Inflatable Kayak Blog

The first kayakers paddled crafts made of wood stick frames covered by animal skins and Archaeologists have found evidence they may have existed as long as 4000 years ago. Today, the folding kayak is the closest you’ll get to that original design, but folding kayaks have been around for quite awhile as well. Recently I saw this picture of an ad in a German newspaper that came out in 1910. The ad was for a “new” product, a kayak that folds! It was from the Klepper company, headed by Johann Klepper, who was a pioneer in the design and manufacturing of folding kayaks. We’re not sure of the exact ‘birth’ date of the folding kayak, but here in 2010, we’re sending out a hearty “Happy 100th Birthday” to the predecessor of the amazingly versatile and lightweight folding kayaks we know today.

I was looking for interesting places to paddle along the Georgia Coastline and found some information on Crooked River State Park, just outside of St. Marys, GA, one of the oldest cities in the United States. It’s essentially the gateway to Cumberland Island National Seashore, the largest of the Georgia Coast’s barrier islands. The seashore covers 17 miles of white sandy secluded beaches complete with wild horses, sea turtles, dolphins, shore birds, dune fields, maritime forest, and salt marshes. Sounds like a pretty nice place to experience nature.

Hiking is very popular at Crooked River State Park. There are three trails you can follow and it is best to stop by the visitors center to get a copy of the trail map to help you navigate the trails. Cherry Point trail is a 4-mile trail, Harriett’s Bluff is a 6 mile trail and Grover Island is an 8 mile trail. All are round trip distances. Dolphins travel in groups upriver to fish and are spotted 50% of the time on all three trails. Once the dolphins corner a school of bait fish, they will surface often to breathe while feeding. You can hear their blows to locate them. More than 100 gulls, cormorants, and egrets often perch on a raised boardwalk across the marsh. Bald eagles and osprey have also been spotted.

Elliott’s Bluff public launch is probably the best launch area for kayaks. If you take an chance and launch at a random location along the shore you may experience the oyster beds that will cut your feet and may do some damage to your kayak. An inflatable kayak might be more prone to damage than a hard shell kayak, although the Sea Eagle Explorer kayak material has been known to stand up to oyster beds quite well. It’s also best to launch your kayak when the tide is coming in, so it’s best to check the tides before planning your paddle.

Now that I’ve discovered Crooked Lake State Park, it’s right up there on my list of places I want to kayak. And the dolphins might move it to the top for our next trip!

While watching the coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, it’s hard not to be impressed with the breathtaking views that NBC uses to introduce and transition their coverage segments. The commercial that features Canadian natives such as Michael J. Fox, Steve Nash, Kim Cattrall and Ryan Reynolds inviting us to visit has some pretty nice scenery, too. This type of majestic beauty always draws me in and in the process of searching for places to kayak in British Columbia for my ‘kayaking vacation wish list’, I happened to run across a blog written by a guy who calls himself “paddlesheep” and uses an Innova Sunny kayak, a very versatile inflatable kayak that’s known to track and handle very well. He blogs about a kayaking trip in British Columbia that lasted seven days and took him through the southern gulf islands, starting in Swartz Bay and ending in Ladysmith. There’s some nice pictures, too. It’s simply titled “Inflatable Kayaking in B.C.”

Now, I have to get back to my “wish list!”

No, they haven’t added “snow kayaking” to the 2010 Winter games, but a couple of PakBoat folding kayaks will be there. During the Winter Olympics, two Puffin models will be on display (and offered for sale) at Lonsdale Quay public market in Vancouver, Canada. The “Dreamcatcher Boats” booth is located under the tent at the Seabus terminal, by the fountain – “you can’t miss it”. Brian Chandler is displaying a Puffin (12) Kayak and a Puffin Swift – both of them offered at very favorable prices. PakBoats worked out a special arrangement with Brian so that they will be able to ship boats directly to customers in foreign countries from the PakBoat warehouse in New Hampshire. Brian will take care of shipments to customers in Canada. This is a great opportunity for the Olympic visitors to get a look at these lightweight folding kayaks, up close and personal. If you happen to be an American visiting the Olympics, check them out and if you like what you see, contact PortableKayaks.com when you get back for free shipping and an excellent price.

Fishermen and women in the Susquehanna River Regions in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York have a new, free fishing magazine available to them. The first issue came out a couple days ago on February 2, 2010. It’s being distributed through local establishments and funded by participating advertisers. The magazine’s goal is to help to inform anglers about productive angling techniques and other pertinent information pertaining to the area, as well as promoting safety and responsible stewardship of the river. They hope to distribute abut 30,000 copies each month. For additional information and locations where you can pick up a copy, you can go to the Susquehanna Fishing Magazine web site.

I know it’s a little cold in the Susquehanna area this time of year, but it’s never to early to start thinking about warmer days relaxing on the fishing boat in search of a great ‘fish’ story!

Early in 2009 PakBoats introduced their new line of XT folding kayaks. The new kayaks were created to add a true touring kayak to the PakBoat stable. Previously, the Puffin Swift, which has since been discontinued, was the closest PakBoat to a touring kayak. The Swift did have a flatter hull than other PakBoat designs, but at 14 feet long it wasn’t quite long enough to completely qualify as a touring model.
The XT series went through several developmental designs and testing procedures before PakBoat designer Alv Elvestad put them into production in late 2008. In fact, many of the advanced design elements of the XT series have been integrated into the new Puffin models, the Saco and the Saranac. The XT series features the XT-15 (15 foot) solo kayak and the XT-16 (16 foot) which can be used as a solo or a tandem kayak. As is the case with all the PakBoats, the XT folding kayaks are a great value for the money compared to other folding kayaks on the market.

Sea Kayaker magazine featured an excellent PakBoat XT-15 folding kayak review in it’s December 2009 issue. You can read the review by clicking on the link, then paging down to the specified link on the folding kayak page.

Planning on getting someone a kayak or kayak accessory as a gift? If so, I have a few suggestions. Make sure you buy them something they’ll like. In other words, you might not want to make it a total surprise. A little research goes a long way and you’ll be glad when your gift is welcomed with open arms rather than a confused facial expression.

In the case of avid kayakers, you should be familiar with what they are paddling now and whether your gift will fit their preferences. Kayaks are kind of like shoes. One size or type doesn’t “fit” all. Ask their friends, fellow paddlers or significant others for advice. A portable (inflatable or folding kayak) may not be the perfect choice for someone who’s used to paddling a hard shell kayak. However, if they’re tired of storing or car carrying the hard shell, a portable kayak might be the perfect gift. Accessories, especially paddles, can also be very user specific. Find out what they have, then buy them what they’d like to have.

If you’re buying for a newby it’s even more important to research your choice. I’ve seen a few situations where a wife or husband has purchased a tandem (two person) kayak without consulting (or even hinting to) the other person only to be disappointed when they experienced that “confused facial expression”. The hassle and expense of returning the kayak could be easily avoided if you could have discovered in advance that the “giftee’s” idea of water sports is lounging on a Caribbean Cruise or maybe they have an aversion to paddles or … you get the idea.

If you need a few gift suggestions, maybe these will help you out. A Sea Eagle 330 or 370 is a great gift for a beginner who wants to start out paddling. Sea Eagle Explorer Kayaks (340, 380 or 420) or any of the Innova inflatable kayaks are terrific for someone who wants to upgrade from a beginner level kayak. PakBoat’s Arrows or Puffins folding kayaks are nice for a hard shell kayaker who’s tired of carting around and storing that hard shell kayak. PakBoats track very much like a hard shell, too. And, of course the TRAK adjustable kayak is perfect for the kayaker who has everything and wants more. All of the above also travel very well on planes or in car trunks or the back of a minivan. Some kayak accessories you might look at include these items that can all be used by any type of kayaker, traditional hard shell or portable. You could buy someone a new, lighter fiberglass or carbon Cannon paddle, a PakPod Deck Bag/Paddle Float or one of the new WindPaddle™ sails that fit most any type of small boat, kayak or canoe. If there’s a paddler on your list that’s also a photographer, an AquaPac 100% waterproof/sand proof case is a nice gift. There are also AquaPac cases for cell phones and MP3 players.

There’s some great gift ideas here, made even better by a little advance ‘gift giving’ research.

The TRAK adjustable folding kayak is the world’s only performance kayak that fits in a pack that’s about the size of a golf bag. Not a bad way to travel with a 16 foot kayak. The adjustable aspect is totally unique. 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. Although the suggested retail price is $4900, they are currently on sale for $3399 and during their special 2009 holiday promotion, you can get a Sea Sock free with purchase. The sea sock secures snuggly around the coaming and fits loosely around your legs. It keeps the water and sand out of your kayak for a dry and cleaner boat. Regular price on the sea sock is $125, but it’s free with a TRAK kayak purchase until 12-31-09. Shipping is free, too if you order through PortableKayaks.com.

For those of us who don’t live in the sun belt, there’s a time of year when kayaking is not an option because of the weather conditions. We call it the “off season”. A customer, who lives in Michigan, recently purchased a PakBoat folding kayak hoping he might have time to get out on the water only to fall victim to an early rush of winter. He asked what to do about the new boat he received and I suggested that he should try to assemble it indoors just to see if all the parts are there and they fit together correctly. A quick inspection of the surface will also turn up any defects. That’s a good idea no matter what type of product you purchase in the “off season” or the “on season”. It’s always disappointing to get your inflatable or folding kayak or portable fishing craft (i.e pontoon or float tube) out to the water and find that you’re missing a small part like a valve cover or wing nut that might keep you out of the water. Check it out ahead of time. Also, especially in the case of a folding kayak or inflatable pontoon, it’s a good idea to practice the assembly so you know what to do when you’re ready to hit the water.

The “off season” is often a good time to buy a kayak because of manufacturer’s discounts, clearance pricing and holiday gift specials. But remember to check out your purchase before you use it. Most of the time everything fits together and all the parts are there. But, if not, you’ll be happy you inspected your purchase instead of standing on the shore wishing you had.

Often, in the process of shopping, there comes a time when I like to jot down the specs of the items I’ve been looking at so I can review them side by side. That way I can make a more educated decision when I finally make my purchase.

If you are shopping for any type of portable watercraft, most of that work is done for you at PortableKayaks.com. We’ve listed all our boats … inflatable kayaks, folding kayaks, inflatable fishing boats, pontoons and float tubes on our Product Comparison page. They are broken down into separate categories and all of the pertinent specs are listed in easy to follow charts. You’ll find the width, length, carrying weight, weight capacity, material specifications, assembly time and other important specs that you can use to make your decision. And every model number is linked to it’s full product page for easy navigation. So if you’ve been searching for a portable fishing craft or folding or inflatable kayak review page, check out the Product Comparison Charts at PortableKayaks.com.