Inflatable Kayak Blog

With varying gas prices and economic changes over the past year, a trend has developed toward more portable and economical fishing crafts. If you’ve been considering a move in that direction, Creek Company is making the decision a little easier. This holiday season (through 12-31-09) they’re offering some really big discounts on all of their float tubes and several of their inflatable pontoons. Some of these discounts are up to 40% off the regular prices.

Float Tubes: The Original U-Boat is only $79.99 ($50 Off), the U-Boat Super Combo, with pump and fins, is only a penny more ($80.00)! The very popular ODC 420 Lightweight Combo that also includes pump and fins is just $200.00 ($89.99 Off) and it qualifies for Free Shipping.

Inflatable Pontoons: The ODC (8 Foot) Sport XR is marked down to $349.99 ($50 Off) and the ODC Super Sport XR is just $399.99 ($100 Off).

Creek Company has been designing innovative watercraft for over 20 years. This is a great time to purchase one of their excellent quality inflatable pontoons and float tubes for fishing.

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.

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.

I received this picture from one of our Portable Kayaks customers, Jeff in Indiana telling me about some fishing he did last month. He explains in his own words … “Here is a photo of me in my tube and the 16 inch bass caught on a size 10 hopper and my 3 weight rod. I fished 4 small lakes yesterday in about 6 hours and landed about 20 bass…no keepers, all small fish, but in the tube they are still fun. One bass took my popper just a few feet from the tube and it was very exciting to see it up close. The first lake was about ¾ mile and I packed in with the straps, fins and rod. I love the versatility of the boat. I am sending my 18 year old off to college and he is taking his tube with him. Not sure why more folks don’t go this way?” … Jeff and his son each have Creek Company ODC 420 Float Tubes and, needless to say, he’s a big fan.

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.

We went on an extended weekend to Gatlinburg, TN this past weekend. We were able to get in a paddle at Douglas Lake, but one of our other plans was to go for a hike in Smokey Mountain National Park. We asked at the visitor’s center for suggestions of somewhere not too strenuous, preferably something along one of the pretty mountain streams. We chose to go to the Elkmont area. There was a wide, well-groomed trail along the rocky mountain stream. Most of the trail was in the shade of the tall spring green trees with the sun peeking through the trees here and there. I loved walking along listening to the sound of the rushing water while butterflies were flitting everywhere. There were old abandoned cabins scattered in the woods just off the path that added to the charm of the area. As I was taking pictures of the stream, we noticed a young man in something like an inner tube floating calmly down towards us in the shallow areas and then slipping over the rocks as he went over a little waterfall. We had never before seen anyone do that in a mountain stream, so we stayed and watched him float by. We couldn’t help making the comparison to a float tube for fishing. Though this wasn’t exactly the same, he was definitely in a tube that was floating. It looked like fun and a great way to spend a little bit of time in the Smokey’s, but I think I will stay with kayaking.

Classic Accessories has added a new float tube to their extensive selection. The ‘Cumberland’ is a back-packable float tube with adjustable shoulder straps like their other backpack model, the Togiak, but with many additional features. The seats are higher, thicker and have an adjustable backrest providing drier fishing and more comfort. It’s been designed for easy front entry and can carry up to 300 pounds of fisherman and gear. The Cumberland also has more storage area than most float tubes including two drink holders and two cargo pockets in addition to the large back mesh storage platform. There are two rod-holders, as well, and two nice safety features, an orange rear visibility panel and a safety flag holder. The Cumberland backpack float tube comes in an Apple Green and Olive color and is available now at PortableKayaks.com.

If you’re already a float tube fisherman or you’ve been wanting to try out this unique fishing method, now is a great time to pick up a real bargain on the Creek Company ODC (Outdoor Discovery Craft) 420 Float Tube. They’ve authorized a clearance price on their 2008 models at $100 off the regular price of $249.99. A great discount. The best part is that the 2008 model is basically the same as the new 2009 models, they just have too many in stock and they want to clear them out. The ODC 420’s are available at this price while they last. Check out PortableKayaks.com for more information.