Inflatable Canoes

[Kepis]

Following Andy_e's post about inflatable canoes in this post http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=384858, i d like to get peoples opinions about them, im fairly interested in getting a canoe myself, but the problem i have always had is finding somewhere to store the thing, whereas an inflatable version will obviously pack away quite nicely and not take up too much space, an added bonus i can see is not having to strap the thing to the roof of my car, also where i live im fairly limited to tidal rivers for inland paddling, although there are a couple of reservoirs around i can go to, but the sea is less than a mile away, are these inflatables suited to marine paddling as well as inland paddling.

Opinions & recommendations appreciated

 

[Stuart]

I have been wanting to get one of these for a while now:

https://www.alpackaraft.com/store/index.cfm?CategoryID=53&do=list

 

[Kepis]

Looks like fun Stuart, im thinking more along the lines of one of these,

not for serious wilderness paddling, just for fun up the local river or out on the sea.

 

[andy_e]

Looks like fun Stuart, im thinking more along the lines of one of these,

not for serious wilderness paddling, just for fun up the local river or out on the sea.

That's one that I was looking at too.

 

[Chainsaw]

There's a fairly detailed review of them on the SOTP forums, under canoe reviews, seem quite favourable but prone to getting blown about.

Dive over and have a look,

Alan

 

[Grooveski]

I had one for a while and my pal still has his.

Good:
I found them pretty capable. Done a few trips in mild chop(here's one) and one downwind trip in silly conditions that was more surfing than paddling(no photos unfortunately).

Bad:
The Achilles heel. The side cells give up along the inner seam(down near the floor). Patching gives more time but it just keeps going until your patching on patches. Eventually it's more of a rip than a leak. Both of ours and Aslans(on SotP) all went in the same way. They were all bought around the same time - could have just been a bad batch. Funnily enough all three of them only had problems with one cell, the other being fine.

Compared one to my wee 12' open canoe one day and it done fine.
Worth doing a search on SotP for bloggs started by Aslan. He put a lot of miles on his. I didn't have a camera for most of the time I used one.

The main concern for using inflatables on the sea is being blown offshore. Where I paddle has a pretty steep-sided coastline so it was never an issue.

Selling them as tandem canoes is a joke really. You can fit two folk in but it's a squeeze. If you expect most of your trips to be tandem look at paying the extra for a Colorado or Gumotex Palava.

In all both Scott and I were well chuffed with the amount of use we got out of them for the cost. The one we still have mostly gets used for cargo(towed behind a dingy) but only because we've got used to hardshell canoes. I'd happily jump back in it anyday if we were short of seats on a trip.

 

[fishy1]

From past experience with inflatables, a wind of 20 miles per hour (mildly breezy) will quite easily prevent you from getting back to shore. Take care.

 

[h2o]

ive got one its the newer amazon i dont think thier is any difference.but i think theyre good little boats on flat water and rivers.i did a 2 nighter on loch awe in one it carried me my son and all our supplies, although we had a fair job of packing the canoe would have prefered elastics on the back as well so im gonna make my own

 

[Grooveski]

...would have prefered elastics on the back as well so im gonna make my own

I still have most of a spare outer, including the bungie bit. PM an address if you like, I'll post that bit down and you can sew it on the back deck.
Know what you mean, don't know why they didn't bungiefy both decks.

 

[h2o]

most generous of you grooveski!!!

 

[gbjim03m]

i think i will repeat some of the posts, but windy conditions be carefull with inflatables, however if you on the loch's and lakes their super, however i use a normal roylex canoe and they seem to be alot more stable and can take more weight, try before you buy!!! Go to SOFTP and the lad will put you right, I hang mine up in the garage and it doesnt take up much space and goes on the car roof in minutes!!!

Decisions Decisions!!


Good Luck!!

 

[pothunter]

In my limited experience they paddle better as a kayak than a canoe, in tidal water always beware of the tides high water, slack water and low water and plan trips around these. Wind is a nightmare from which ever direction. Weight is also an issue, if you are a chunky monkey the wallow, trimming them with kit can be interesting.

Upside, great for small rivers and lakes, but they don't compare with a rigid canoe.

Pothunter.

 

[fishy1]

i think i will repeat some of the posts, but windy conditions be carefull with inflatables, however if you on the loch's and lakes their super, however i use a normal roylex canoe and they seem to be alot more stable and can take more weight, try before you buy!!! Go to SOFTP and the lad will put you right, I hang mine up in the garage and it doesnt take up much space and goes on the car roof in minutes!!!

Decisions Decisions!!


Good Luck!!

Be aware on lochs you can get big enough waves to make this extremely difficult to use. And lochs, particularly long lochs in valleys e.g loch ness, can have extremely strong gusts just like that and you wouldn't be able to keep going into the wind. But yeh, canoes are great. Personally, my next project is a rowing boat that's fairly narrow for doing canoe style things more effieciently and with little capsise risk. Plus, I can take more gear.

 

[jamie18thmo]

Hi,
Nothing new to add really, just reinforcing that they are really only good for solo paddling and do catch the wind quite a bit.
I've used mine with the skeg, that you have to purchase seperately and it didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference, but I'm no expert paddler!
I wouldn't be brave enough to go near the sea in mine, or even a big lake, if it looked a bit choppy/windy.
You might well be better off with a small solo rigid canoe and try to work out housing and transporting it somehow. I'm sure it will be safer, stronger and more long lasting.
I've now got an Old Town Discovery at nearly 17" long and it seems more like a battleship when I carry it about and it's also a bit of a handful in the wind but I feel much more confident and safer with that than with the Ranger.
Take your time and look at/try lots, if possible (I know thats easier said than done), but the best place to go for excellent advice is definitely SOTP. Great site!
Have fun with whatever you get!
Cheers,
J

 

[tetra_neon]

Those Alpacka rafts are brilliant. They pack down so small/light! I read somewhere about someone's experience of the 'Dory' model in north Sweden on the lakes/rivers and it was very good, all in all. Even on the flatwater and with windy conditions.

The take-down rowing frame is a really cool idea.

 

[Kepis]

Thanks for the replies guys, sure is food for thought, im going to have a look at a couple of inflatable canoes later this afternoon, if it wasn't for the storage problem i have here, i would go for a pukka canoe, i'll see what they have down at the showroom and see what additional advice they can offer.

Thanks again for all the replies.

 

[h2o]

ive seen the alpaca rafts but they look like they would be slow on flat water and only have room for 1 small bag.But theyre the dogs for going down silly rapids and rock faces ,theyre is some excelent footage on u tube

 

[Gailainne]

Rather than an inflatable, theres always a folding canoe.

Theres also a site that has pretty good instructions on how to DIY one, I'll see if I can dig it out. Here it is, hmm seems to be Kayaks..I thought there were canoes as well, anyway interesting read.

Stephen

 

[sandbender]

Rather than an inflatable, theres always a folding canoe.

Lars Monsen uses one of these or something very similar in the Norwegian TV series 'Nordkalotten 365'..

It looks quite robust and is probably more stable and more 'canoe like' to handle than an inflatable.

For anyone interested in seeing it in action, the canoe is featured in Episode 1, details of how to download the video file are over in the '> Bushcraft and wilderness library and Media' section under the thread 'downloadable movies - man travels alone in northern Scandinavia for a year...'

 

[fishy1]

I'm sure a folding kayak could easily be adopted into a folding canoe by not doing the deck and reineforcing it.