Canoes

Themselves

Themselves

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Considering investing in an inflatable canoe. Anyone tried these? Also, any recommendations for waterside campsites.
 
We have a Sevylor Hudson and its great. We initially bought a large rigid and it was a nightmare to store and move around so we ended up hardly using it. The inflatable compromises performance slightly but not enough to trouble us (i.e just pootling around). Consequently we use it much more which at the end of the day is what matters. Only had one puncture and spares are easily obtainable.
 
Some inflatables can be hard to dry. They often have plastic tubes inside a fabric cover which means thr tubes have to be removed and the fabric dried. A better design is a single skin that can be wiped down with a towel. Trying to store a dripping wet canoe in a moho is difficult unless you have some way of containing those drips, plastic tray etc. A wet canoe is also heavy. Most Sevylor canoes have the fabric cover over plastic tubes and so are hard to dry. Gumotex sell single skin canoes made from a very tough material, easy to dry and not as heavy.
 
I got a Gumotex Twist after recommendations on here and I love it. Easy to inflate, easy to paddle, quick to dry and very strong and durable.
If it has a drawback, it is suseptable to wind, but thats the same as all inflateables.
I have considered one of the latest technology "drop stitch" inflatables which have a profile more like a hard shell, but nobody has had any stock this year. I'll probably look again in the New Year.
Nant Gwynant Campsite Snowdonia North Wales is right on the lake, or Llyn. But there are lots of others

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We managed to get a drop stitch Sea Eagle.I was very grateful- gammy knees appreciate the very solid floor and stability
 
And had a great time at Waterside farm on Ullswater
 
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Inflatable kayak

Any recommendations for a decent inflatable kayak to take in the van? My wife and I did a one day canoe on the river Wye last summer and really enjoyed it so I'm thinking of getting a two man inflatable we can keep/take in the van. Only for sunny day canal or lake use although a trip to France...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk
 
Looked in to buying a two person kayak this summer but due to lack of travel have delayed purchase.
Gumotex have a excellent reputation and materials used are ment to be stronger than most, expensive at around £1200.
Pre brexit/covid you could buy cheaper with a reasonable discount from Czech Republic.
Now you would have to buy from a Uk supplier.
Another company worth looking a is Sandbanks Style SUP.
Excellent company that make great paddleboards have recently started making kayak's.
Drop stitch 2 person from £650.

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Just checked my email and noticed Sandbanks Style have £200 off ex display boards.
 
We bought one for the boat for younger family and visitors and they are Ok but just don't expect them to feel like a conventional Kayak. Rather akin to paddling a slug. Those who have tried rowing an inflatable tender will know what I mean!:rolleyes:
 
There have been 3 separate Gumotex Palava canoes/kayaks on eBay in the last couple of weeks. They went for around the £5-700 mark. Nothing on at the moment but might be worth saving a search if you don't mind a used one.
Screenshot_20211024-215652.png
 
dash300 said:
We bought one for the boat for younger family and visitors and they are Ok but just don't expect them to feel like a conventional Kayak. Rather akin to paddling a slug. Those who have tried rowing an inflatable tender will know what I mean!:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
It depends on what you bought, some are better than others, I have had several versions of Gumotex, currently have a Gumotex Twist which is very good and certainly not slug like, it is very manoeuvrable but has a skeg to keep it straight when needed, for me its the best one I've had for my style of kayaking - some straight light travel and being able to 'play' between rocks etc.
 
Themselves said:
Considering investing in an inflatable canoe. Anyone tried these? Also, any recommendations for waterside campsites.
Click to expand...
There are quite a few threads on here, just put Gumotex in the search box and my user ID and you should find them as I think I've responded to most (if not all) of them! :giggle:

One thing though do you mean a canoe or a kayak? Canoes are where you sit higher, usually on a board (as with the Gumotex Palava previously mentioned) whereas with a kayak you sit 'in' it so it is much more stable and easier to control, I much prefer the latter and a single too to avoid 'arguments'.

One thing that I do find helps with a single inflatable is to have some weight up front to keep the kayak level as most of the weight is towards the rear (ie you), I do this by taking one of my dogs with me who weighs about 7kg, if she doesn't want to go then I use an old water container 'cube' and put a few litres in it, works a treat.

Tazzy in kayak.jpg

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I've been using a Stearns Backcountry for years now, prolly too many and it's about time it was replaced. Double skeg and I made a plastic keel to bolt across the two skegs which makes a big difference, especially mackerel fishing in the sea . The Backcountry isn't made any more and the nearest equivalent is the Sevylor Collerado.
Gumotex have a very good rep on the forums and indeed my cousins daughter who is a competition class white water nutter has one (not for comps').
i'd love an Advanced Elements Convertable but SWMBO needs convincing that I NEED one:giggle:

Would very much recommend the forum, www.songofthepaddle.com. Very helpful people and a very good section on inflatables.

p.s .concur with Minxy re ballast when solo. I use a plastic water container in the bow to help stop the bow swing.
 
Decathlon’s itiwit 500 is a good one & fits under my bed, it’s dropstitched & about £700 for single, I use a mop n bucket to clean & a old towel to dry it
 
Itiwit is a bit “tippy” but goes well, if you’re a bit tall (I’m 6”1’) get the 2 person ‘cos it’s a bit cramped for the legs
 
Many thanks for all the info and recommendations. The Fun,
as always, comes to the rescue .
 
Themselves - we have a few kayaks here and you would be welcome to have a shot with as many as you wish to try out.

The (newish) inflatables are a sea eagle and a Blue Wave but we also have rigid sit one and also have a sit in (I think). We have electric motors for the inflatables but not tried them yet.

We are in South East Scotland but often down in Teesside due to family issues so could meet up if you were interested.
 
Very generous offer thank you. We are many miles south of you but when we go touring again I may take you up on this.
 
We've got a ~£300 Sevylor Riviera inflatable. It's fine on flat water when it's still. And it is quick to inflate and really easy to carry as a rucksack. But it gets blown about very easily. Even small waves totally kill its speed and make it harder to steer. And compared to a rigid (or high pressure/drop stitch inflatable) it's really slow. You have to put in a lot of effort to keep up even a casual pace. If it's just for mucking about, low pressure inflatables are OK. But they aren't much of a step up from pool toys.
 
Guigsy said:
We've got a ~£300 Sevylor Riviera inflatable. It's fine on flat water when it's still. And it is quick to inflate and really easy to carry as a rucksack. But it gets blown about very easily. Even small waves totally kill its speed and make it harder to steer. And compared to a rigid (or high pressure/drop stitch inflatable) it's really slow. You have to put in a lot of effort to keep up even a casual pace. If it's just for mucking about, low pressure inflatables are OK. But they aren't much of a step up from pool toys.
Click to expand...
Agreed, this is one of the reasons I like Gumotex kayaks as they are higher pressure and perform more like a rigid, you really do get what you pay for a lot of the time.

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www.roadaffair.com

10 Best Inflatable Kayaks in 2024 - Road Affair

Kayaking is a great outdoor activity for beautiful summer days, but storing and transporting the kayak isn’t part of the fun. Inflatable kayaks are a great alternative to the traditional kayak since they’re so much more portable. While inflatable kayaks don’t always compare to the same level of...
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I bought mine after reading this.
 
Minxy Girl said:
There are quite a few threads on here, just put Gumotex in the search box and my user ID and you should find them as I think I've responded to most (if not all) of them! :giggle:

One thing though do you mean a canoe or a kayak? Canoes are where you sit higher, usually on a board (as with the Gumotex Palava previously mentioned) whereas with a kayak you sit 'in' it so it is much more stable and easier to control, I much prefer the latter and a single too to avoid 'arguments'.

One thing that I do find helps with a single inflatable is to have some weight up front to keep the kayak level as most of the weight is towards the rear (ie you), I do this by taking one of my dogs with me who weighs about 7kg, if she doesn't want to go then I use an old water container 'cube' and put a few litres in it, works a treat.

View attachment 551046
Click to expand...
Does the dogs claws not worry you with the inflatable or are they really that tough?
 

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