Inflatable Kayaks

>>902436
My dad bought a double fitter inflatable kayak and I used to use it before i moved out. ama

>>902436
Did you use the stock paddle? Does inflatable have any major drawbacks? Was it stable and did you feel safe using it?

>>902449
was meant for
>>902439

>>902436
>what would you recommend for a complete beginner

Rent one first to see if you like it.

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>>902449
>>902452

If by stock you mean the ones that came with the kayak than yes, I never had any problems with the paddles, but then again I'm no professional kayaker who would notice any small differences

No drawbacks in my opinion, the fact that it's inflatable makes it easier to store as you can collapse it into something a lot smaller than any other kayak that size. (we used to fit it in a burley bike trailer and take it one bike trips)

The one we used was something like pic related, if you zoom in you can tell it's made of a thick nice waterproof fabric overlaying the inflation tubes and stuff. The bottom part is really thick material and I always felt safe in the kayak. The one in your pic posted doesn't look safe to me at all, looks like a cheap material, a cheap pump, and very cheap paddle.

Just don't try to fish from it

They are for calm water and very short jaunts, or as big pool toys. The default sectioned paddles are garbage and will break so get a backup. I would not recommend one to anyone actually intending to kayak. A cheap sit-inside from a company like sun dolphin or pelican is a step better but will still probably make you hate kayaking because they don't even track in a straight line. If you're in warm weather hit up craigslist and find a used sit-on-top that's at least 10 feet.
The $1500+ inflatables with carbon fiber and wood frames are the real deal but are fragile. Not really a beginner venture but you can get those in moddable sections.

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>>902471
I have the single version of that one (Advanced Elements "Advanced Frame") and it's pretty good for the price. Certainly no worse than some of the low end rotomolded fishing SOTs that /out/ seems to favor. I also got the 4-piece metal keel thing they sell which makes a noticeable improvement with stiffness and tracking. My main complaint is that there isn't a lot of cargo room below deck because of the tubes, but they make a longer touring model with more space.

>>902513
Depends on the inflatable. OP's pic looks like a toy but it might still be fun. Mine's rated for class II rivers and I've taken it out in small surf. Some are good for more serious whitewater.

>The $1500+ inflatables with carbon fiber and wood frames
You mean the folding skin on frame kayaks that use inflatable sponsons to tension the skin? Those are something different. Usually bettter, but they take a while to set up.

I was in the ocean in an inflatable kayak and a shark bit the kayak and I had to swim to shore, knowing the shark was there and it was big enough to try and attack a large kayak so I was pooping myself the whole way back.

Maybe for lakes or something but there's gators in all the lakes here too and I'll fight a shark vs a gator any day.

Enjoy your non roto-molded safety shell.

>>903126
holy shit anon
glad you are alive

Is that the CN tower?

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>>902436
Wear a life jacket.

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>>903232
Yes, it is.

Very cool, I stayed at the delta a few weeks ago, it's probably in that shot. I have nothing to say about inflatable kayaks, but I enjoyed learning a bit about them.

>>902436
How sturdy are they? If I brush up against barnacles on a seawall, will it puncture the kayak?

>>903466
It's a collection of relatively heavy duty rubber air compartments held together by a relatively heavy duty external skin. They'd certainly survive barnacles but I wouldn't recommend the ocean in an inflatable unless you get something high end.
>>902436
I got something similar, a local store brand that worked out around the same price. From what I've read of reviews the two behave almost identically in the water. You won't go very fast, no matter how hard you paddle. It's not very stiff so waves are an experience to say the least. If someone on the other side of the world even thinks of a light breeze, you're going to the other side of the lake sideways. Tracking, as others have mentioned, is thoroughly mediocre. Unless you're staying on calm lakes and flaccid rivers, I wouldn't recommend it.
>>902449
Even with all the negative points above, you're pretty safe in one. You'd actually have to try seriously hard to tip them over and the buoyancy is ridiculous. If you actually manage to sink it, post results. You're likely to win some sort of award.

>>902436
We had this exact same kayak and as soon as it hit the water it collapsed, filled with water, and proved to be very uncomfortable. Granted we used it in the surf so maybe it would work better in a lake but still wouldnt recommend.

>>903628
>Granted we used it in the surf
Doesn't the user manual explicitly state that these things are made for calm waters? As /g/ would say, the problem is in the seat, not in the kayak.

>>902513
>A cheap sit-inside from a company like sun dolphin or pelican is a step better but will still probably make you hate kayaking because they don't even track in a straight line

this straight line tracking is a fucking kayak meme, made by manufacturers to get you buying long, heavy expensive pieces of shit with rudders that will break. boat going a bit zig-zag is no problem at all unless you are going for 20+ km a day trips really

>>904127
>boat going a bit zig-zag is no problem at all unless you are going for 20+ km a day trips really
Not him but an owner of a cheap and cheerful inflatable kayak. It's no meme, it's actually reasonably important. The lack of tracking can get quite hilarious at times. Sure, you don't need a forty foot long kayak with twenty acres of rudder but there is such a thing as a nice middle ground for each application.

Hoping to save up enough next year for an inflatable, still trying to decide if I want a packraft or a ducky kayak.

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>>902436
I have pic related, and I \hate\ it.

Don't get me wrong, inflatable kayaks and canoes are great as they are easy to travel with. However in my experience, inflatable canoes don't have very good structural integrity so they flop around and cause a lot of nausea if you don't have sea legs.

The other thing I don't like is how the air in the tubes change consistency when it sits in cold water, as the canoe becomes even more floppy.

In rivers, or shallow lakes the inflatable canoe/kayak is fine. For open water, bays, or where you really don't want to feel like you will fall out every second, don't get them. Definitely not for beginners.

>>904291
> in my experience
Your experience is with the shittiest one on the market (I know because I had something similar as a kid). You can't generalize about a whole category of products because you bought the cheapest one at Wal-Mart.

>>904132
i've owned both a cheap and an expensive kayak and you are wrong

>>904670
I don't think you own any kayak at all. I think you're lying. I also think you're a muppet.

>>902436
Been eyeing that exact same kayak as well.
Fear it will be like most cheap inflateables and be wobbly and unstable as hell. It has mostly positive reviews though so I'm a bit torn.
I guess maybe you could /diy/ some PVC pipes or something to stiffen it up a bit.
It will probably still suck for any even remotely wavy/streamy waters (pardon my poor wording - just woke up)...

>>904719
>It will probably still suck for any even remotely wavy/streamy waters
It's not as bad as you'd think but it could still be a whole lot better. It's thoroughly acceptable if you adjust your expectations to be somewhat realistic.

>>902436
We run a fleet of old ass duckies on our river trips.

They're alright but I hate em.

>>904696
you bought a shitty inflatable kayak so your opinion doesn't matter

>>904822
You can't even find your shift key so you don't get to give your opinion. I'm amazed you got past the captcha.

>>903455
nice. im from toronto. was thinking about getting one to float around the harbor area. Is it perfect for that stuff?

>>904945
It's pretty good for that but sometimes I wish I got the touring model. It has a fin so it tracks well enough to cover some distance, but it's also easy enough to steer for poking around in the bays and lagoons at the Leslie St Spit and Toronto Islands, I think it's a pretty good compromise in that respect. It'll take a spray skirt or splash deck for wavy days, but not as securely as a rigid boat so I wouldn't take it out in really big waves (I've surfed it in medium waves though). If you do get one I recommend also getting the "backbone" keel thingy they sell.

I usually launch at Cherry Beach and paddle across to the islands, or near the boathouse at Balmy Beach and paddle east along the scarborough bluffs (once you're out there you can't even see the city).

>>902513
>They are for calm water and very short jaunts
The cheapo ones on Amazon maybe, but some of the world's most serious adventurers use inflatables.