have two Aires and would not want them unless I had moving water. For still water, hard boats are the choice for me.

Summary
In summary IKs do have a place in the kayaking world.



I remember we had to buy our Advanced Elements online because local paddling shops don’t carry any IK brands. Paddling shops should consider adding IKs to their inventory if they are looking to expand a little.


Paddling a WW boat straight
is perfectly doable. It’s just time and practice, and frankly if you can’t paddle one straight on flat water you should reconsider being in the white stuff where the water is making directional control much harder.



The downside of WW boats for flat is that they have such limited hull speed, except for some of the faster creekers and the hybrids, that even in a group of shorter transitional boats the person in the WW boat going to be killing themselves trying to keep up.

Price for convenience ?
A decent quality inflatable isn’t a cheap purchase;

and all people did was point out the issues about them.

Every boat involves compromise of one sort or another.



An educated buyer is the best customer.

Exactly
There are moderately-priced folding kayaks. It isn’t all Feathercraft, Klepper, and Long Haul.



Same for the Tequila; to buy the 2 pieces to make it a single kayak would be comparable to the price of an inflatable.



A WW or rec kayak is within that price range, too.



And all of them would fit inside an apartment.

Made friends with the ACA ?

– Last Updated: Feb-27-12 7:44 PM EST –

Kayak dealers and the ACA should work hand-in-glove
- Local demo days, classes, instruction ?

http://www.americancanoe.org/resource/resmgr/sei-documents/it-itelist2012-state.pdf

American Canoe Association
108 Hanover St.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: (540) 907-4460 / Fax: (888) 229-3792
General Email: aca@americancanoe.org

Another market…
for an IK or folding boat is the RV folks. If I had a motorhome, and didn’t want a towed vehicle or trailer behind me, I’d need a boat that could be stored inside the coach. I really would hate to travel without the means to get out on the water.

Just sayin’

T

Yes, I have two inflatables
an Advanced Elements Straitedge II, and a Grabner Outside (canoe). We also have six other “hard” canoes. We do not have storage issues at home, but are limited when we travel in our camper. The inflatables are not good for flat water but are great in moving water and superb on whitewater. Neither of them was cheap but we use them a lot. We can have either of them inflated and in the water in 20 minutes, same for take-down. Drying has not been a problem. That said, I prefer a hard boat when possible,