Inflatable kayak (1 Viewer)

[Noely]

thinking of getting a 2/3 person inflatable kayak and was wondering if anyone has any experience with one and could offer some insight. Just want it for paddling on lakes in France this summer with the kids. Many thanks, Noel

 

[lorger]

We had one from Lidl or Aldi and it was ideal for paddling around in calm water, I wouldn't recommend it for rougher water though

 

[bigtwin]

@Minxy Girl should be able to provide some feedback.

I bought one of their two Gumotex canoes but have yet to test it! I'm hoping for the opportunity in a couple of weeks when I head to France.

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[Kingham]

Had a Sevylor Colorado for a few years, which had two seats in it, but we also carried the dog, or one of the kids in the front. Excellent fun and very stable.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Sevylor 3 man. End of line at NEC Some years ago. Love it

 

[michndan]

I am also going to get a three person one in the next couple of weeks but decided on a Itiwit from Decathlon.

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[Chris]

We had one from Lidl or Aldi and it was ideal for paddling around in calm water, I wouldn't recommend it for rougher water though

My wife fell for that deal too.

#stillinthebox

 

[Ridgeway]

We bought a Sevylor Adventure+ (3 man) last year, used it 4 times and last weekend it looked like this:

So it's gone back to Sevylor a few days ago. We used ours mainly on lakes although did try rivers but forgot that you have to be strong enough to paddle back up stream.....

 

[Garfields]

We have a Sevylor and are pleased with it
You do need to use the gauge to avoid over inflating
Only downside is they are a faff to dry if you get a lot of water inside
We got ours through GoOutdoors as they were doing a price much + 10%

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[Neilfg]

We have Sea Eagle, had it a couple of years. Works well so far and packs down easily enough. It's the only one we have tried although seen most.

There are loads of videos on YouTube for most of the various makes.

 

[Minxy]

We bought a Sevylor Adventure+ (3 man) last year, used it 4 times and last weekend it looked like this:

So it's gone back to Sevylor a few days ago. We used ours mainly on lakes although did try rivers but forgot that you have to be strong enough to paddle back up stream.....

You're not supposed to stuff your Mrs in it!!!!

No wonder she's trying to burst out of it!

 

[Minxy]

If you noly want something to mess about in once in a while and not to do any serious paddling then some of the cheaper kayaks/canoes will do, but you do get what you pay for.

I've had a few different inflatable kayaks/canoes and would never ever buy anything but a Gumotex ... they simply are fantastic quality products, much, much tougher than any others as they are made from materials similar to those that you find used for inland RIBs and are therefore inflated to a much higher pressure to give better rigidity and strength, pretty much double what others like Sevylor etc are.

Gumotex ones don't use a 'cover' with an internal bladder as shown in Ridgeway's photo which, apart from being less robust, are as Garfields says a pain to dry as the water gets inside the cover from the zips, no matter how careful you are to try to keep it out. If you're planning on staying on a site and only using it there so you can then let it hang out to dry then it's not such an issue but if you want something you can quickly get out of the water, wipe down and put away, then you won't beat a Gumotex.

Gumotex ones are also very forgiving ... if you hit a sharp rock etc they will just glide over them or bump off them, whereas those with 'covers' can tear or get a puncture ... I've used my Gumotex kayak all over the place, on our last holiday I was having great fun going round and between loads of rocks near the seashore and although I bashed against them a few times, and did a bit of a 'pirouette' on one when the tide suddenly went out, no damage was done at all ... I certainly wouldn't have dared try it with any other make unless it was a normal rigid kayak.

There are a few threads on the forum already about them so if you do a search for Gumotex you should find them.

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[Minxy]

Just another thing, don't forget to allow for buying buoyancy aids and paddles too!

 

[Jagtazman]

@Minxy Girl So where did you get yours from ? I know you like a bargain like the rest of us lol

However also considering a mega cheap one for our trip to Lake Garda with a view to getting a proper one at later date

 

[Minxy]

@Minxy Girl So where did you get yours from ? I know you like a bargain like the rest of us lol

However also considering a mega cheap one for our trip to Lake Garda with a view to getting a proper one at later date

We got our last 2 lots of new ones from Germany, I think the link is in one of my previous posts, but of course that was when the exchange rate was more favourable so not sure if it would be cheaper than buying in the UK now.

The ones we have now are Twist 1 models, single seaters which are great, very lightweight, easy to paddle and quick to set-up - we actually got them with a 33% discount (€199 instead of €299 each) as the colour wasn't guaranteed not to change over time due to some issue with the UV protection but we were happy to live with that and just got some UV protection liquid to put on them and to date they've not faded at all .

Just found the place in Germany mentioned above:



You can occasionally get Gumotex kayaks/canoes on Ebay so might be worth having a shuftie.

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[wizzer59]

We bought a Sevylor Adventure+ (3 man) last year, used it 4 times and last weekend it looked like this:

So it's gone back to Sevylor a few days ago. We used ours mainly on lakes although did try rivers but forgot that you have to be strong enough to paddle back up stream.....

Aww pregnant, can I have one?

 

[bigtwin]

@Minxy Girl So where did you get yours from ? I know you like a bargain like the rest of us lol

I got mine from @Minxy Girl !!

Ian

 

[Ridgeway]

Well Sevylor agreed it was a fault and have refunded the full amount plus postage. Looking at a Gumotex Palava now, few $ more but looks worth it.

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[Minxy]

Well Sevylor agreed it was a fault and have refunded the full amount plus postage. Looking at a Gumotex Palava now, few $ more but looks worth it.

We used to have a Palava ... it's not the easiest of the Gumotex ones to paddle due to it's more 'oblong' shape and raised seating so you might want to consider the Solar instead which is more 'kayak' like:

One thing for sure though for those who get 2/3 seating ones, make sure you get double ended kayak paddles and not single paddles as it will save a LOT of arguments as to who should be paddling which side!

Below is a photos of us in our Palava with our 3 dogs ... you can just about see them!

 

[Minxy]

Alternatively consider 2 single kayaks instead ... no arguments at all then and easier if only one of you want to have a paddle, I often like to go on the water while hubby is just happy pottering around in the camper (well it's a good excuse for me to go and have some peace and quiet!).

 

[funflair]

Well Sevylor agreed it was a fault and have refunded the full amount plus postage. Looking at a Gumotex Palava now, few $ more but looks worth it.

The Gumotex Palava is a Canoe not a Kayak so a different paddling style as it shows in Minxy girl's post, but a great piece of kit all the same.

Martin

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[Jagtazman]

So own up who has got a waterways licence?
Apparently needed to use british waterways so I have just found out from our canoeing instructor at Scouts
Was told joining British Canoeing is most cost effective option...

 

[Minxy]

AFAIK you only need it for inland waterways/lakes etc, and some are 'free' anyway, but not for the sea.

I did have one when we got our Palava but after the first year we only used it abroad so never bothered again.

 

[Kingham]

AFAIK you only need it for inland waterways/lakes etc, and some are 'free' anyway, but not for the sea.

That's correct, you don't need one for the tidal reaches of any river, estuaries or the sea. You also don't need one for any of Scotland's rivers

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[Jagtazman]

Just bought a Sevylor Hudson inflatable kayak with 2 life vests and 2x 4piece oars for £150 very happy

 

[MattR]

I bought one from Lidl a few years ago. Used it once. It is too unstable for river use. I might try it again on a lake but it isn't worth the load space for us to take away on holidays.

 

[Yorick]

We fancy one, but over here there will be a limited choice. But we do have a Decathlon.

Are any on here any good ? For 2 folk + dog

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-782277-inflatable-kayaks

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[Jagtazman]

We fancy one, but over here there will be a limited choice. But we do have a Decathlon.

Are any on here any good ? For 2 folk + dog

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-782277-inflatable-kayaks

Itiwit 229.99 is same as the Hudson just the decathlon equivalent of sevylor I just got, nearly got the Tahiti plus which is the next model down until I came across the seller selling the Hudson.

 

[Ridgeway]

The Gumotex Palava is a Canoe not a Kayak so a different paddling style as it shows in Minxy girl's post, but a great piece of kit all the same.

Martin

Yes that's the only thing that puts me off the Palava. Looks like knees under the seat is a common position when things get a bit choppy. Would also mean we'd need new paddles.

 

[funflair]

Yes that's the only thing that puts me off the Palava. Looks like knees under the seat is a common position when things get a bit choppy. Would also mean we'd need new paddles.

I like the choice of kneel or sit with that extra bit of height, new paddles is a chance to buy some nice bending branches wooden paddles.

Martin