Inflatable Kayak Blog

The Outdoor Retail Show was a fun experience and I enjoyed the Open Air Demo Day where I got to try paddling several inflatable and folding kayaks. The PakBoats were a fun, new experience as I had not had the chance to try out a folding kayak before this. The feel of a folding boat in the water is totally different from our inflatable. It is very similar to paddling a hard shell kayak. I had the chance to paddle the Puffin Sport (10 foot model) and the Puffin Kayak (12 foot model). The Puffin 12 was easy to maneuver and get some speed, but I found getting into the kayak was a bit difficult since it had a deck on it and it was a little narrower than the hard shell kayak I had been in before. I guess like anything new it takes some getting used to but after figuring out how to do it, that wouldn’t be an issue. I liked the Puffin 10 the best. If it was just me paddling a kayak, I think the smaller boat is easier to handle. In just a few paddles I felt very comfortable and at ease. The Puffin Sport also did not have a deck on it and I think I liked that better as well.

I mentioned to PakBoats owner and designer, Alv Elvestad, that I thought the smaller size was easy to handle. He told me that a lot of older women liked that boat. I wasn’t exactly sure how to take that remark, I don’t usually consider myself an older woman, but he quickly explained that he had an 80 year old woman that came to them at the beginning of summer and had them put the boat together for her, and she used it all summer. When she was ready to return home, she would stop by and they would take the boat apart for her. I guess it really is a good boat for older women. We’ll see if I am still paddling when I am 80!