Inflatable Kayak Blog

In addition to the low prices now being offered on their Float Tubes, Creek Company has added some excellent discounts to their complete line of inflatable pontoons for fishing. All of the ODC XR series pontoons are marked down for a limited time, most likely through April (2010), enabling customers to get ready for the coming fishing season while staying under their budget. For example, the ODC XR-8 is marked down $300 at $599.99 and the top of the line, two person, ODC XR-2 is discounted $600 at $1399.99 currently at PortableKayaks.com where free shipping is included with any inflatable pontoon purchase.

Inflatable Pontoons, also called “belly boats”, are extremely popular for fishing because they are lightweight, portable and very maneuverable, enabling fishermen to oar themselves quietly and easily into secluded fishing areas. Inflatable fishing pontoons also provide an ideal seating position, high above the waterline.

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.

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.

One of the biggest hassles to transporting and assembling a one-man inflatable fishing pontoon is the frame. The extra parts take up space, add extra weight and add to the setup time. The Sea Eagle company has reduced that hassle with their new “frameless pontoon boat”, the 285fpb. It’s a 9-foot craft that weighs only 42 pounds, sets up in about 4 minutes and can be transported in a car trunk. Sea Eagle uses the same 1000 denier hull material that’s used on their 2 and 4 man FoldCat Pontoons. You can hit this stuff with the claw end of a hammer and not put a hole in it.

Oars come with the 285fpb. It can be rowed backwards or forwards. The “Pro Angler Package” includes a motormount that accepts an electric motor or up to 3 hp gas engine, an optional swivel seat which allows the fisherman to sit up high and turn 360 degrees and the wooden floorboard that provides a platform to stand up and cast. If you’re a fisherman looking for a solo craft to get into almost any type of water, you should take a look at the Sea Eagle 285fpb.

If you’ve considered buying an inflatable pontoon boat for fishing, don’t let this month pass you by. Creek Company, designers of innovative fishing gear for over 20 years, has introduced a complete new line of inflatable pontoons for this year. The XR series is the culmination of design improvements that the company has added based on what they’ve learned from customers and their own testing of previous models. As an introductory special, they’re discounting the 9-foot XR9 and 10-foot XR10 one-man models over 40% off MSRP. The 12-foot XR12 two-man model is discounted over 35% MSRP for a limited time, through the end of this month (May 29, 2009). I guess it’s their way of getting some of these new inflatable fishing pontoon boats out so they can be seen on the rivers and lakes around the country.