help needed on inflatable canoe/kayak

[luckylee]

hi people i'm looking at getting an inflatable canoe/kayak for going down my local river for bushcrafting adventues
i was looking at getting a 2man so me and my brother can go as one, then when i weighed up the options, with kit and that we decided to get one each, as brothers we bicker, and i don't fancy that when i'm puntind down the severn.
so far i have looked at one of these.
http://www.google.co.uk/products/ca...FhQfJy-3JBg&ved=0CEwQ8wIwAQ&biw=1366&bih=589#
the 2 man for one person, ie me and my kit, if any body has any experiance with one of these, all the help and advice would be greatly apprecited, as i don't fancy making any mistakes on the river, would this be enough for me and my pack and kit.
thanks in advance lee.

 

[John Fenna]

I am afraid I cant help much here - I have no experience of inflatables...at least none that was good ...I am a supporter of glassfiber or plastic - or home made plywood (that is because birchbark is beyond my means )when it comes to canoes!

 

[luckylee]

I am afraid I cant help much here - I have no experience of inflatables...at least none that was good ...I am a supporter of glassfiber or plastic - or home made plywood (that is because birchbark is beyond my means )when it comes to canoes!

thanks any way john it is appreciated mate, i'm going for the inflatable one because it is in my price range, but more importantly because they pack up to nothing and i can just drop it in the car and i'm away, and then there is the storage, i would love a wooden canoe, but i would not no where to put it, it wont fit in any of my sheds.
and to store it outside, i have 3 big dogs that would love to chew on that lol.

 

[John Fenna]

My canoes (I only have 2 now - at one point I had 8) live on a 1" box steel frame my next door neighbor knocked up for me and swiftly get thrown on top of my Peugot Expert van without the fuss of inflation/deflation and leave the interior free for other kit. I do not have huge awkward lumps of wet canoe to clart the inside of my van filthy
I can easily throw even my heaviest canoe on the roof single handed, trot around with it solo (on land and water) despite having a duff back, tennis elbow, rubbish knees and weak wrists.
I find all the arguments in favour of inflatables quite hollow (except perhaps cost - but even then building your own stitch and tape plywood canoe will only cost about £150) and I have found the couple of inflatables I have paddled too soft, blunt and wind affected to be anything but real pigs to paddle. Do not even think of sailing or poling them - as you can a real canoe.... oh and avoid sandy or rocky environments or you will soon develop holes, make sure they are clean and dry or rodents might be atracted to the fabric.... oh and be careful what you pack in them..no sharp edges please or disaster may follow...
I even prefer sit on top Kayaks to inflatables!
Canoes - wood, plastic or glass but preferably wood/canvas cedar strip or best of all Birch Bark are the vessels they use in paradise!

 

[luckylee]

My canoes (I only have 2 now - at one point I had 8) live on a 1" box steel frame my next door neighbor knocked up for me and swiftly get thrown on top of my Peugot Expert van without the fuss of inflation/deflation and leave the interior free for other kit. I do not have huge awkward lumps of wet canoe to clart the inside of my van filthy
I can easily throw even my heaviest canoe on the roof single handed, trot around with it solo (on land and water) despite having a duff back, tennis elbow, rubbish knees and weak wrists.
I find all the arguments in favour of inflatables quite hollow (except perhaps cost - but even then building your own stitch and tape plywood canoe will only cost about £150) and I have found the couple of inflatables I have paddled too soft, blunt and wind affected to be anything but real pigs to paddle. Do not even think of sailing or poling them - as you can a real canoe.... oh and avoid sandy or rocky environments or you will soon develop holes, make sure they are clean and dry or rodents might be atracted to the fabric.... oh and be careful what you pack in them..no sharp edges please or disaster may follow...
I even prefer sit on top Kayaks to inflatables!
Canoes - wood, plastic or glass but preferably wood/canvas cedar strip or best of all Birch Bark are the vessels they use in paradise!

i take it your not kean on them john, lol i just want something me and brother can have some fun on meandering down the severn, and if i coulds store a wooden one and the cost was the same i would buy one strait away, i have looked at the ones that you can pack down, that i think are made of aluminium, that look fantastic, but at a 8 to 1ooo quid for what i need it for is just to much.

 

[marcelxl]

I used to have one of the Sevylor inflatable one maners, so did the wife.

They are decent enough, and apparently white water safe but we got rid as they were a bit of a chore (more for the breadknife) getting them set up, inflated and carried about.
In use they were good, more responsive than I expected and never was concerned taking them out in the sea. Well made & tough too I would think that you would have to go some to put a hole in it!

 

[Teepee]

I got one of these 2 months ago. Its a Zpro tango Ta300

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I think it looks better than the colorado and takes more weight. I'm quite impressed with the build quality, everything is quite substantial apart from the skeg.

As John says, its a pig compared to a rigid but being able to shut it inside my van where it cant get tea leaved is a massive bonus and its a great inflatable bed too.

Loads of room for 2 people and kit, but prepare to get wet with a kayak paddle within minutes- paddle drips fall straight into your lap.

 

[luckylee]

thanks for the reply lads, have just told me bro about this on mate, looks great, and we can both get in it, any more comments about these types of canoe's and your experiance with them, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Teepee]

It weighs about 18kg. Very manouverable, but doesnt track well without the skeg. You will need a lightweight pump to take with you, the water temperature alters the pressure and lungs alone only give it half pressure-even when purple faced. I use an electric airbed pump to inflate it that runs off a 12v battery, then top it off with the lightweight airbed pump. It comes with a decent pressure guage too.
You will need all your kit in waterproof containers or it will be soaked quickly. I've found that even 2 up, it struggles to make 4 knots-much slower than my rigid sit in sea kayak. 2 up cruising speed seems to be around 2-3 knots
It very stable, no worries about tipping it. You dont want big bladed paddles, it doesnt move quick enough and tires you quickly, best off with smaller blades moving faster.
Paddling at the bow end is much better than at the stern too, the boat is quite narrow at the front and doesnt catch your fingers on the fabric as you paddle. The seats are really good, proper supportive armchair jobs-much better than my friends Sevylor canoe seats.

This is my first inflatable kayak, so I cant compare it fairly but its in another world compared to some cheap inflatable tenders I have and the bottom feels very thick, I'm estimating 3-4mm..

 

[ol smokey]

I bought Sevelor Ranger some time ago but found it much harder to steer or keep on a straight course than glass fibre ones I had had in the past My reason for
moving to an inflatable was to avoid having to lift a glassfibre one on to the roof of my car, as you can put the inflatable into the boot and the paddles inside the car. You would be O.K. as the Colorado takes a Skeg to help it steer in a straight line whereas mine does not, If you look up " Song of thye paddle " on here
you 2will find write ups on the various inflatables, this may also help you to deside. Gomotex make get very good reviews, but they are a bit more expensive
than sevelor models the materials used seem a bit tougher too. I had aq feel at the3m at a canoe gathering in Perth and the basic body felt as solid as a Rib
motorboat. I hope that some of this is of help Cheers Stuart

 

[Culloch]

Lidl are doing a 2 man inflatable kayak instore as of Monday the 30th...can't comment as to the quality but at £29.99 you can guarantee they'll fly of the shelves!

....at that price its a relatively painless way to decide if inflatable kayaking is for you or not!

p.s. Just don't expect it to last very long or perform like something costing ten to twenty times the price!

 

[luckylee]

thanks lads, and thanks teedee for taking the time to tell me what you think, culloch ill be in the store, and ill get one at that price just to see what they are like mate.

 

[John Fenna]

Not a comment on the boats - but please remember to wear buoyancy aids when out paddling!
Those new to the sport often forget that it is very hard to swim fully dressed in cold water after having been hit on the head bya rock/paddle tree branch even if they are normally of Olympic standard swimming ability....

 

[Culloch]

Not a comment on the boats - but please remember to wear buoyancy aids when out paddling!
Those new to the sport often forget that it is very hard to swim fully dressed in cold water after having been hit on the head bya rock/paddle tree branch even if they are normally of Olympic standard swimming ability....

Just to reinforce John's message...please don't even consider going afloat without adequate safety gear or indeed instruction if you are new to this!

 

[luckylee]

Not a comment on the boats - but please remember to wear buoyancy aids when out paddling!
Those new to the sport often forget that it is very hard to swim fully dressed in cold water after having been hit on the head bya rock/paddle tree branch even if they are normally of Olympic standard swimming ability....

good bit of advice john its the first thing i told my brother he should get, what i'm going to do, as i'm a bailiff on my syndicate, i'm going to, which ever boat i buy take it there first, and test it on the water of lake, before i take it the severn. will give me a much better idea how it will perform, and have peace of mind if disaster happens, that i will be able to deal with the situation, i use a small kayak and various different boats on there all the time, but it will be all new to me brother, but he is a quick learner so all should be well.

 

[John Fenna]

A good plan!

 

[jackcbr]

Lidl are doing a 2 man inflatable kayak instore as of Monday the 30th...can't comment as to the quality but at £29.99 you can guarantee they'll fly of the shelves!

....at that price its a relatively painless way to decide if inflatable kayaking is for you or not!

p.s. Just don't expect it to last very long or perform like something costing ten to twenty times the price!

Is it a BSquare one? I got the one man ride on. As it goes, not bad, but it is easy to over inflate. Mine sprang a leak at one of the seams. I think it was because I over inflated it and the sun expanded the air inside whilst it was on the beach. A potential issue with all inflatables I guess. Must admit I've been looking at getting something like this for me and SWMBO.

 

[dave53]

hi all clas olsen also sell inflatables saw one the other day when iwas in there looked a tough bit of kit i think the salesman said it was £99 worth a look id say regards dave

 

[Shewie]

I had an old Sevvy Ranger which was a nice introduction to paddling and let me explore a few places others couldn't get to. After a couple of trips I got terminal punctures so had to get rid, I tried a couple of boats and decided on an Old Town Pack, I had a year of paddling that and then moved onto my Bob Special.
Inflatables are fine if you look after them, make sure you give them a good rinse if you've landed anywhere sandy, especially in the folds near any seams, blow them up and give them a good hose down when you get back.
The Colorado is a decent mid range boat as far as inflatables go although quite sluggish on the water and hard work to keep in a straight line. A double paddle works much better than a single blade as you can keep up momentum better whilst making corrective strokes. They don't track at all despite the skegs they have, you do find that each stroke will twist and turn you. Kit storage isn't brilliant either because of the thick sides, something like a Stearns Back Country or Gumotex Palava will allow you to get much more kit in for the two of you.

If your restricted by storage space or your budget then go for it, if you've got somewhere to store a 15 or 16ft hard shell then I'd say save a couple more quid between you and pick up a second hand Mad River/Wenonah/Old Town/Nova Craft for around £400-500.

Either way get one and you'll love every minute of it.

 

[tomongoose]

I used one of these a few years ago on the wye and found it nice to paddle and really quick to set up it was not as nice to paddle as my Coleman ram x 16 but for something you can keep in the boot of a small car and carry to the side of the river its fantastic.

Just a video review I found on youtube
[video=youtube;tIejQoM15gk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIejQoM15gk[/video]