Inflatable Kayak Blog

I know what you’re thinking … “Sharp Fish Hooks” plus “Inflatable … anything” equals “Deflation”! Not so with the quality of kayaks you’ll find on the market today. They’re a far cry from the older ‘pool toy’ versions of the past. Newer inflatable kayaks can stand up to the claw end of a hammer or the sharp toenails of man’s best friend. Needless to say, they’ll also survive even a fishing hook. They’re affordable, too. I’ve seen complete packages as low as $199 for a kayak, pump and paddles. The prime benefit is portability. An inflatable kayak will fit into a car trunk, with room to spare. No need to pull a boat trailer or use a car top rack.

Another advantage that fishing with an inflatable kayak offers is the ability to go into deep weeds or into shallow water that you might not be able to do, even with a small bass boat. Of course, the paddling instead of motoring might give you a little more exercise, but, hey, couldn’t we all use a little more of that anyway? Next time you’re shopping for a fishing boat, check out an inflatable kayak. It’s definitely an option worth looking into.

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.

I recently found a YouTube video of an interview with Cecil Hoge, the man behind the Sea Eagle inflatable boat company. Steve Pennaz of the North American Fishing Club interviewed Cecil about the new Sea Eagle 285fpb frameless pontoon boat. They talked about the strength of the 1000 Denier material the pontoon is made of, the ease of setup and features like the hard floor that allows fishermen to stand up in the craft, unlike other framed pontoon boats. The Sea Eagle 285 fpb one-person frameless pontoon boat is a unique innovation in the evolution of one-person fishing craft. You can check out the sale prices on the 285fpb at PortableKayaks.com.

Occasionally I get a question about the ways to find leaks in an inflatable kayak, pontoon or float tube.

Probably the best way to find a small leak in any type of inflatable bladder is to mix up some dish soap and water and spray it on the bladder, watching closely for bubbles where the air is escaping. It sometimes takes awhile to notice where the problem is, but it does work. I read somewhere that adding some glycerin to the soap solution will give you better “bubble retention”. The writer used a formula of 1/3 cup of dish soap, 1 tablespoon of glycerin and 1 gallon of water.

Another method is to fill the bladder completely and get into a large swimming pool with it, forcing it under water while looking for leaks. Only problem with this method is finding a large swimming pool you can put your inflatable kayak, pontoon or float tube into. But if you do, this method should work fairly well, too.

One other place to look for leaks is around the valves. Be sure that the valves are completely tightened. Then spray some soapy water around the valves themselves. There could be a slow leak there.

As an owner of an inflatable kayak, I’m often asked questions about the durability of the kayak while in the water. Do I have to avoid sharp objects? What are the chances of puncturing the hull while paddling? Well, I always try to avoid “objects” of any kind in the water. That’s just common sense paddling. However, even if I did hit something sharp, I’d be confident that my boat could handle it. One of the properties of water is that it makes everything slipperier, which in turn deflects some of the force. Also, the nature of an inflatable is that the surface area of the hull has some “give” to it, which also deflects the force of the impact.

The materials that inflatable boats are made of these days are strong. For example, Sea Eagle uses two types of material on their products, the 1000 Denier Polyester Reinforced Fabric that can stand up to a claw end of a hammer (see video below) and a Polykrylar material that isn’t quite as strong, but is still very dependable. Innova uses a 1200-denier Nitrylon™ fabric which is also very durable. I’m familiar with both these brands and I hear that most other current brands are durable as well. In fact many of the durability tests that manufacturers put their kayaks through include hitting them with sharp objects since that’s probably the major concern of most potential customers. Punctures may be a concern, but the most common way to damage an inflatable boat is by dragging it on the ground on a regular basis, especially on cement or gravel. That’s the kind of wear and tear that is much more likely to damage your kayak than occasionally bumping into something while in the water.

I’ve always said that if you use common sense when paddling, transporting and storing an inflatable kayak, boat or pontoon, you’ll keep it in good shape for years.

One of the most important things to do if you own a portable watercraft is to make sure that you dry it off well before putting it away, especially if it’s for a long period of time. The chances of having mold and moisture damage are more likely than picking up holes or punctures. Moisture can also cause nasty stains on the surface of your craft. The best part is that it’s easy to avoid moisture problems. During the season, if you’re using your craft fairly often (every week or so), you can get away with rolling it up without drying it completely. It’s still a good idea to wipe it down so there are no major damp areas, but a complete “dry down” isn’t necessary. When you put it away for a period longer than, say, 3 weeks, I’d recommend that you make sure it’s completely dry before rolling it up for storage. When I do a complete “dry down”, I’ll do my regular wipe down before packing the craft into my car for the ride home, then later open up the boat and wipe it down again. I’ll also leave it open for a day or so in a dry area to make sure there’s no moisture left before rolling it up for storage. It’s really not that much time and effort and the process will keep your folding kayak, inflatable kayak, inflatable pontoon or float tube in good condition for many years.

I suppose you might expect me to post a blog that involves an “April Fool’s” joke, today. And by telling you that Sea Eagle has discounted all of their packages from $50 to $150, you might think I was leading you on. But I assure you, that’s not the case. It’s no joke. They’ve decided to provide their own economic stimulus package to the paddling community with these discounts and dealers like us, at PortableKayaks.com, are following suit. All the Sea Eagle line is included; the 330 and 370 inflatable kayaks, the 340, 380 and 420 Explorer kayaks, PaddleSki catamaran style kayaks, FoldCat inflatable pontoons, inflatable fishing boats with motormounts and even the new Longboard stand up paddleboards. It’s being advertised as a “Spring” sale so I wouldn’t wait too long to check out the savings before it’s over. 

This is the time of year when I often look past the Holidays toward the annual boat shows that usually occur when cabin fever is setting in. We journey out into the cold winter weather to look at all the neat new outdoor gear and those beautiful new fishing boats. Even though gas prices have gone back down (for awhile anyway), the current economic climate could still prohibit you from purchasing that new boat. One alternative to think about is the Sea Eagle inflatable boat with motor mount.

The reason I bring this up in advance of the boat shows is that Sea Eagle has discounted these boats to their lowest prices ever. They’re currently priced under $500 at most Sea Eagle retailers through the end of the year. These hardy, portable watercraft are a smaller version of the big expensive Zodiac style boats. They only weigh up to 56 pounds and they carry up to 1200 pounds. There are two versions, the SE-8 and SE-9 and both are easy to store and easy to transport. I know they won’t sit in your driveway and make your neighbors envious, but you and your friends can still catch some fish in them. And maybe not taking any up any driveway space isn’t so bad after all!

You might think that it’s a long and tedious process to pump up an inflatable kayak, pontoon or float tube every time you go out, but it’s really not that difficult or time consuming. People often say that’s why they wouldn’t own an inflatable boat, but when you compare the time it takes to strap the boat on top of a car or truck or deal with a trailer, spending 8 to 10 minutes inflating your kayak is minimal effort. The high-pressure bellows style pumps that come with most inflatable kayaks can really blow some air with very little foot pressure.

There are also electric inflatable boat pumps that can be hooked to vehicle batteries or plugged into cigarette lighter outlets that can speed the process up. They won’t do the whole job though. Electric pumps normally don’t inflate your boat completely. You’ll need to ‘top it off’ with your foot or hand pump.