Inflatable Kayak Blog

Probably the most unique folding watercraft on the market today is the TRAK T-1600 Folding Kayak. The TRAK changes shape. Hydraulics inside the cockpit enable you to instantly shift the shape of the kayak’s hull. So you can adjust your TRAK for straight speed, then shift its shape to turn easily. Or neutralize a cross wind without a rudder. It’s kind of like having an “all-wheel drive” performance vehicle on land, or “gears” on a mountain bike.

The TRAK has been a ‘high end’ priced kayak, but the current sale has prices marked down up to 40% and since it’s priced in Canadian dollars, the US Dollar price is even lower. The sale, initiated by the manufacturer is called the “8 Weeks Of Christmas” and the discount is larger the sooner you buy. Check the details out at PortableKayaks.com.

For many avid outdoor enthusiasts there’s nothing more perfect than a weekend camping trip packed with hiking and kayaking. But there’s nothing worse than packing and unpacking all of that bulky outdoor gear. This is why buying a folding kayak could be a great investment.

Folding kayaks are lightweight and easy to transport. These days it’s getting less economical to own a big SUV or truck and smaller cars make for tighter packing during camping trips. When a full-size kayak won’t fit, pack a folding kayak. These kayaks are just as sea-worthy as their non-folding counter parts and take up far less space.

If you own a PakBoat, now is a good time to add accessories at a 15% discount. They are having a (Fall 2008) folding kayak accessory sale on footrests, spray skirts and decks for the Puffin II two-person folding kayak. The spray skirts (shown in picture) come in two types, a regular style and a breathable style that allows air to pass thru, but not water. The Puffin II decks allow you to use the boat as a one person (solo deck) or two-person (three piece deck) model.

The PakBoat folding kayak company has announced that they are reducing prices 15% this Fall (2008) on all the new 2008 Puffin 12 Kayaks, Puffin Swift Kayaks and Puffin II Kayaks remaining in stock. The Swift is being discontinued and replaced with the new XT Touring Kayaks, which will become available in the Spring of 2009. The Puffin 12 and Puffin II (two person tandem folding kayak) are being slightly re-designed for 2009. PakBoats will continue to support all the older designs when it comes to providing repair parts. They understand that the boats can last up to and beyond 10 years and are very good about backing up their products.

This folding kayak sale is a great opportunity to save up to $200 on some models, while they last.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to paddle a kayak made of wood sticks and animal skins? Maybe not, but that’s how kayaks originated. The small ‘human-powered’ boat that we know as a kayak was originally developed by Native Aleut and Eskimo hunters in sub-arctic regions of North America and Greenland. They used the boats to hunt on inland lakes rivers and coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean, North Atlantic, Bering Sea and North Pacific oceans. These first kayaks were constructed from stitched animal skins such as seal stretched over a wooden frame made from collected driftwood, as many of the areas of their construction were treeless. Archaeologists have found evidence indicating that kayaks are at least 4000 years old.

The closest you can come to paddling an “original kayak” today is to paddle a folding kayak. Of all modern kayaks, they are closest relatives to the skin-and frame vessels of the past. Folding kayaks exhibit many of the same paddling characteristics. Their ‘skin’ also absorbs some of the energy from waves and actually makes for a smoother ride than that of a hard shell kayak.

A friend of mine asked me if I practiced “low-impact environmental paddling”. After I figured out he wasn’t talking about an aerobic exercise or the latest diet craze, I said “Of course I do!” What he was talking about was paddling “green”. I’m actually kind of a re-cycle nut anyway, so he knew what my answer would be.

Enjoying the outdoors is a privilege and we should respect nature accordingly, trying our best not to disturb whatever ecosystem we’re paddling in. I hate it when I see candy wrappers, aluminum cans or other trash floating by or up against the shore when I’m paddling. How difficult can it be to find a trashcan or hold on to the trash until you get to one? I’ve been known to toss an apple core or peach pit into the woods but actually that’s not really such a good idea either. Even though they are biodegradable, sometime human foods can be bad for the diets of particular animals in areas where those fruits are not normally found.

Yeah, it’s a popular catch phrase and very trendy, but no matter whether you’re paddling a sleek new folding kayak or an old wooden canoe, paddling “green” is and has always been a good path to follow.

The Outdoor Retail Show was a fun experience and I enjoyed the Open Air Demo Day where I got to try paddling several inflatable and folding kayaks. The PakBoats were a fun, new experience as I had not had the chance to try out a folding kayak before this. The feel of a folding boat in the water is totally different from our inflatable. It is very similar to paddling a hard shell kayak. I had the chance to paddle the Puffin Sport (10 foot model) and the Puffin Kayak (12 foot model). The Puffin 12 was easy to maneuver and get some speed, but I found getting into the kayak was a bit difficult since it had a deck on it and it was a little narrower than the hard shell kayak I had been in before. I guess like anything new it takes some getting used to but after figuring out how to do it, that wouldn’t be an issue. I liked the Puffin 10 the best. If it was just me paddling a kayak, I think the smaller boat is easier to handle. In just a few paddles I felt very comfortable and at ease. The Puffin Sport also did not have a deck on it and I think I liked that better as well.

I mentioned to PakBoats owner and designer, Alv Elvestad, that I thought the smaller size was easy to handle. He told me that a lot of older women liked that boat. I wasn’t exactly sure how to take that remark, I don’t usually consider myself an older woman, but he quickly explained that he had an 80 year old woman that came to them at the beginning of summer and had them put the boat together for her, and she used it all summer. When she was ready to return home, she would stop by and they would take the boat apart for her. I guess it really is a good boat for older women. We’ll see if I am still paddling when I am 80!

There were so many paddling opportunities at the “Open Air Demo’ at the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show that we’re going to back track and review them individually.

PakBoats is introducing a new folding, touring kayak, the XT series. There was a slight delay in the arrival date. The boats were expected to be available sometime in September of 2008, however they were delayed till Spring of 2009. Touring kayaks are generally longer and have a flatter hull shape to allow the kayak to move faster and cover longer distances than a kayak designed for whitewater use or for situations where turning ability is more important. There will be two XT’s, the XT-15 (15 foot) folding kayak and the XT-16 (16 foot) kayak. The XT-15 will be sold strictly as a one-person model. The XT-16 will be sold as a two-person model with the option of purchasing a solo deck to also use the kayak as a one-person model.

We paddled the XT-16 at the ‘Open Air Demo’. The ride was smooth and both paddlers could totally stretch their legs out for a comfortable ride. I’d guess it would accommodate heights up to 6 feet 4 inches, maybe more. It was evident that the touring design enabled us to create more speed and when some higher waves crossed our path from the speed boats farther out in Pineview Reservoir, the boat cut nicely through the water and felt very stable. Better paddlers could very well use it effectively in some rougher water. The XT-16, like all the PakBoats, though, is designed for best use in calmer water and will make a very good kayak for couples to take relaxing trips on lakes and rivers.

Over the next few days we’ll continue to post several blogs that will have specific information about more of the individual products we’ve tested and seen here at the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show.

On the floor at the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show in the Salt Lake Convention Center, we got together with Erik from Clear Blue Hawaii at their booth. A question that’s been on many minds for awhile is “when will the two person Hanauma inflatable kayak be back in stock and available for purchase?” Due to manufacturing problems, the Hanauma has been unavailable since March. Erik told us that it looked like the Hanauma would be available, hopefully, by the end of August. We hope so, too, since we have a long list of potential customers wanting to buy one.

We also saw a new product, expected to be available in 2009. Clear Blue Hawaii has developed a self-inflating kayak carrier. It’s a set of two rectangular padded straps that attach easily to the top of any vehicle. They’re super lightweight and can be carried in a small bag until you’re ready to use them. They have a self-inflating system similar to some life vests. They won’t scratch the car top and they can be used for any kind of kayak or boat, depending on the width. Folding kayaks don’t usually work well with carriers because the strain of tightening them down bends the frame. This padded carrier should reduce some of that pressure and may be an answer for those of you who have folding kayaks and want to occasionally ‘car top’ them.

Over the next few days we’ll continue to post several blogs that will have specific information about more of the individual products we’ve tested and seen here at the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show.

The best part about the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show ‘Open Air Demo’ is the opportunity to paddle boats that you’ve never paddled before. The Puffin 12 (aka Puffin Kayak) fits in that category. It’s the most versatile folding kayak in the PakBoat line and so lightweight, at only 23 pounds. At 12 foot in length, it’s very maneuverable and yet it can generate good speed. I especially noticed the speed I was able to generate, and I’m not considered an expert paddler, more of an average recreationist. There were many, many hard shell kayaks at the ‘open air demo’, but the PakBoats looked and paddled right with them. While paddling the Puffin 12, I had a young lady, who was paddling a hard shell, ask me about the boat and comment on how nice it looked in the water.

The boat I paddled was a 2009 prototype that had a new side color, gray. Currently PakBoats offer three side colors; red, green and blue with one deck color; yellow. The 2009 models will offer two side colors; gray and black, and two deck colors; mango (as seen in the picture) and red. I think the color combinations will make the PakBoats even better looking than they already are. The 2009 frame designs are not very different, with only a few improvements and manufacturing adjustments to allow for easier part replacement. Of course, the 14 foot Puffin Swift is clearance priced and will no longer be available. They will continue to be backed up by PakBoats excellent service, though. The new XT touring kayaks will essentially replace the Swift. We paddled a two person XT and a new Puffin 10 (aka Puffin Sport) and I’ll tell you more about those in a later blog.

Over the next few days and into next week, we’ll post several blogs that will have specific information about more of the individual products we’ve tested and seen here at the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show.