Inflatable Canoes
- Thread starter Ace Rimmer
- Start date
I bought one second hand, big mistake. If you do get one and they can be very good if looked after, just make sure it gets cleaned and stored properly. I managed one trip out to the islands on Loch Lomond and a day on the local canal before I had to retire mine. I think the previous owner had used it in salt water mainly and the fine salt crystals had perished the seams.
Have a look for "pump hulls" on SOTP
Have a look for "pump hulls" on SOTP
I've seen a few of these in outdoorsy shops of late and been tempted. You never know when the floods will come.
They should be a lot of fun in the sea but I think a hose down with freshwater might have helped mine last a bit longer.
we have one made i think by sevill or some french company
its been very good and plenty of fun
its a bit heavy and has tough canvas sides and bottom with thick rubber runners under it
weve been over wears rough water in the sea loads of times even when very rough with the waves breaking over the canoe and filled with water
go and get one you wont be sorry
its been very good and plenty of fun
its a bit heavy and has tough canvas sides and bottom with thick rubber runners under it
weve been over wears rough water in the sea loads of times even when very rough with the waves breaking over the canoe and filled with water
go and get one you wont be sorry
I bought one second hand, big mistake. If you do get one and they can be very good if looked after, just make sure it gets cleaned and stored properly. I managed one trip out to the islands on Loch Lomond and a day on the local canal before I had to retire mine. I think the previous owner had used it in salt water mainly and the fine salt crystals had perished the seams.
Have a look for "pump hulls" on SOTP
I think you get what you pay for. I've seen some really good inflatables that have never been mentioned on BCUK and the like as they are so specialised and made from hypolon. I had one, it cost£1000 new (I paid £500 for ex display) but it was almost bombroof and airpackable too, absolutley fantastic it was.
Most of the cheap Seyvlor type ones are just that, cheap inflatables that will and can go down on you when you need them most. Good for a laugh at the weekend but not by any means can they be considered serious tough outfoor craft.
I've seen some fantastic hypolon/rubber one person assault/landing craft from various armies in Europe that go for around £100 on ebay. These are essentially very very strong one person inflatables that are paddled with kayak paddles. These are well worth getting if you see them. Our very own SB used them for a while but I think they moved onto powered hard shells and sold most of the one man inflatables off.
WS
Have a look at 'Song of the Paddle' website - they review and discuss all sorts of open canoe related stuff. They are the experts and quite a few of them are on this forum too.
I've been also thinking about the positives of an inflatable canoe/ kayak but have seen some tales of woe regarding fragility, etc. I really like the sound of the military versions that Woodsmoke was referring to - sadly none around on the bay at present but I will keep an eye out in hope.
Woodsmoke - I would imagine these mothers are going to be bulkier/ heavier than the usual fare as they sound pretty much indestructible? I guess they also come in a fetching shade of olive drab?!
Woodsmoke - I would imagine these mothers are going to be bulkier/ heavier than the usual fare as they sound pretty much indestructible? I guess they also come in a fetching shade of olive drab?!
I have a 'Gumotex' single canoe and it has been fantastic! Five years of use as a small tender accessing my fishing boat on it's mooring in salt water, abused by my children on holiday and generally messing about, and has never been a problem.
I have just looked at a website and there seem to be a plethora of choice with this make now in colour, size and style. Have a look. I have seen then on telly too in a 'superstars' white water competition, although the logos were covered up.
I have no problem with the quality of the hull, valves or paddle (this has built in flotation too) I would advise acquiring a seat as this will raise your bum off the floor and therefore stop it being the lowest point, you don't want that in water!
The whole thing comes in a sturdy backpack, with a good pump, leak repair kit, sponge and little net bag to keep things in.
Oh and a little skeg that you have to remember to fit BEFORE you blow it up!!
http://www.cheltenham-canoes.co.uk/products/gumotex/solar-300.htm
Swyn.
I have just looked at a website and there seem to be a plethora of choice with this make now in colour, size and style. Have a look. I have seen then on telly too in a 'superstars' white water competition, although the logos were covered up.
I have no problem with the quality of the hull, valves or paddle (this has built in flotation too) I would advise acquiring a seat as this will raise your bum off the floor and therefore stop it being the lowest point, you don't want that in water!
The whole thing comes in a sturdy backpack, with a good pump, leak repair kit, sponge and little net bag to keep things in.
Oh and a little skeg that you have to remember to fit BEFORE you blow it up!!
http://www.cheltenham-canoes.co.uk/products/gumotex/solar-300.htm
Swyn.
I can't find any photo's online of the one man assault craft but the German ones were roughly the same design as the one below but half the length and came in black. The UK special forces used this (in black) which is what I owned.
http://www.eurocraft.com/images/wwckprt.jpg
I've only every seen them on ebay 3 times in the last 7 years, so they are exceptionally rare. Your best bet is contacting some of the disposal agencies like Babcock or Wytham and see what they may have lying in some warehouse.
WS
http://www.eurocraft.com/images/wwckprt.jpg
I've only every seen them on ebay 3 times in the last 7 years, so they are exceptionally rare. Your best bet is contacting some of the disposal agencies like Babcock or Wytham and see what they may have lying in some warehouse.
WS
I have bought a Stearn Backcountry inflatable recently. The reason is that I wanted to entice my wife to a bit of canoeing! Had a bit of problem with the thing leaking, that was quickly solved with some seam sealant, now it stays dry, apart from paddle drippings!
We have been out on Oulton Broad quite a few times now, nothing fancy, don't want to scare my wife yet!
The thing is very broad for a canoe, bit of a barge really! You would have to really work hard to capsize it. Don't expect speed, you won't get it. The seats are crap...well the backrests are no good. You want to use a double paddle is you're on own, two paddles are better with two people on board and it also tracks a lot better with two. Quite sensitive to the wind.
I am quite happy with it, for what it is, it's quite good. But I can do better in wood!!
We have been out on Oulton Broad quite a few times now, nothing fancy, don't want to scare my wife yet!
The thing is very broad for a canoe, bit of a barge really! You would have to really work hard to capsize it. Don't expect speed, you won't get it. The seats are crap...well the backrests are no good. You want to use a double paddle is you're on own, two paddles are better with two people on board and it also tracks a lot better with two. Quite sensitive to the wind.
I am quite happy with it, for what it is, it's quite good. But I can do better in wood!!
I've had a few inflatables and have to agree with the comments so far; you get what you pay for.
A Sevylor Colorado - Cheap, fun, very stable but poor tracking and performance and not terribly robust; I popped mine on the Tay but that probably wasn't the boat's fault.
A Gumotex Palava - Excellent quality, can't say anything bad about it. It was a steal fom ebay so had to buy it. Sold it for a second hardshell.
A Metzeler Tramper - Old french inflatable which I still have and despite the fact that it looks like a big banana I really like it. It's got several patches of tearaid repair tape which is invaluable if you have an inflatable. This is the boat I go in with my youngest son when I canoe with the family as my wife, daughter and oldest son and dog take the hardshells.
I love inflatables for what they are; easily transportable, usually stable and really comfortable.
I've got my eye on a Kutlici Rio but that's not going to happen.
Tom
A Sevylor Colorado - Cheap, fun, very stable but poor tracking and performance and not terribly robust; I popped mine on the Tay but that probably wasn't the boat's fault.
A Gumotex Palava - Excellent quality, can't say anything bad about it. It was a steal fom ebay so had to buy it. Sold it for a second hardshell.
A Metzeler Tramper - Old french inflatable which I still have and despite the fact that it looks like a big banana I really like it. It's got several patches of tearaid repair tape which is invaluable if you have an inflatable. This is the boat I go in with my youngest son when I canoe with the family as my wife, daughter and oldest son and dog take the hardshells.
I love inflatables for what they are; easily transportable, usually stable and really comfortable.
I've got my eye on a Kutlici Rio but that's not going to happen.
Tom
There were some K1 Challengers for sale in Makro a couple of months ago for around £50. Some chap was paddling about near my boat in his and told me and let me have a go. Makro is a trade only store... but I since saw the same boats for sale on the internet for around £60.
First thing that impressed me was how it was so stable I was able to get in from the stone jetty which was about 2 feet above it - not really doable in an ordinary kayak.
Next it had excellent handling - the most important thing and something I didn't expect from an inflatable, especially such a cheap one.
It was quite comfortable, although I was only in it for ten mins.. so would need a longer run to really tell you about that. It appeared to have adequate back support for someone not too tall (I'm 5'5") and was also apparently adjustable.
If I remember rightly it packed away in a bag about 2x1x1foot - including the paddle which was in three sections.
It wasn't bright garish colours for frightening away all wildlife within a 3 mile radius.... but then unlikely to be spotted by a helicopter when floating lost in the english channel either - so it depends what you want. It was mostly browney-grey.
It had a painter with strong fixing and grablines all round. It also came with a cargo-net fore. And I think some storage space aft.
It felt pretty sturdy PVC fabric.
The con was that the paddle supplied with it was not long enough, but as it came in three sections, it would be quite easy to replace the middle section with another pole cut to the desired length. The rubber around the hand grips were a bit of a design flaw in my mind as it hinders you doing a proper swivel-action... but this doesn't matter if you do the above replacement of the middle section.
I think it was excellent for slow rivers and canals. I would not take it e.g. on the River Severn on a spring tide.... however i'm going to buy one once I know how much money I'm getting with my redundancy package as it will be excellent as a little spare craft for pootling about in on the canal on which I live and dragging a zander-line behind me
First thing that impressed me was how it was so stable I was able to get in from the stone jetty which was about 2 feet above it - not really doable in an ordinary kayak.
Next it had excellent handling - the most important thing and something I didn't expect from an inflatable, especially such a cheap one.
It was quite comfortable, although I was only in it for ten mins.. so would need a longer run to really tell you about that. It appeared to have adequate back support for someone not too tall (I'm 5'5") and was also apparently adjustable.
If I remember rightly it packed away in a bag about 2x1x1foot - including the paddle which was in three sections.
It wasn't bright garish colours for frightening away all wildlife within a 3 mile radius.... but then unlikely to be spotted by a helicopter when floating lost in the english channel either - so it depends what you want. It was mostly browney-grey.
It had a painter with strong fixing and grablines all round. It also came with a cargo-net fore. And I think some storage space aft.
It felt pretty sturdy PVC fabric.
The con was that the paddle supplied with it was not long enough, but as it came in three sections, it would be quite easy to replace the middle section with another pole cut to the desired length. The rubber around the hand grips were a bit of a design flaw in my mind as it hinders you doing a proper swivel-action... but this doesn't matter if you do the above replacement of the middle section.
I think it was excellent for slow rivers and canals. I would not take it e.g. on the River Severn on a spring tide.... however i'm going to buy one once I know how much money I'm getting with my redundancy package as it will be excellent as a little spare craft for pootling about in on the canal on which I live and dragging a zander-line behind me
They may not stop a bullet, but some of the commercial ones are trustworthy enough; judging by this lady's experience.
http://www.innovakayak.com/news.htm
http://www.innovakayak.com/news.htm
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