Last year we stayed in a cottage in Ireland which had a kayak for use by guests. The kids and ourselves had a fantastic time rowing around the reasonable sheltered bay in the kayak.
We are now looking at buying a cheap kayak for our holiday in ireland this year, which is again located next to a calm and sheltered bay.
We are looking at an inflatable for storage reasons but what I don't know is whether one of the very cheap kakaks (e.g. Challenger K2) will be sufficient for what we require it for or do we need to invest in a more expensive £300ish one. I am not too concerned about how it handles because it is just for a bit of fun. I am more concerned about safety because although the bay is calm it will still be deep, rocky and we have children with us. Are the cheaper ones likely to burst as soon as they touch a rock ?
Dont know anything realy about inflatable ones but i personally wouldnt venture into the sea with one without any extra protection from rock punctures like a Nylon reinforced outer cover.
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I have toyed with the idea of getting one of these for a bit of fun. Anyone who I speak to who knows about Kayaks seem to turn their noses up at the inflateables.
I've had an inflatable open canoe (stearns backcountry) for while now and it's great fun.
For sea use main issue is to be very careful with how the wind is blowing as inflatables are effected much more than rigid hulls by this. Best inflatables are made from hypalon type materials but tend to cost about £500 these are really tough. The fabric covered ones are good but if you intend to use it on the sea you will need to remove and wash bladders after each use to prevent damge from salt crystals (this is a bit of a pain)
Could try this site for more info :http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?1-General
Hi we have had the inflatable sirocco 2 man for 3 years know it is very stable easy to paddle and fold up to the size of about 3ft x 2ft in its own draw string bag. We purchased ours from decathlon for about £200 in the end of season sales.
Two adults sit comfortable in it but I would recommend life jackets no matter what the water looks like although we have not managed to tip it.
We have also had three medium sized children paddling them selves on lake with no problem but used a rope to keep contact with them and we know someone who takes his Labrador paddling in one lol
Get one you will love it. :)
Please be careful with the inflatable dinghies: I lost count of how many I have been out to rescue over the years-both when out with my own boat and also with RNLI. Usually, the rescues have had a happy ending but there are a few that I still remember now as being tragic. My friend's son rescued the same family three times in one day; funnily enough, on the third occasion the inflatable suffered an irreparable puncture Most of the inflatables that I have seen have totally inadequate oars/paddles and are hard work to row at the best of times
I have been looking at the sevylor canyon canoe - very reasonably priced at £182-46 plus paddles - anyone got any experience of this one?. I agree that you need to be careful with these as opposed to the rigid ones. We intend to use ours in sheltered coves only and wouldn't be venturing further than that.