Inflatable Kayak Blog

By Sam Wright

The family was over this weekend to celebrate a birthday, so I had to do some bragging. I brought out the inflatable kayak to show the guys my toy and explained how much fun I had. Of course I went through all the benefits. The biggest was enjoying the “peace and quiet” a few days out of each month so I could ponder the universe without any interruptions. After working my demanding job all week and all the other obligations that we all face each day, a day or two on the river does the trick to rejuvenate and invigorate the soul.

The last benefit won the crowd, well all except one.  Bobby is my brother’s son. At age 21, he looked at the kayak and agreed that looked like fun for a few old guys who wanted to wander around the waterways and get away from it all, but he had grander plans.  Bobby talked about going to Hawaii (someday) and surfing the big waves. Not to be outdone, I got out the laptop and pulled up the PortableKayaks.com web site. Low and behold he saw something that he didn’t know existed; a paddle board. It was perfect and he was sold.

The paddle board wasn’t a surf board and going away to Hawaii was at least a couple of years down the road, but it could be used here and now and, even with Bobby’s new job, this was in the affordable range. He ordered the LongBoard 11 Stand up Paddle Board Startup Package. The fact that it touted giving you a fantastic work out and a greater view of the water were two attributes that sold him on the new toy.  With the paddle board you can stand up to paddle and enjoy the near surfing experience or you can sit down for some comfort and still have a great workout.

Showing Bobby the paddle board made me ready with my upcoming birthday wish. Just wait until I tell my wife about this new addition to our water equipment. We can’t be outdone by a mere 21-year-old. My wife is equally as energetic and competitive as I am. I bet we might have to have two just like we did with the original kayaks.

I wrote a while back about our two Sea Eagle portable kayaks. Sometimes we take one and spend a day together and sometimes we take them both. My best bud and his wife like to travel with us and more often than not, the two ladies travel together in one and have their “girl talk” time, while me and my pal kibitz in the other.

I hope my 21-year-old nephew finds himself a good woman that is as much fun as my wife. We are raising our own team of kayakers and the family four passenger version is on the purchasing horizon a couple of years down the road.

In the meantime, we are having a blast with our weekend sport. This is much better than joining a gym.  You can watch the incredible scenic water ways, enjoy a day in the sun, and get exercise in the best way possible – while playing –after all, if it works well for the kids, why shouldn’t it work for us.

My advice to my 21-year-old nephew at the end of the day was to buy great toys and find a girl who enjoyed playing the games he liked to play. It’s worked well for me.

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.

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.

Stand-up paddleboards are quickly becoming the hottest “thing” in paddle sports. One reason is that using a paddleboard is a great workout. It works your arms, midsection and legs and burns a large amount of calories in a short time. Some new paddleboards are available in a package with a paddle, however many people are using their surfboards and simply buying a stand up paddle. If that’s your situation, you’ll be glad to know that Cannon Paddles, longtime leader in paddle manufacturing for kayaks and canoes, has introduced a new line of stand up paddles. You can choose the paddle shape, shaft type (aluminum, fiberglass or carbon) and custom length of the paddle. They also have an adjustable model that allows you to adjust the length of your stand up paddle. A great option if you share your paddleboard with someone who’s height varies a lot from yours. Like all their paddles, Cannon’s (SUP) stand up paddleboard paddles are made right here in the USA at their factory in Minnesota.

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. 

One of the hottest new trends in paddle sports is using a stand up paddleboard. It’s not nearly as difficult as surfing and lots of fun. It’s like strolling on the water and waves aren’t necessary. You stand upright on a board, similar to a surfboard and navigate it with a lightweight paddle. Originating in Hawaii, It’s been around for years, but has really begun gaining popularity.

Sea Eagle is always on top of the latest trends and they usually find ways to adapt them into inflatable, portable versions. Their Longboard 11 Stand Up Paddleboard is no exception. It’s a package deal that includes, pump, carry bag & paddle. Plus Sea Eagle includes a seat, footrest and kayak paddle to allow you the additional option of sitting down on the board and paddling it like a kayak. The price for the entire package is less than most inflatable boards alone and the quality is excellent, as usual, for the price.

I’ve posted a couple blogs about inflatable stand up paddleboards and the growing popularity of the sport for exercise and recreation. I recently ran across this You Tube video of an Uli inflatable SUP riding the rapids and I thought you might enjoy it. Check this out.

No, this isn’t a blog about Brian Wilson and the boys’ recreational activities. According to Wikipedia, in Hawaii in the early 1960s, the “Beach Boys” of Waikiki would stand on their long boards and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. This is where the term “Beach Boy Surfing” originated. Nowadays, the sport is called Stand Up Paddle Surfing (aka: SUP) and it’s becoming quite popular. In regular surfing, you catch a wave and attempt to hop up on the board while on the wave. With SUP the goal is simply to stand on the board and propel yourself forward using your paddle. This makes the sport perfect for flat water, something that’s much easier to find and easy enough that most people are up and paddling within a half hour. The recent popularity of the sport is also attributed to surfers using SUP to train in the off-season. Stand up paddle surfing requires a heightened sense of balance and a strong core, which helps stabilize the board and maneuver it. What excites me is that inflatable SUP boards are now available for easy transport and storage.

And I thought kayaking was fun! The latest “thing” in paddle sports is Stand-Up Paddle Boards. They’re very similar to a surfboard, but you don’t need waves to enjoy them. They can be used on any kind of water; rivers, lakes, flat water or waves. You stand on the board and use a long paddle with a handle on top and a blade on the end. Because you’re standing, you’re using more muscles than you would sitting in your kayak, so it’s a wonderful workout. Standing on the water also gives you a great view of what’s around you on and in the water. If you do get some waves, you can actually surf with the board, but the neat part is you don’t need much wave action to propel the board. They’re available in solid core models like surfboards and there are a couple inflatable versions on the market.

I saw this picture of Jennifer Aniston on a stand-up paddle board, so I guess even the celebs are getting into this unique paddle sport. So, how do I find out where she paddle boards?