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Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Do any of you have any experience with inflatable water craft? To check off one item off our "the RV needs this" list (a small boat to take with us) , it seems like one of the Sea Eagle Inflatable Boats, Inflatable Kayaks and Inflatable Boat Accessories from. line of boats would fit the bill for us.
hook'em, the Old Hippie

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #1 –
These look pretty nice, small package deflated too.  We have been thinking along the same line, a kayak or two, on a rack on top of the jeep, we would be pretty well set.  Our problem has been which kind.  Out on Lake Superior you really need a 16' or longer sea kayak with a boot and a wet suit. On lakes and smaller rivers a shorter sit on kayak would work.

Do your homework.  Figure out what will work best for most of what you want to do.

Hope you are doing well.

Roger

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #2 –
Hey Roger, doing fine here.
Recently, I helped a guy at BBNP  get his 2 man kayak off of his Jeep. It was difficult with the weight of that hard body boat and its length > 12 ft., that is what got me looking into inflatables. I like the idea of blowing it up at the waters edge and setting off from there.
I kinda like this one http://www.seaeagle.com/FoldCat.aspx.

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #3 –
We have a 9' Zodiac that we used as a dinghy on the sport boat (a 25' Carver). It deflates pretty well and is made of better material than the SeaEagles and their ilk.

We bought ours from an ad in craigslist for the Seattle area. Ended up costing about $700. It does not have a hard floor (inflatable type flooring) so it's not suitable for 9hp outboards but works fine with a 3hp or rowing.

Craig

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #4 –
Folding cat looks pretty good.  I am hoping for some (just barely) white water which pushes me towards a shorter kayak.  But we are on lakes quite a bit and Lake Superior too and these are just easier to paddle.  I haven't hoisted one on or off our jeep so that may be a determining factor.

Roger

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #5 –
Roger, you can look at this 1 or 2 person inflatable kayak (Inflatable Kayaks | Kayaks made for recreational, high performance, sit-on-top). We almost bought one a few years ago. A fellow rv'er showed us his; said he had tried several and this one was very stable. It seemed durable too. Deflated it folds up and fits in a carrying case that would be easy to carry and store.
At the time we looked at it the cost was $635 including, paddles, pump, carrying case and frieght. He had become a distributor. If interested I have his contact info.
Good luck with your search, a fun toy to have for sure.

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #6 –
Camp at some state parks on lakes and streams where you can rent different kinds of kayaks and try them out in different conditions. You'll probably find that it's easier to rent one when you get there instead of carrying it around all the time. Most of the times I take my canoe down off the roof and put it in the water there are rental canoes and kayaks right there.

I've done a lot of thinking about this as I travel around and paddle different lakes and streams. I'd get a kayak that sits low in the water to duck the strong winds on lakes and has a rudder so I can set my paddle down for a moment to take a photo without getting blown all over the place. I'd be able to hold the kayak on course with my feet on the rudder pedals as I snap some photos. This is very difficult with one person in a canoe alone. With two people in a canoe the person in the bow can shoot photos while the person in the stern keeps paddling to get the photographer closer. Maybe this doesn't matter for you but for me the wind is a big problem when I'm canoeing alone on a windy lake.

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #7 –
A few years ago I purchased the Sea Eagle fisherman with hard floor and canopy. It looked great. It is heavy when assembled with floor and canopy, I could hardly move it by myself. It is practically unusable without the 3 hp motor they recommended at the time. You cannot paddle it worth a darn because the oar locks do not move. It moves in the wind like a puck on an air hockey table. I used it a couple of times and then put it in the basement of our S&B where it sets today. However, DW and I purchased (2) Ocean Kayak tridents at 13'0" long and carry them on the top of are Jeep Wrangler. We have used them on many lakes and streams as well as in the ocean bays in Florida. Additionally, since we are getting older and the  legs do not bend as well these kayaks are ones that you sit on top of rather than inside. The negative is the weight at about 60 pounds per unit. While that is not much laying on the ground getting it on the roof of the jeep is a bit of a task. The Ocean Kayak Trident is also set up for fishing with pole holders and waterproof hatches if you want to fish. Cost is about $800 per unit on line, on sale. Of course the rack for the Jeep costs also. Still we think they are worth it on warm sunny days on the river, or lakes or ocean bays. :))

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #8 –
Has anybody had experience with the porta-bote?  Porta Bote | The Unique Folding Boat 
It's versatile, lightweight, and easy to transport.  You can carry your dog with you or even turn it into a sailboat!  Easy to setup and has the profile of a surfboard when folded up.  I like the idea of a transom, sidewalls, non-inflatable and nearly puncture proof.  Any thoughts?

Jerry aka Murph 

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #9 –
Purtis Creek state park in Teksis has several kinds of canoes and kayaks for rent. It's a nice little lake with a lot of wildlife to photograph. There are stumps everywhere just beneath the water so every time you accidentally run aground you can turn your canoe / kayak into a weathervane swinging around on the stump while you photograph eagles and owls and stuff. It's a very quiet, peaceful park loaded with deer at night. The lake is full of fish and fishing is free at TX state parks. They'll even loan you some fishing tackle. Purtis Creek is easily able to handle any length diesel pusher. It's almost as nice as a COE but it's actually a state park, and one of my very favorites. As I recall it's only about $18 per night I think (?) It's to the south east of Dallas, sorta going toward Nacogdoches. It's one of the few lakes in TX that still has its normal water level, mainly because it's spring fed instead of rain fed... so go camp there and rent some different kinds of kayaks while enjoying a beautiful park... As I recall, Atlanta, Daingerfield, Palmetto, and Cooper Lake also have canoe / kayak rentals and are all really nice parks capable of handling any length diesel pusher. That should keep you busy evaluating kayaks for a while. :)

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #10 –
For those of you in the Carolinas instead of Teksis, the best canoe camping I've found so far is at Cheraw state park in South Carolina, near the North Carolina line. They have several kinds of canoes available for rent including Old Town Discovery 16 and 17 foot canoes. I don't really know anything about kayaks so I didn't pay much attention but they had several different models available. Like the other South Carolina state parks I've camped at, Cheraw is a rustic park that's not designed for big rig diesel pushers, but I camped there anywhere. I got campsite 10 and I have a 36' U300 with no toad and it worked out okay for me. I'm not concerned about scratching my 20+ year old paint job on tree branches and stuff. The lake is really nice, and loaded with wildlife. There's a boardwalk across the lake from the campground to the swim beach, where the canoe and kayak rentals are. Paddle down to the other end of the lake and it turns into a spectacular swamp with excellent photo opportunities. You can paddle back into the creek nearly a mile if you know your canoe well and can maneuver through tight obstacles. There are beavers and Osprey and other things to see in the swamp.

I may go to New River state park in western North Carolina near the Blue Ridge Parkway this weekend. I hope to get a local canoe outfitter to pick me up in the campground with my Old Town Penobscot 16 and take me to the river and back. The outfitters probably have many different models for rent.

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #11 –
You might want to check out Innova inflatable kayaks.  ( Inflatable Kayak, Inflatable Canoe, Inflatable Boat, and Accessories by Innova. ). We have an Innova, model Sunny.  It's been great for us. Tracks really well, is fast, not too heavy and we can convert it to tandem or one person by placement of the seat(s).  It came with its own bag and we've taken it all over in our camper can, then our 24' Class C, and hopefully soon a Foretravel.  Not cheap, but very good quality and really nice to paddle. We love it.

Linda

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #12 –
For those of you in Maine there are several kinds of canoes and kayaks available for rent at Lake Saint George state park on route 3 in Liberty Maine, east of Augusta. It's a very beautiful but sorta noisy park. If you can get past the truck noise from the highway you'll really enjoy this park. This was probably my favorite state park in Maine, at least for big rig diesel camping, which it's very well suited for. There's no electricity, but you won't need air conditioning in Maine, even in August. The lake is spectacularly beautiful and full of wildlife. I shot more beautiful photos on this lake than any other I've ever paddled around, which is really saying something. The lake is spring fed and crystal clear all the way to the bottom. If you paddle way around to the other side there's a little inlet that you can go through and it opens up into a swamp that goes way back where most of the wildlife is. Start out first thing in the morning because you'll want the whole day to see this lake... Sure wish I'd taken more sunscreen with me that day... Owww! hahaha

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #13 –
Dick,  these look really nice.  I like the idea of one kayak that can be easily adjusted for one or two.  Price is a bit more now but pretty much in line what I figured I would spend on one.

We were up in Ely, MN at the end of the canoe season (Boundary Waters Canoe Are Wilderness) a couple years ago and they were selling Kevlar kayaks used one season with all of the scratches and wear and tear and they wanted $1500 or more. And they we all 17' long.

Thanks for the link.

Roger

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #14 –
Quote from: coastprt –
Has anybody had experience with the porta-bote?  Porta Bote | The Unique Folding Boat 
It's versatile, lightweight, and easy to transport.  You can carry your dog with you or even turn it into a sailboat!  Easy to setup and has the profile of a surfboard when folded up.  I like the idea of a transom, sidewalls, non-inflatable and nearly puncture proof.  Any thoughts?

Jerry aka Murph
A friend of mine puts his porta-boat on top of his truck when they take their tag-a-long out. He has made extensive use of it and loves it.
hth

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #15 –
That Porta Boat looks interesting. I would still need a rack on the Jeep to carry it, however, it is much lighter than our Tarpon fishing kayaks and would be easy to carry to the water. Any idea on price?

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #18 –
PakBoat has a line of both canoes and kayak that are flooding/inflatable.  We have the 15' canoe and it goes with us on most trips.  Check out the kayak that is convertible for 1 or 2.  Our canoe can also do this.  We've been very pleased.  You can find them occasionally on eBay or Craig's list.  Paddling.net has about 200 new for sale listings everyday and is another good source.

News from Pakboats

Rich
 

Re: Inflatable Boat/Kayak

Reply #19 –
I have been reading a series of articles by a gal who paddled on the Greenland coast in "Messing About in Boats" magazine.  She has a folding kayak made by Klepper.  It folds into a couple of bags and is very seaworthy.  She has nothing but praise for it.  As I don't float I never would be out there in something that tips over easily so have no personal experience.

Kayak:

:: Klepper America :: Klepper Folding Kayaks, Klepper Collapsible Kayaks,

Loverly, Idiosyncratic, edited by a guy in his 80's, worth a look:

Messing About In Boats - Small Boating Magazine

Keith