Inflatable Kayaks, any thoughts?

[Thomasbeau]

Hello folks,

My DW and I have been kayaking on our camping trips for many years. We have two very nice Necky 11' kayaks that we could easily bring inside of our 2005 Wildcat 5th wheel and lay them out between the bedroom and the kitchen. Our new Hideout has a different layout and that is no longer an option for us.

So now we are considering a couple inflatable kayaks. Single seat units, kayak shop near us calls the two seaters "Divorce boats". I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on any particular models or manufacturers? We really don't do any real whitewater so a recreation style is all we are looking for.

Any thoughts and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Tom and Ann

[JRTJH]

Take a look at Fol-Boat's K-Pak folding kit. It's a 9' foldable kayak, aluminum frame, waterproof skin, sets up in 10 minutes (no compressor required), weighs 21 pounds and fits in a backpack style storage pack. It comes with a 3 year warranty, (our fol-boat is now 30 years old and still floats, although I do need to order some replacement fabric that's leaking near the original folds).

Price is around $900 each, but right now there's a $300 off sale at the factory. https://www.foldingboatco.com/#home-2

Sea Eagle and a few other companies do offer "inflatable" kayaks, the main problem I see with them is the requirement to inflate, which means a "high volume compressor" and there's always that "stick or sharp rock" that causes a leak. For us, patches NEVER seem to work permanently. YMMV

[Canonman]

We often camp with our adult kids who have 2 inflatables. They use them extensively on the Clackamas, Willamette and Deschutes rivers in Oregon. We've used them as well. They are the two seater design, self bailing and very portable if a little on the heavy side.
Not as clean in the water as a hardside kayak but I think they are a quite serviceable option.

[mskeyspirate]

I know that my daughter and her fiance wanted some affordable kayaks and went to Menards. I think that they paid 89.00 each. I've been in them, they paddle much easier that expected, keep a pretty straight line, and are comfortable for a day of paddling.

[EagleandFox]

We bought 2 of these Intex K1 (?) inflatable kayaks online - I think from walmart.com of all places - for about $60 each. My husband is over the 220 lb weight limit, but it holds him OK. We tool around the lake we camp at quite a bit. They aren't as nice a regular kayaks, since they don't cut through the water- they are mostly on top, but for what we do, they are just fine. I wouldn't use them in rough, choppy water. (Sorry the picture is sideways - I tried a few times to rotate it, but I don't know what happened).

[the406life]

My wife and I have a pair of these. They are great. They weigh about 45lbs each and are not cheaply constructed like walmart rafts and inflatable kayaks.

https://www.seaeagle.com/SportKayaks/SE370

[busterbrown]

I own two Sea Eagle 2 person inflatable kayaks and a Intex 1 person challenger kayak. The Sea Eagles are (by far) higher in build quality and have a much more premium feel with the materials. We've owned ours for 4 seasons and they are still like new. The Intex is okay for casual use but has that "swimming pool" raft feel to it.