Inflatable Kayak Blog

By Sabrina Marx

Happy Fall, fellow kayak lovers! Yes, the leaves are changing colors and the winds are turning cooler. It’s the perfect weather for zipping up that windbreaker and heading out to the river. So, sit back, sip your hot chocolate and enjoy.

Today, I have a double review summary for your reading pleasure. What I mean by “double” review is that I’ve broken down the customer ratings of both the Deluxe and Pro versions of the Sea Eagle 385 Fast Track inflatable kayak. The hull is the same for both versions, however the difference is that the pro package comes with high-back seats and better paddles, as well as two storage bags that attach to each end of the kayak. For those who love to fish there is also a new fishing package with an elevated swivel chair that is ideal for anglers.

The Sea Eagle Fast Track was introduced in 2010 and in a very short time, it has become one of Sea Eagle’s most popular inflatable kayaks. Let’s see what customers have said about it …

Features and Benefits- The Good and the Bad
The consumers posting reviews on Paddling.net gave an average rating of 9 stars on of a scale of 1 to 10. Reviewers on Amazon.com gave the Fast Track an average of 5 out of 5 stars.

Here’s the plus and minus comments for the Sea Eagle 385ft Fast Track Inflatable Kayak Pro …

The Sea Eagle 385ft Fast Track Inflatable Kayak Pro “Plus” List:
Closeable self-bailing valves
Very rigid drop stitch floor
Plenty of storage
Tracks really well for an inflatable kayak

The Sea Eagle 385ft Fast Track Inflatable Kayak Pro “Minus” List:
Has a slight yaw (side to side motion)
Not suitable for whitewater

Here’s the plus and minus comments for the Sea Eagle 385ft Fast Track Inflatable Kayak Deluxe …

The Sea Eagle 385ft Fast Track Inflatable Kayak Deluxe “Plus” List:
Has great rigidity
Plenty of room for two paddlers
Tracks like a hard shell with the detachable skeg

The Sea Eagle 385ft Fast Track Inflatable Kayak Deluxe “Minus” List:
Travels slower than a rigid kayak
Must use skeg for tracking
Seating is not comfortable for long periods of use

Inflatable Kayak Review Summary:
It was difficult to find anything negative to say about the Fast Track inflatable. It appears that nearly all of the purchasers and reviewers thought it to be the perfect inflatable boat for all open water, such as lakes, ponds and calm rivers. One consumer did recommend that when you are inflating the floor of the inflatable kayak you make sure to fill it as solid as you can. This will help with the strength of the skeg for the best tracking.

I hope you enjoyed today’s summary review. Now get away from the computer and enjoy that beautiful fall kayaking weather, but remember…keep your paddle in the water and your butt in the boat!

By Sabrina Marx

Hello fellow portable kayaking fans! Sabrina Marx here with another great review summary for your reading pleasure. This time, I’m compiling customer reviews of the Innova Safari inflatable kayak. Innova built the Safari to be very versatile, being able to handle expedition touring, flatwater day trips, ocean surfing, and Class 3 whitewater rivers. That’s quite a wide range of capabilities, but the Safari seems to deliver. It’s actually one of the few inflatable kayaks that can you can execute an Eskimo Roll in. So sit back and relax, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this review summary.

Features and Benefits- The Good and the Bad
The consumers posting reviews on Paddling.net gave the Innova Safari inflatable kayak an average rating of 8 stars on a scale of 1 to 10. They rated this kayak excellent for use in whitewater as well in calm lakes. So let’s get down the nuts and bolts of the matter at hand.

The Innova Safari Kayak “Plus” List:
Easy setup, packing and daily maintenance
Plenty of on board storage
Good for placid rivers, ocean surf, mountain lakes, and open water as well.
Tracks well with the skeg on.

The Innova Safari Kayak “Minus” List:
The seat is not very comfortable
Has more draft than a rigid whitewater boat
If the boat is packed up before completely dry, it has an odor

Inflatable Kayak Review Summary:
All in all, the majority of consumers were extremely happy with their Safari inflatable kayak by Innova Kayaks. Every review I read had great things to say about their purchase. Several reviewers were considering purchasing multiples of this product for themselves or for gifting to fellow kayak enthusiasts.

That is all I have for you on this fine autumn day, folks. Until next time, keep your paddle in the water and your butt in the boat!

By Sabrina Marx

Hello my water loving friends! It’s your favorite kayak reviewer, back with another exciting summary review. This time, I am checking out the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame™ Convertible Kayak. And I must say, this inflatable kayak is being touted by reviewers as the BMW of kayaks!

The AdvancedFrame™ Convertible Kayak got consistently rave reviews on Amazon with 4 and 5 star ratings. People loved the adaptable design elements, highlighting the ability to transform the inflatable boat from a one person with lots of storage space, into a tandem kayak so you and a friend can both enjoy a day on the water.

But don’t take my intro as the sole selling point, check out the plus and minus list below and see what consumers had to say about this wonderful product from Advanced Elements.

Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame™ Convertible Kayak “Plus List”:
Aluminum ribs built in for defining the stern and bow
Can be used for solo or tandem kayaking – (hence the name convertible)
Adjustable seats
Advanced valves for easy inflation
6 chambers and a dry compartment storage area
Very sturdy, comfortable and easy to maneuver

Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame™ Convertible Kayak “Minus List”:
Weighs in at 56lbs
Hard to dry without taking the floor out and removing the shell
Possible issues with the inside tubes (one side smaller than the other side)
Takes about 20 minutes to inflate (35 minutes the first time)
Takes about 25 minutes to deflate

Inflatable Kayak Review Summary:
It was easy to see why the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame™ Convertible Kayak was a favorite with anglers, but it does have a few undesirable characteristics. At 56lbs, it may be a bit challenging to carry.

A few reviewers reported that when they first inflated the kayak, it took roughly 35 minutes. Those same consumers added that afterward, subsequent inflations of the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame™ Convertible Kayak took about 20 minutes. Deflating took a bit of time, with many commenting it took 25 minutes, so you’ll want to be sure to allow yourself extra time for setup and take down.

On the upside, reviewers bragged about the sturdiness of this inflatable boat, citing that when they experienced rough patches in the water (such as running into rock weed) the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame™ Convertible Inflatable Kayak came through without a scratch. Very durable!

Overall it seems that this inflatable kayak is a keeper, but if by chance you do have a problem, you can rest assured that the Advanced Elements customer service team is standing by to help you in any way they can. One consumer even raved that when he had to contact the customer service department about a gash in the outer layer of the boat, he was very pleased with the prompt attention and solution to the matter. Well done Advanced Elements!

Until next we meet my water loving friends, remember to keep your paddle in the water and your butt in the boat!

By Sabrina Marx

Hello fellow paddlers, it is I, Sabrina Marx coming to you with another fabulous summary review. Today we are going to explore the pluses and minuses of the Innova Helios I and II. For those of you that are not familiar with these kayaks, the Helios I is an inflatable kayak made just for one and the Helios II is a tandem kayak, meaning it is a “kayak built for two”.

I was thrilled to find lots of reviews for both these kayaks. Since they are so similar, I decided to combine both versions in this review. So without further ado, let us proceed with my famous list.

Innova Helios Inflatable Kayak “Plus List“:
Helios I is one of the lightest kayaks from Innova at an easy carrying load 24lbs
Helios II weighs in at 33lbs and gives you a snuggly fit and feel
Both kayaks are very stable and a cinch to lift
Helios I is great for calm rivers
Helios II will works fine in slow moving waterways
Both the Helios I and II are good for camping trips, day trips, and can even be used for sea kayaking
Both inflatable kayaks come with a dry-bag backpack to hold the kayak, foot pump, 4-piece paddle, an extra paddle, PFD (personal floatation device), throw bag and a bailer.

Innova Helios Inflatable Kayak “Minus List”:
Needs a rudder for better performance.
Hard to handle in crosswinds
Helios I can only accommodate 220lbs, whereas the Helios II can handle 396lbs
Both the Helios I and II are made so that you have to sit on the floor of the kayak with a backrest. (i.e.- your butt will most likely get wet!)

Inflatable Kayak Review Summary:
Consumers appeared to like both the Innova Helios I and II inflatable kayaks equally. The biggest complaint was the seating arrangement. I don’t know about you, but sitting on the floor against a backrest will lead to a soggy backside for me. You may want to wear a wetsuit or get a blowup cushion to sit on that it keeps you off the floor.

Both the Innova Helios I and II were given the thumbs up from reviewers taking them on day trips and overnight camping, reporting that they have plenty of storage space. Consumers recommended both versions of the Helios inflatable boat highly, but make sure to use the Innova Helios II when taking along your best bud. Unless, of course, you WANT to paddle with someone in your lap. (LOL)

Well my friends, that about does it for me and my summary review of the Innova Helios line. Stop in again and look around for more of my summary kayak reviews for your reading enjoyment.

Until then, fellow paddlers… keep your paddle in the water and your butt in the boat!

Most of this month’s blog posts have been about our recent visit to the Outdoor Retail Show in Salt Lake City. Over the next few months, I don’t doubt that there will be several more references to products or activities we saw or events we participated in during the first week of August, 2011. The show was huge and the variety of products were way too numerous to mention them all. I mainly wanted to summarize our visits with Sea Eagle, Innova and Advanced Elements inflatable kayaks, the lines we carry at PortableKayaks.com.

We found several other products that we may or may not add to our product line such as new life jacket designs and cooling towels. Plus there were many, many products that we came across that might be related to kayakers, depending on their other interests, such as pop-up tents, camping food, fly rods and so many more.

The show itself is big. The Open Air Demo on the first day was held at Lake Jordanelle State Park near Park City. It was a beautiful setting until the storms in the area kicked the wind up so that demo paddling was not as much fun as it could have been. We managed to walk (a lot) checking out the booths and participating in the Magellen GPS Cache Treasure Hunt. We each won a t-shirt. I did get to demo a few kayaks before the wind messed things up, but the storms stayed away and a good day was had by all.

The next two days were spent walking (a lot) inside the Salt Palace checking out the booths, sampling trail bars and camping food and being totally amazed by the varieties of products that are available in the outdoor marketplace. Also admiring the ingenuity that’s displayed in creating some of the products. I can’t count the number of times that I said “Wow, that’s unique.” For example, the new Go Pro Video Camera that takes 1080 dpi video in a waterproof case, the Sea Squirts children’s life jackets that I mentioned in a previous post and the Can Cooker that campers can use to cook an entire meal in one container or the Noggs sunglasses that have frames that are virtually indestructible.

I could go on, but if you’d like to check out some of the videos that were produced by the ORS staff, they are available here. One video features Sea Eagle’s Cecil Hoge talking about his company and what they are planning for the future. In another video, SurfTech talks about the rise in popularity of stand up paddling.

In conclusion, we had a great time, learned much and walked (a lot). I always enjoy the show and hope to return sometime in the next few years. And when we do, we’ll let you know about it here on the Inflatable Kayak Blog.