Kayak dilemma solved July 09, 2018, 03:06:39 pm One thing I liked about my short time with a trailer was I could bring kayaks and bikes with the aid of a rack I built for our PU. I didn't want kayaks on the roof of our LD due to height issues and I didn't want one of those huge racks on the back that hold bikes and kayaks. Problem solved. This can be deflated , folded up and lashed to the roof right above the ladder and shouldn't stick up any higher than the AC and won't use up my very limited outside storage. This seems like a good kayak but if anyone has an inflatable and has a better suggestion for one I'm all ears or I guess eyes in this case.Amazon.com : Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame Convertible Inflatable Kayak :... As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #1 – July 09, 2018, 04:47:52 pm I suggest a test paddle before buying.Inflatables sit high in the water and get pushed around badly by the wind. I have towed more than one inflatable kayak back to shore when the wind came up too strong for it to make headway.The flexing of an inflatable burns a good deal of your paddling effort, reducing forward progress.It depends on what you want to do with the boat. If floating around in a small lake or pond is your goal, an inflatable will do fine.If you want to get on the water and go several miles, in varying conditions, a hard shell is a much better idea.While there are decent, high-end folding kayaks, they cost several times what the Amazon kayak does and usually have folding frames, to provide ridgidity, a more efficient paddling style and better control.If an inflatable is your choice, ask around, there are a lot of very lightly used inflatables around, hiding in closets and garages.I have a rotted one in the garage, it was used only a few times.Our two LDs have carried loaded, full-size kayaks for over twenty years without major problems.2003 Kayak rack | Flickr[Larry
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #2 – July 09, 2018, 06:42:10 pm I have looked in to this and agree there are issues with inflatable kayaks. Folding kayaks also called collapsible kayaks seem to be a better way to go by those that use them regularly.
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #3 – July 09, 2018, 07:03:11 pm We own a Sea Eagle 2-person inflatable kayak, and it’s mostly a heavy lump that sits in a large bag. We’ve used it maybe five times in the ten years we’ve had it. It’s too big for any compartment in our TK, so we kept it on the floor while driving, and heaved it into the passenger seat when parked. The paddles (which disassemble for storage) and the pump and paraphernalia did store in an outside compartment. This fairly quickly became a burden that outweighed the pleasures. I note that the model you’re interested in weighs 56 pounds. That’s a rather heavy and ungainly bundle to heft up the ladder onto the roof. Surely beyond my capabilities now. As for performance, Larry is correct, at least as far as the Sea Eagles go. They ride fairly high and present an unwelcome freeboard to any crosswinds. We always seemed to be trying to correct its course, at least at Morro Bay. The make you’re considering does seem to be a bit better designed for slicing through the water, and might have a bit more directional stability. I also became disenchanted with the tedious process of blowing it up with the footpump, as well as the deflating, drying, and restuffing chores. That all said, we did have a few fun times in places as diverse as the Grand Tetons and the Okefenokee Swamp. You’ve never had a gulp moment like that when a fifteen foot gator swims towards your beam then slowly sinks to swim under your INFLATABLE kayak. In any event, I’d certainly recommend giving one a test spin before plunking down that sort of money. Or, you could buy ours. 😜 — Jon 2 Likes
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #4 – July 09, 2018, 07:05:37 pm Quote from: Sawyer - July 09, 2018, 03:06:39 pmThis seems like a good kayak but if anyone has an inflatable and has a better suggestion for one I'm all ears or I guess eyes in this case.[/url]Hi Sawyer,Well, I don't know if this is a "better" pump-up kayak, but the price is a lot better at $130 - and we have used this exact model in our LD about 10 times now on lakes when camping. "We" includes myself, my wife and either 1, 2 or all 3 of our dogs - which is quite a balancing act when they see ducks. While we are complete amateurs on the water and all we do is paddle around and try not to capsize, we really enjoy having this rubber boat and being about to float around with our friends and their canoes, paddle boards and so on. Here's the link:Amazon.com : Intex Explorer K2 Yellow 2 Person Inflatable Kayak with...To carry it, we put it up top on the bed over the front seats.Hope this helps and have fun shopping,Jim & Deb 24' TKSanta Cruz, CA 2 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #5 – July 09, 2018, 07:06:28 pm I have used a Folbot folding 2-persoon kayak for years. Exceptionally seaworthy and easy to paddle. Not so easy to fold out and re-pack. I have used the new Oru kayaks several times, although I have not purchased one. They are wonderful, and I highly recommend looking into trying one out. Perfect for transporting by RV, by bicycle, by backpack. here is their link, spend some time going through the sute and its gallery:Folding Kayaks That Go Anywhere | Oru Kayak 2 Likes
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #6 – July 09, 2018, 07:32:44 pm We have owned a variety of kayaks over the past 20 years from touring kayaks that we’d load with dry bags and gear for a week or weekend of touring to folding Feathercrafts to our present Advanced Elements inflatables. We no longer do kayak touring and camping overnight in a tent so the Advanced Elements are great for taking out on the lakes around Seattle or in Anacortes WA area. 20 minutes to inflate both of them (double action pump) and we are ready to paddle. When we take them in the LD they go on the shower floor. We only travel with them if we know they will be used where we are headed! We bring along an old towel to dry them off. It works for us the few times a year we get out on the water when we aren’t cycling! 2 Likes
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #7 – July 09, 2018, 07:56:27 pm Quote from: Marti - July 09, 2018, 07:32:44 pmWe have owned a variety of kayaks over the past 20 years from touring kayaks that we’d load with dry bags and gear for a week or weekend of touring to folding Feathercrafts to our present Advanced Elements inflatables. Those Advanced Element inflatables look to be the next generation of this type of kayak. Quite interesting. Margee and I have continually talked about a kyak or canoe for a long time. During this "long time" we've rented kayaks and canoes as a temporary solution. And sadly, we're no closer to a decision than we were 2 years ago. I can't explain it.
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #8 – July 09, 2018, 08:11:50 pm I have been researching the ORU Kayaks which fold up into the size of a suitcase. Does anyone have any first hand experience with them?THE WORLD'S FIRST ORIGAMI KAYAKOru Kayak video 1 Likes
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #9 – July 10, 2018, 07:44:51 am We tried every type of kayak and canoe. All were ungainly and hard to store. We finally settled on the Sea Eagle fast track 385. It weighs only 35 lbs, is well designed and well built. It paddles beautifully in winds and currents. It holds up to 650 lbs and 2 people and a kid or dog. Yes it takes time to pump up but that is no problem and we can store it in the camper. We are impressed and the guarantee is for 180 days. If you don’t like it you can return it for full refund. ( as long as it is in good condition.) which we did. As we bought the larger one and it was too big for us so we swapped the 15 footer for the 12 footer. It is very stable and you can stand up in it. You can also use it as a paddle board. There are numerous accessories like a motor and mount, a sail, a fishing chair, different types of seats, etc. I love ours and no we are not in any way associated with the company, just happy consumers. 4 Likes
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #10 – July 10, 2018, 10:17:08 am Quote from: Larry W - July 09, 2018, 04:47:52 pmI suggest a test paddle before buying.Inflatables sit high in the water and get pushed around badly by the wind. I have towed more than one inflatable kayak back to shore when the wind came up too strong for it to make headway.The flexing of an inflatable burns a good deal of your paddling effort, reducing forward progress.It depends on what you want to do with the boat. If floating around in a small lake or pond is your goal, an inflatable will do fine.If you want to get on the water and go several miles, in varying conditions, a hard shell is a much better idea.While there are decent, high-end folding kayaks, they cost several times what the Amazon kayak does and usually have folding frames, to provide ridgidity, a more efficient paddling style and better control.If an inflatable is your choice, ask around, there are a lot of very lightly used inflatables around, hiding in closets and garages.I have a rotted one in the garage, it was used only a few times.Our two LDs have carried loaded, full-size kayaks for over twenty years without major problems.2003 Kayak rack | Flickr[LarryAgreed on the wind factor. We once did a river tour thing out of Moab down the Colorado and the wind was blowing so hard it actually blew us upriver. Those were round nose river kayaks though and I hope these would do a little better.
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #11 – July 10, 2018, 10:22:00 am Quote from: Ed & Margee - July 09, 2018, 07:56:27 pmThose Advanced Element inflatables look to be the next generation of this type of kayak. Quite interesting. Margee and I have continually talked about a kyak or canoe for a long time. During this "long time" we've rented kayaks and canoes as a temporary solution. And sadly, we're no closer to a decision than we were 2 years ago. I can't explain it.We have a couple of the older inflatables that are wide and stubby. We have carried them in to small mountain lakes and had a ball floating around and fishing but I think as you say these new generation kayaks look a lot sleeker and better to actually paddle for any real distance.
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #12 – July 10, 2018, 10:24:36 am Quote from: Jon & Loni - July 09, 2018, 07:03:11 pmWe own a Sea Eagle 2-person inflatable kayak, and it’s mostly a heavy lump that sits in a large bag. We’ve used it maybe five times in the ten years we’ve had it. It’s too big for any compartment in our TK, so we kept it on the floor while driving, and heaved it into the passenger seat when parked. The paddles (which disassemble for storage) and the pump and paraphernalia did store in an outside compartment. This fairly quickly became a burden that outweighed the pleasures. I note that the model you’re interested in weighs 56 pounds. That’s a rather heavy and ungainly bundle to heft up the ladder onto the roof. Surely beyond my capabilities now. As for performance, Larry is correct, at least as far as the Sea Eagles go. They ride fairly high and present an unwelcome freeboard to any crosswinds. We always seemed to be trying to correct its course, at least at Morro Bay. The make you’re considering does seem to be a bit better designed for slicing through the water, and might have a bit more directional stability. I also became disenchanted with the tedious process of blowing it up with the footpump, as well as the deflating, drying, and restuffing chores. That all said, we did have a few fun times in places as diverse as the Grand Tetons and the Okefenokee Swamp. You’ve never had a gulp moment like that when a fifteen foot gator swims towards your beam then slowly sinks to swim under your INFLATABLE kayak. In any event, I’d certainly recommend giving one a test spin before plunking down that sort of money. Or, you could buy ours. 😜 — JonYeah the 56 lbs would be a chore to get up the ladder for sure. Another person in here linked to a lighter model. I'm going to check it out.
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #13 – July 10, 2018, 11:33:28 am We have used an Innova Helios II for several years. It only weighs 37 lbs. has a rudder and fits in a large backpack. Prior to that we had a Folbot Greenland II that was as stable as a wooden boat but putting it together became too difficult as we got older. Store | Innova KayakEnjoy the water !Langton 1 Likes
Re: Kayak dilemma solved - the Oru folding kayak Reply #14 – July 10, 2018, 12:51:47 pm Regarding the Oru folding kayak, Chet - I do not have any firsthand knowledge of actually paddling in it, but Tony - one of the people that camps with our group of RVers has one and likes it a lot.I've watched him assemble and disassemble it a few times and I've paddled next to him and seen how it works for him. I'd estimate that he can now build it in about 30 minutes and take it apart a little more quickly. In the water he sits a lot lower than we do on our inflatable kayak. His kayak looks stable and easy to paddle and control and Tony likes it a lot. He's had it for about a year now and it looks to me to be holding up fine to the folding and assembling. He purchased it at an REI "garage sale."Best,Jim & DebSanta Cruz, CA2016 24' TK 2 Likes
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #15 – July 10, 2018, 01:59:11 pm To add to the excellent advice from others here: a lot depends upon what kind of paddling you want to do. My paddling style is mostly puttering around on lakes and streams. I've owned three kayaks: a rigid Eddyline Skylark, an inflatable Innova Twist 1, and an inflatable Alpacka Raft Yak.The Skylark is a lovely boat, a "crossover" design with many of the handling virtues of a sea kayak, a little less speed, but more stability. But it weighs 41 pounds dry, and after a few years I found that carrying it to and from put-ins was killing my shoulders and other parts. (I know you can get folding wheels, but they're not practical in the rough terrain where I like to paddle.)I bought the Innova Twist inflatable in hopes it would be easier to carry. At 16.3 pounds it should have been, but somehow it was still a heavy, clumsy-feeling load... and I found it very uncomfortable to sit in, with poor back support. I sold it after a few trials.The Alpacka Raft Yak is a very different style of boat from the Skylark or even the Twist. It looks more like a life raft than a kayak. It's anything but sleek and fast, unlike the Skylark. It rides high in the water and is easily pushed around by winds. But... it weighs less than six pounds, and feels light as a feather when I'm carrying it. And its big round tubes make it supremely comfortable. I could lean back and drift all day in it. In short, it suits my easy, lazy paddling style. It's also a boat that one can hike or bike into the woods or mountains with.My point is not to tell anybody to do what I did. It's just to say that what's right for you depends heavily upon what kind of paddling you like to do, and (at least in my case) how you will transport your boat to and from put-ins. 3 Likes
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #16 – July 10, 2018, 04:18:15 pm Quote from: Andy Baird - July 10, 2018, 01:59:11 pmTo add to the excellent advice from others here: a lot depends upon what kind of paddling you want to do. My paddling style is mostly puttering around on lakes and streams. I've owned three kayaks: a rigid Eddyline Skylark, an inflatable Innova Twist 1, and an inflatable Alpacka Raft Yak.The Skylark is a lovely boat, a "crossover" design with many of the handling virtues of a sea kayak, a little less speed, but more stability. But it weighs 41 pounds dry, and after a few years I found that carrying it to and from put-ins was killing my shoulders and other parts. (I know you can get folding wheels, but they're not practical in the rough terrain where I like to paddle.)I bought the Innova Twist inflatable in hopes it would be easier to carry. At 16.3 pounds it should have been, but somehow it was still a heavy, clumsy-feeling load... and I found it very uncomfortable to sit in, with poor back support. I sold it after a few trials.The Alpacka Raft Yak is a very different style of boat from the Skylark or even the Twist. It looks more like a life raft than a kayak. It's anything but sleek and fast, unlike the Skylark. It rides high in the water and is easily pushed around by winds. But... it weighs less than six pounds, and feels light as a feather when I'm carrying it. And its big round tubes make it supremely comfortable. I could lean back and drift all day in it. In short, it suits my easy, lazy paddling style. It's also a boat that one can hike or bike into the woods or mountains with.My point is not to tell anybody to do what I did. It's just to say that what's right for you depends heavily upon what kind of paddling you like to do, and (at least in my case) how you will transport your boat to and from put-ins.Absolutely agree with you what kind of paddeling you do statement. Choosing what kind of kayak to bring in your RV is a lot like choosing what RV to buy in the first place based on what kind of camping you do, how much camping time verses travel time etc. One decision leads to more decisions and now my decision to have a small class C instead of a big trailer has led to this one. The fun never ends.
Re: Kayak dilemma solved Reply #17 – July 10, 2018, 06:19:06 pm Following up re: Oru Folding kayaks. I have been in one on three separate occasions, and my wife once. We were very impressed with their ease of set-up, portability when stored, and light weight. They are tough as nails, and if one were to fill it with water, it will still remain buoyant due to the honeycomb plastic design. We would absolutely buy one if they made a two-seater. They have assured me that one is on the drawing board (their HQ is a few blocks from my work) and will likely be released by early 2019. For the past 10 years or so we have been using our Folbot Greenland. It has been a very reliable, safe, and durable two-person kayak, and we have put many, many, many enjoyable miles in it. We also have a sail for it. That said, it is heavy, requires two people about 45 minutes to set up, and is difficult to portage. We are not spring chickens, and has become increasingly more pains-taking with each paddling adventure to transport, set up, tear down, etc. We both agree that a two-person Oru would absolutely be the ticket. Extremely well made, durable, light weight, compact when stored. Here are two photos about 4-years old of Kathy standing next to our old trusty Folbot on the Arizona side of the Colorado River near Havasu gorge. Also are two photos of her testing an Oru at one of their "Try It" events at Jack London Square, Oakland, CA. Also just added a photo of my Bro-in-Law and I using a golf umbrella as a sail that scooted us along quite fast toward the gorge.I encourage all interested kayakers to visit their web site for more info. I also know that several REI stores sell the Oru. 4 Likes