Kayaks - Inflatable, Rigid, Folding. . . whaddya have and how do ya like it?

[Dunnage Garage]

So this adventure thing is getting serious. Just found this kayak for $50 on a local buy/sell/trade page 8' long rated at 250#. I'll check with PD tomorrow to make sure it isn't stolen. Any ideas on a better way to lash it to the roof rack? This seamed very loose. It's back is down inside the rails.

 

[obvious_disaster]

I have two Ocean Kayaks. Love my single 11footer and I can load that up and head out fairly easy. I also have a 13ft double+. That one is admittedly harder for me to load up. Especially on the top of a 4Runner. I loaded them both on top one trip and vowed to never do that again. For that reason I’ve considered just getting a kayak trailer. Cannot use anything inflatable around the Florida/gulf and bay. And I cannot imagine the tracking would be very good. But love paddling around. Get something that will last and enjoy!

 

[sabjku]

Have an old Wilderness Systems Pungo Duralite 120, and love it! It's a river kayak, built for leisure, relaxing kayaking...although it has spent a fair bit of time around the Great Falls area

I mainly like it because it only weighs about 38-39lbs and is easy to load, oh, and the "dashboard" for the cockpit holds a couple of beers

 

[denw]

So this adventure thing is getting serious. Just found this kayak for $50 on a local buy/sell/trade page 8' long rated at 250#. I'll check with PD tomorrow to make sure it isn't stolen. Any ideas on a better way to lash it to the roof rack? This seamed very loose. It's back is down inside the rails. View attachment 72495

Deck down with bow forward thats how Ive been hauling them since i started about 15 years ago.

 

[Dunnage Garage]

Scupper holes and wet butts. The purpose of a scupper hole is to drain water, stay dry, dont sink...hey engineers it kinda defeats the purpose if you put scupper holes in your seat...because you set down the water comes up through the scupper and....you end up with a wet butt. lol.

 

[BcYeti2503]

I can attest to how great the aquaglide blackfoot angler is. essentially its a paddleboard with a skeg and fishing attachments to make putting items on the side of the boat much easier. (even if you dont fish I would get the angler as its more puncture resistant).
I have used it on many different surfaces and use the onboard air pump in my truck to fill the kayak in no time at all. then use their pump to build the pressure up to max psi.
I know this post is months after but it is worth it if the floor on the kayak is actually rigid and not just high pressure.
I traded from hardbody kayaks due to not using them due to not having room to fit them easily. Hope this helps someone.

 

[theMightyGoose]

I was talking to one of the guys at REI. He said the feedback on Oru Kayaks is mixed. It seems they are only good for extremely calm waters. He said he's heard some feedback on how they fatigue quickly and then buckle and fold in the water, especially if the water is anything other than calm. He highly recommended an inflatable. And they sell Oru's and don't work on commission. So I think his feedback is trustworthy. And we were thinking of buying Orus. Now we're looking at the inflatables

 

[RoadTrip1]

I have 4 kayaks, 2 Wilderness Systems 15’ ocean kayaks, 1 W.S. 12’ Tarpon 120 and 1 Mosquito Lagoon (which is a local brand) 12 ‘. All get used! Have had the Wilderness Systems for a long time and they’re still going strong. Good luck.

 

[Sir Tmac]

I have a stock roof rack on my 4Runner, I have two kayak holder things on my roof rack that makes it super easy to transport 2 of my 3 10' kayaks! I also just borrow my neighbors utility trailer if I'm taking all 3 or more; no hassle trying to make them all fit and a couple of straps holds them all! Here is a link to a pair of them on amazon for pretty cheap:

 

[ethan1911]

I’ve got an old town vapor angler, It’s light tracks well and is stable enough I can stand up when bowfishing from it.

 

[Delete Me]

My wife and I have a couple of Jackson kayaks. Very nice but very pricey. We actually met kayaking long ago, guiding raft trips. We like to use them on the local lake and for some runs to the Golf Coast. Fishing and touring ... mostly fishing. Have been thinking of buying a couple of cheapo yaks for quicker rec trips to the lake. Toss in back of truck (cuz they are shorter and much much lighter) and go. Take the jackson yaks for more serious stuff, e.g. fishing for reds on the grass flats.

For those of you that want inflatable, multi person and stable platform ... why not a raft? Kinda sounds like what your looking for to me.

 

[mmp]

We used to full time in a 5th wheel and space was a premium and so we bought an inflatable kayak. SeaEagle was having a sale and we bought the 370 which is their lower end version. We have had it for a couple of years now and have not had any problems. It is rated for whitewater but we only use it on flat water. The bottom skeg is removeable and without it the kayak doesn't track very well but with it we have not had any problems. We liked it enough to buy the SeaEagle Needlenose SUP which we like even better than the kayak. You can tell that the kayak is inflatable but when the SUP is inflated most people have no idea that it's inflatable.

 

[PCO6]

View attachment 55016 View attachment 55015 Her is light mine weighs twice as much.

Nice pics JD. As you can see from my avatar ... I'm a bit biased.

 

[Matt_S]

I know they're not cheap, but does anyone have experience with one of these: https://www.advancedelements.com/day-touring-inflatable-kayaks/inflatable-kayak-ae1007/

I'm a bit strapped for space at home, so was looking for something that is easy to store but will have room for 2 people and a decent weight rating. Maybe you have a good suggestions for another kayak? I'm stuck looking at something bigger as I'm 6'4".

 

[Plasmajab]

5 of em..

All pelicans. Yeah, pelican doesn't make the best kayak. I will easily attest to an Old south being a gazillion times better. But if your new and curious to the kayaking its a good starting point.

Its hard to see, but the young fellers little SOT is a good starter.

Sorry for the picture spam, but I really like these kayaks! Pretty much why I have a pickup.. When you have 5 to haul, roof racks don't cut it...

 

[ethan1911]

5 of em..

All pelicans. Yeah, pelican doesn't make the best kayak. I will easily attest to an Old south being a gazillion times better. But if your new and curious to the kayaking its a good starting point.

Its hard to see, but the young fellers little SOT is a good starter.

Sorry for the picture spam, but I really like these kayaks! Pretty much why I have a pickup.. When you have 5 to haul, roof racks don't cut it...

Pelican makes good kayaks for the money there very popular around my area, I think there ideal for families who need several kayaks because of the quality and price point. I’ll be buying a couple next summer for my nice and nephew.

 

[Plasmajab]

Thats just it. And you can pick them up uber cheap on the local buy and sell's (Kijiji, Craigslist, etc) because most people that get hooked on Kayaking typically upgrade from the pelicans to one of the more premium brands.

 

[PCO6]

We got into kayaking about 6 years ago and it's become pretty much part of every camping trip that we take. That's when I retired and I decided to take up fishing too. I'm a terrible fisherman but I enjoy the kayaking.

After probably too little research we bought a pair of Ascend 10' kayaks. They've been great but I really don't have any experience with anything else to compare them to. One thing I like is that the seats are very comfortable and they pull out easily. They have a metal frame and can be used as beach seats.

We currently transport them along with our bikes on a utility trailer I built. They will be going on an expedition trailer that I'm nearing the completion of. We also put them in the back of my Comanche when we're just out for the day. As mentioned, we use them mostly when camping but there are some fun one day outings like the "Lock and Paddle" event at the Peterborough, Ontario lift locks. We're in the pic below somewhere!​

 

[Plasmajab]

We got into kayaking about 6 years ago and it's become pretty much part of every camping trip that we take. That's when I retired and I decided to take up fishing too. I'm a terrible fisherman but I enjoy the kayaking.

After probably too little research we bought a pair of Ascend 10' kayaks. They've been great but I really don't have any experience with anything else to compare them to. One thing I like is that the seats are very comfortable and they pull out easily. They have a metal frame and can be used as beach seats.

We currently transport them along with our bikes on a utility trailer I built. They will be going on an expedition trailer that I'm nearing the completion of. We also put them in the back of my Comanche when we're just out for the day. As mentioned, we use them mostly when camping but there are some fun one day outings like the Peterborough, Ontario Lock and Paddle event. We're in the pic below somewhere!​

View attachment 74812
View attachment 74813
View attachment 74814

Thats awesome, Im just down from Peterborough, on the bay side of the locks. Do you have a pic of the frame?

 

[PCO6]

Great. I'll see you in Peterborough next year! lol We're in Newmarket btw.

Here is a pick of the seat out of the kayak. They are very comfortable to sit in when you get to where you're going while kayaking. They're made of a mesh material so they drain nicely too.