Kayaks for Cruisers

[Hud3]

Take a look at this one.

Inflatable Kayaks | AdvancedFrame Kayak

Having been a whitewater kayaker a number of years ago, I was dubious about inflatable kayaks, but I've been extremely happy with it. Very sturdy and durable, paddles and tracks well, comfortable, and folds up into a fairly small zipper bag.

[Canibul]

We've had a Hobie i14t inflatable for a year now. And we use it, a lot. Yesterday in fact. This is a 14 ft. long inflatable, with two Mirage drives, two paddles, and a sail kit. The Mirage drives are fantastic. Basically, we can do about 4 knots all day without getting tired. Your arms and hands stay free. self bailing scuppers, steerable rudder, sit on top.

We have bounced off of maybe a thousand barnacles. I was washing the sand off it last night and cannot see even a mark from that. When you hit a barnacle ( or anything else) it just momentarily dents in, and then rebounds. Does your Caribe inflatable sink when you hit a barnacle? no. We have also hit rocks, and coral reefs with it. Same thing. Bounces off and keeps going. I doubt I could take a barnacle and cut a hole in it if I tried. Its tough. (This is not the same thin vinyl stuff inflatable dolls and pool toys are made of.)

We have not put it on board another boat yet, but it rolls up into a manageable package and comes with it's own soft transport case with wheels like a carry on. It weighs 65 lbs, has a 700 lb carrying capacity ( two people a dog and a cooler don't faze it) and is so stable due to the inflatable tube construction that one person can stand up on it. Same thing that makes an RIB so stable.

Since it comes folded, in a cardboard carton, it's no problem for a Hobie dealer to UPS you one. That's how ours got from Florida to the Turks and Caicos. I can pump it up by hand with the pump that came with it in about three to five minutes, no sweat. Being flexible, it would be no big deal to 'snake' it down below around corners uninflated,and store it on one of the unused bunks. The Hobie quality is superb. And the dealer we bought ours from in Florida has been fantastic to deal with. No hassles on international shipping. I ordered the wrong model number turbo fin kits for it and they shipped what I ordered. When we found out they were the wrong kits, the dealer said they should have caught my mistake, and sent us two of the right kits no charge. $ 170 worth of hardware and another $100 in shipping. Can give you their number if you want, they will ship to Canada. But you will save on shipping if you just find a closer one.

We fully plan to take it on our Gemini, whenever we find one to buy. Soon I hope. Will still have a dinghy, for transporting more than two people or provisioning, but the Hobie would do a lot of that, too. the bow is sealed with a waterproof hatch and comes with a drybag.

[Ram]

wow those Hobie i14t inflatable s are ery expensie around $2500 seems like thats oer the top for something like this

[Canibul]

hey, I said they were tough, stable, fast, and well designed. I think inexpensive kinda dropped out of that formula at some point. Like everything else.

[Ita]

Mine's a Stearn inflatable canoe Back Country B801.
Got it second hand, it's about 8 years old.
The 3 inflatables are inside the canvas hull, well protected. Length 11'6", weight 39, max 400 lbs. www.stearnsinc.com

[Ram]

Originally Posted by Canibul

hey, I said they were tough, stable, fast, and well designed. I think inexpensive kinda dropped out of that formula at some point. Like everything else.

Kinda Blows my mind that they want $2500 that seems way too much-you can get a FG one for that or less

[Richard Harper]

I got the Walker Bay Sport 10 because of the light weight and easy stowage. It comes with a backpack which I have not used yet but it sounded like a good feature at the time. Its a lot of fun.

[hummingway]

Klepper Foldingkayaks

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by Ram

Kinda Blows my mind that they want $2500 that seems way too much-you can get a FG one for that or less

a foldable, tandem that you don't have to lash to the deck that has two Mirage drives that will float 700 lbs and is only 14 ft. long that you can stand up and flyfish from fiberglass one?

[hummingway]

For 2500 you can stand and beat the water?

[Polunu880]

Thanks for the replay on the inflatables and especially on the walker bay Airis.
I have a folbot Yukon kayak now, (trying to sell it) I have a cat (29') an inflatable will take only half the room that the Yukon does.
That way I could carry two kayaks, a his and hers!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by drew23

... one encounter with a barnacle-covered rock and you're stuck swimming!...

This is true if you go for the lower end. The better ones are pretty barnacle-proof. Not bullet proof, though ;-(

Wishful thinking, have all 3:
- a hard, rowing/sailing/outboard dink,
- an inflatable yoyo for a back up and as a tender,
- and a kayak/proa for fun and exploration.

Guess now I go and get ourselves a bigger mothership ;-))

b.

[Roaring Girl]

Another vote for the advanced elements inflatable. We got one last year and it's great fun. We also have a nesting dinghy (a swifgig, no longer available I believe) which sails, motors and rows, and that's our main work craft . RG is only a monohull so the space is immensely important and we wouldn't want to make sea passages with a hard kayak on the stanchions.

[Canibul]

Originally Posted by hummingway

For 2500 you can stand and beat the water?

Well, you can if you wish, I suppose. You also don't have to master the Eskimo Roll to survive if you capsize. You can easily climb back aboard in deep water. Same stability effects the floatation tubes produce in RIBs. You can seat four people along one side of a Zodiac, for example, without capsizing or seriously listing the boat. The inflatable kayak benefits from this same boat design.

[Bash]

we carry two sea kayaks and an RIB dink. The dink is for grocery runs and visits to other boats for sundowners, the yaks are for exploration and exercise. After years of experimentation with sit-atops and inflatables, we found that we couldn't abide with that much compromise in terms of the overall paddling experience. Hence, we purchased a matching set of polycarbonate sea kayaks that reside on the foredeck, one to starboard, the other to port.

We decided to go with Eddyline yaks because they incorporate a rudderless design, and we don't want the spinny sheets ripping off a rudder in the middle of a jibe.

We've had the Eddylines for five years now, and we wouldn't go back to sit-atops or inflatables. Great boats.