Intex Explorer K2 Kayak, 2-Person Inflatable Kayak Set
Intex Explorer K2 Kayak, 2-Person Inflatable Kayak Set with Aluminum Oars and High Output Air Pump
In The Box:
- Carry Bag
- Repair Patch
- Hi-Output Manual Hand Pump
- 86 in. Aluminium Oars
Features
– Adjustable inflatable seats with backrest
– Cockpit desgined for comfort and space
– Grab line on both ends
– Includes 86 inch aluminium oars
– Includes Repair Patch
– Includes a High-output pump for easy inflation
– Inflatable Floor for both comfort and rigidity
– Inflatable I-beam floor for comfort and rigidity
– Low-profile for lakes and mild rivers
– Maximum weight capacity: 350 pounds
– Persons Capacity: 2 people
– Removable skeg for directional stability
– Repair patch included
– Rugged vinyl construction
– Sporty graphics for high visibility
– Streamlined design for easy paddling
| Weight: | 16.7 Kilograms |
| Size: | M |
| Dimensions: | 313.94 x 91.44 x 54.86 cm; 15.98 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Intex |
| Model: | 68307NP |
| Colour: | Yellow/Black |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | Intex |
| Composition: | 100% Other Fabric |
| Department: | Men's |
| Dimensions: | 313.94 x 91.44 x 54.86 cm; 15.98 Kilograms |
| Quantity: | 1 |
| Size: | M |
Very good price. Works well on calm water. Great for taking my son n daughter out on the river. I bought it towards end of UK summer when you can often get good deals on water sports items.
Complete novices we were ! Saw someone in one, twos up and asked them how long they’d had it? Answer was a few weeks. Easy they said. So we bought the same model, and easy it is ! Canals, lakes and gentle rivers. Never capsized, never felt as if it would. So stable ! Easy to use and fast enough when both paddle. I’d recommend this for a beginner. Get life preservers though !
Had to blow up 5 different parts. 1,2and3 were easy. 4 and 5 used pump but all air came out before I could put the plug in. Tried blowing up with mouth. But air came out before I could put the plug in. So blew up and put plug in with my tounge, this worked. In the water the balance was good, the oar had 3 different rotation points, tried all 3 and found the one that suited me. Did not get comfortable with the seat support so kneeled in the middle. This was very comfortable and still had stability.
Ticks all the boxes – easy to inflate, well thought out design (drain plug at the back, easy lift bow & stern), stable. The whole family got good use out of this.
Yes good cheap way to enter the world of kayaking.Kit comes complete and ready to go.
Only downside seat adjustment could be better as to get back adjusted needs to be tensioned to maximum,otherwise nice ki
For the price it’s unbeatable.
Easy to inflate, use, and goes back in the bag once we were done.
We used it on slightly choppy sea in an estuary with a low wind.
Also get yourself a battery powered pump to inflate it quickly and then get the pressure up with the pump provided. Saves a lot of time and effort.
1 minor problem is, when using the paddle it drags along the edge of the rib sometimes especially when you get tired. I can see that wearing out after a while.
First time kayaking for me and my son.
This is easy to use and very stable on the water.
We are both about 6 feet tall and combined weight of 170kg which was perfectly fine for the kayak.
I bought this to use with my paddle board whilst out on the water with my niece’s, its great fun, a few minutes to inflate, life jackets on and off we go, but the red circle in my picture shows quite a big flaw in the way the seam is sharp enough to slice ones fingers, happened a few times, so now I carry some carpet tape and apply prior to getting wet.
Only gave 4 stars purely because it’s a little bit cramped for 2 people (adults) blows up really easy with the pump. Make sure you fit the fin as this really assists with keeping it straight when you paddle. Good sturdy canoe considering it’s a blow up
The kayaks themselves are sturdy and good to use but two of our seats would not clip in to the boat properly as the receiving clips on the boat were too tight. (Or the clips too large) I would replacement straps but don’t know how to ask.
GREAT BOAT. EASILY FITS X2 PEOPLE AND BAGS. UP AND DOWN IN 10 MINS EACH INFLATION/DEFLATION.
VERY STERDY ON THE WATER. VERY CHEAP FUN,AND SAVING A FORTUNE ON RENTING DAILY. ON DOWNSIDE IS, THE X2 PADDLE COULD BE ALITTLE LONGER. NOT REALLY A DEAL BREAKER THOUGH. ALL IN ALL GREAT KIT
Bought this as a gift for my partner, he loved it, we have used it twice, it’s really easy to inflate and deflate.
It’s steady and holds us both with ease, it glides well.
I’ve only give 4 stars as there was a oar part missing whixh was annoging, however amazon were great at offering a slight refund so I was able to purchase another oar.
I would recommend another bag, as the one this comes in is not very strong.
All in all we are happy with this and look forward to using it throughout the summer.
Absolutely brilliant, so easy to put together and get going.. had enough room to but 3 rucksacks and 2 people. Easy to put away. Just really an absolute joy to use up and down the river.
This is a great little kayak! I was a little hesitant about how cheap it was and that it may be very poor quality, but for the price I am really impressed. It is super fast to inflate – way quicker than a standard paddling pool in fact! The kayak itself is divided into numbered chambers, so you simply inflate each chamber in numerical order to the required pressure (it also includes a handy measure to make sure the pressure is just right) and that’s all there is to it – fully inflated in under 10 minutes! On the water, it feels stable and is perfect for calm river use. Highly recommend if you’re wanting to try an inflatable kayak for the first time without spending lots of money.
Canoe absolutely brilliant the only thing that let it down was the pump it kept falling apart whilst blowing up, if seller could provide a better pump or partial refund to enable us to get a better one that would be great other than that no issues that’s the only reason for the 4 stars
Very sturdy and good quality – not flimsy at all. Me and my partner combined are over the recommended maximum weight capacity and we have no problems whatsoever.
Very very happy with this. Comes with everything you need and all attachments fit securely but are easy to remove and store in handy bag when not using.
We havnt had a kayak before so were shopping blind and not sure what to expect but we are thrilled with this. Much prefer this for ease/enjoyments over our inflatable SUP boards
All in all incredible value for money for the novice kayakers! 100% recommend!
This is sold as an entry level model, and it is. You get what you pay for. I bought it for sailing; padding around while at anchor. It’s great fun for that, but if you want to go any distance I would pay more for something more serious. But it’s a competitive price and includes everything you need to go other than buoyancy aids.
I would suggest rivers and sheltered water only, not suitable for open sea.
The positives are that it’s very light, very quick to inflate and great fun for one or two people if you want to paddle short distances. It has a skeg for directional stability and paddles easily.
The negatives are that it’s pretty cheap and flimsy and looks easily punctured (I have not had that pleasure yet) but for me mostly the worst thing is that I can’t get the backrest to support me property, which very much limits how far I can go.
But you get what you pay for, good value.
Arrived quickly – Easy to follow instructions – It all comes in a large bag which it does fit inside even after use! Drying is needed afterward to a space to open it up again later or use of a towel is advised. the paddles need to be clicked together but have a left / right on each to make it easier for you. The pump appears fairly flimsy but does the job. The floor, the sides, then the ends and seats are infated – There are a couple of different types of valve to use and we’ve found that the side ones need to be undone while standing on the opposite side of the Kayak for ease of use. The seats are velcro on to the base and clip on to the side to give back support and can be positioned for personal preference. We have used it with an adult/Teenager or two adults – People over six feet tall may find it snug but the adjustable seating should help! We live close to a very calm and quiet river so this is ideal. I would say for safety, please purchase some buoyancy aid jackets too but at first due to our local river we felt it wasnt an urgenct matter but we do have some now. Putting up is quicker than taking down. After a few times your timing for inflating and paddling techniques do improve. We feel safe in it on a calm day – We normally only take it out in less windy weather for this reason.
We’ve used our kayak a handful of times over the summer and found it to be a fantastic purchase. It’s very easy to inflate, the supplied pump allows the kayak to be inflated quickly, I haven’t timed it but I think it was probably around 5-10 mins to inflate the kayak itself, then another 5 mins to inflate and fit the seats plus build up the paddles – so around 15-20mins from being in the bag to getting it in the water. Deflating is also pleasantly easy and quick, expect it to take around 15 mins to deflate and pack away.
All of our use of the kayak has been in the sea and on relatively calm days with little wind (less than 10mph) and no swell/waves. You do notice how easily the wind can influence the kayak and I’d be hesitant to allow my kids to use it alone with any offshore breeze, and if the wind speed is over 12-15mph it’s going to start pushing the kayak off course and make paddling much tougher. The kayak tracks better than other inflatables I’ve tried but nowhere near as well as our previous plastic sit-on-top kayak, but it’s still easy to paddle and manoeuvre and remained stable at all times. We’ve used it as a double seater and a single, with the kids (ours are early teens) happily taking it out on their own to explore the neighbouring coves and beaches.
My only concern when purchasing was longevity with fears that it would puncture easily, we haven’t yet encounter any problems but equally well I don’t expect it to last forever. With the price I paid I’d be content if it only lasted for a couple of holidays, and to be fair, having previously paid 25 an hour to hire a double kayak on a local beach, with the use we’ve had out of it already this summer it’s provided good value for money.
I ordered this for my birthday after much research. Whilst I’d have loved a rigid kayak, that was an impractical choice at this point. We took it on holiday to the Lake District or its maiden voyage and it did not disappoint. We were able to inflate it easily within 5-10 mins and were on the water! It remained inflated and was easy to paddle. A bit harder with the wind against you, but then that was to be expected.
Deflation was also quick and painless and we had it packed away within a further 10 mins.
A few comments
The pump that it comes with is good, but it did come apart when my son was a bit vigorous with it. It did go back together easily and continue to function. That said, it may not live long, but we have an alternative so not worried.
The paddles are possibly a little smaller than standard ones, but they were perfectly good.
The bag it comes in does not look very tough. It is fine at present, but I would not be surprised if it tore with time.
When you have two people in the boat you end up being quite close and need to be careful not to hit the other person with your paddle – more of an issue for the person at the back than the front.
All in all very pleased with this purchase and looking forward to many more outings.
It comes very well packaged in a great box. It has a storage bag for transport. If folded correctly it goes into the bag quite easily.
It is very easy to set up with 5 compartments requiring air, and they are clearly numbered to show which to inflate first. It comes with a 10cm strip of clear plastic that is your pressure gauge. At first I thought this was a gimmick but it works perfectly.
The base and 2 sides are the big compartments requiring plenty of air. I already had an electric air bed inflating pump which plugs into car socket so I use this to do 90% of the inflating then attach the hand pump for 3 or 4 pumps up to full pressure. Very easy to inflate this way.
Compartment 4 and 5 are on the ends of the kayak and I blow up these and the seats with my mouth. Very quick and easy.
The kayak is quite light to carry to the water then I attach the skeg before setting in water, again this is simple.
The kayak is very easy to paddle and really easy to manoeuvre in the water. It is surprisingly stable and copes with rougher water well. Getting in and out it stays very stable and doesn’t rock or tip over (even though getting in/out can look particularly inelegant).
With it being light and having a high front above the water line it can be pushed about by the wind a bit…..but is easily corrected while paddling.
My wife and I bought this on a whim due to Covid-19 enforced staycation, but WOW what a whim. We have absolutely loved every minute out on it and its made a great staycation. Every trip we plan we get so excited, its such a relaxing and fun way to spend time together.
We have had 1 trip in a sea Lough around some islands and 3 river trips so far.
The kayak seems fairly robust but we are super careful to make sure we don’t hit rocks or anything sharp just to make sure we never damage/puncture it.
The oars come in sections for transport and easily click together. The only slight gripe is that at 2.18mtrs long we found some water easily dripped off them onto our legs and into the kayak.
I remedied this by removing the center plastic joining section and getting a wooden brush/mop shaft and sanding it down to be a tight fit and hammering it into the oar shift and then covering in duck tape. With this section fitted my oars are now 2.4mtrs long and this makes a massive difference and now we rarely get water dripping on us.
In conclusion…….don’t waste time wondering……just buy this kayak and start having fun adventuring on the water.
Ordered this on a Tuesday and it arrived Saturday morning.
Headed with my 13 and 11 year old daughters, to a local Loch to try it out. It was easy and quick to inflate and looked very sturdy. Took it to the water and put the fin on. My two daughters jumped in and off they paddled.
The kayak was very stable in the water, moved smoothly and went in a straight line with little effort. At no point did it look as if it would capsize. Later on, I hopped in with my youngest and had a nice paddle on the Loch. The inflatable seats were comfortable and there was plenty of room plus space at the back to store equipment.
Yes my hands at times scraped the sides as I paddled but I just had to adjust my stroke technique.
I decided to pack up and put the kayak in the boot and sort it out once I got home.
I laid it out in my back garden, toweled it down and let it dry in the sun. Once dry it folded up nicely and fitted back into its bag.
I am so impressed with this Kayak that I ordered another one, as I spent most of the afternoon trying to keep up with my girls in an inflatable dinghy with paddles and spent most of my time going round in circles
A lot of my friends upon seeing my photos and videos have decided to order one also.
For the price it is a good Kayak for a leisurely paddle on water. I got mine for 99 and it came with two paddles and a fin.
I felt confident as it looked sturdy and didn’t feel it would capsize. The material it’s made from, seems tough and doesn’t look as if it punctures easily. There are 5 areas to pump up, all in numerical order, so set up was easy.
It is heavy in its bag, so make sure you park not too far from water if you are planning using it for solo use.
I would definitely recommend getting this Inflatable Kayak
The River Avon is only a 10 minute drive away and in a lovely part of the world (Bradford-on-Avon) so we put the kayak, a couple of buoyancy aids and a dry bag in the boot (it all fit!) and headed over. Everything comes in a single –heavy- bag that feels like it will disintegrate at any minute. Included is the kayak, two sets of paddles, an excellent pump, two seats and a shark fin thing that is fun to hold in the water and scare your 4 year old child with. Within 15 minutes everything was assembled, inflated and ready to go, it’s incredibly easy to put together and basically fool proof. The main air compartments go up in no time with the included pump, but weirdly the tiny end pieces (which are not structurally critical) are a nightmare to inflate, they deflate quicker than it seems possible to inflate and shut the valve.
I’m not sure if it was mentioned in the instructions (of course I’ve not read them) but there is what looks like another valve at the back at floor level, this is presumably to aid drainage once back on dry land. Yeah I didn’t plug that first time out, despite taking on water the kayak never felt unstable or at risk of sinking. Fool proof, eh? The kayak comfortably held several inches of water, me (6ft) and my 4 year old with plenty of room left for our things and the bag, pump etc. You could probably even stand up in it quite comfortably but I’m not about to try. It’s easy to steer and will move along at a pretty reasonable pace, I’ve been out in it on my own a few times as well and it’s perfectly usable as a one-person kayak.
Deflation is easy, open the valves and it’s pretty much down in two minutes. Unlike every tent ever, it actually fits back in the bag without needing a PhD in origami as well, a huge bonus when you’ve had a long day on the water.
We love it, a genuine bargain for what appears to be a very well made and thought out piece of kit.
Packing and instructions:
Fits easily inside the bag. Quite heavy but then it is a sturdy two-seater so this is to be expected. If you need to carry some distance, I’d recommend removing oars, pump and seats and putting in a second bag. I was glad I unpacked and practiced at home as I was much more confident when we got to the water. Note, assembling the paddles was confusing until I realised the instructions cover two different types and there are two diagrams depending on type.
Assembly:
Generally very easy. After a practice takes 10mins. The air compartments 4&5 (spray decks at front and back) were a little fiddly – they are small and deflated immediately I pulled out the pump. I realised best to inflate by mouth (only 4 or 5 puffs), then push a thumb up under the valve to seal it shut before plugging the top.
On the water:
You’ll get a bit wet so wear suitable clothing. Very sturdy and stable. Consensus is that it’s practically impossible to capsize an inflatable kayak. Pick your launch spot with care so you don’t break the little fin (skeg) at the back or get stuck on stones. From a beach, I’d suggest floating it in backwards until the skeg is well clear of the bottom, then straddle the kayak above your seat so you can just sit down. If launching from a deck/canal side you would normally step into a kayak and put most of your weight on one leg as you got in but I’d be wary of doing this in an inflatable. I haven’t tried yet but I imagine it would be best to sit on the deck and then swiftly and confidently swing round and plop into the boat. Obviously DO NOT get into the hilarious situation where your weight is split between the bank and the boat….
Because inflatables have wider/taller sides you have to lift the paddles quite high and water will steadily drip into the kayak. I realised it’s best to have the paddle rings as far out as possible to minimise this. Nevertheless, I would want to land the kayak after an hour or two to drain the water before I ended up sitting in a puddle. Note there is a drainage plug at the back of the kayak to make this easy. The seats were comfortable and I felt quite well supported.
I’m 6′ tall and sat at the back. After an hour my feet got uncomfortable being wedged to the sides of the front seat. We stopped and moved the rear seat as far back as possible and the front seat forward. This made it more comfortable for me but also much improved the handling – with our weight nearer the ends we travelled straighter and quicker than before, (but obviously not as quick as the rigid hull guys). We were fast enough to not embarrass ourselves.
Even with the rear seat fully back, there is room for a 30L drybag behind the seat. As with any trip on the water I’d recommend tying it to the grab-rope so it’ doesn’t float away should the worst happen.
After:
Landing was the reverse of launching – come it to shore until it’s shallow enough to get out and wade – any closer and you might break off the skeg.
We took a large water container in the car to rinse the salt-water off the kayak to save doing it at home. Then a careful drying off with an old towel before deflating. One advantage of this cheap, single-skin type of inflatable is that you can dry it quickly. More expensive, tougher inflatables that have a second skin over the top retain water much longer and need to be left to air dry for some time.
It deflates quickly but the bottom and seat valves are like a lilo – you have to squeeze them let the air out – if easier you can take the pump hose off the pump and push the nozzle into the valve to let the air escape (or push something like a coffee stirrer into the valve to stop it closing up).
I’d take a waterproof tarp or plastic sheet in the car – especially if you don’t have time to dry it thoroughly before driving off.
Single-handed:
As long as I could park very close to the water I would be happy to take this out just myself. Usually a single-handed paddler would sit on the back seat with it fully forward but my passenger did manage by herself being right at the front.
Punture:
I managed to puncture it putting it away after the first use, I guess I pushed it down on something sharp while packing away. So when we next came to use it and found it deflating, we applied one of the supplied patches and waited 30mins. This worked fine for about an hour then the patch started to peel off. The patch would probably have worked better if we had been able to clean the area better. I’d say these patches are likely to be fine for just a temporary repair and then to do a better job with a PVC repair kit once home. A fellow paddler said “always carry duct tape!”. Sounds like good advice.
Dogs:
I’ve seen several videos and read a couple of reviews with people taking small dogs in this type of inflatable (with some padding in the kayak). I’m not brave enough to try my 20kg dog who will want to constantly get in/out to swim. Maybe someone else has tried?
Update, July 2019: Having been out on this kayak several times now I thought I would add an update.
This kayak is extremely stable both on the water and when getting in and out from landing stages. It also tracks very well with the skeg (fin) fitted, however, it is slightly sluggish due to its general size and shape. Paddling from the front or middle position I tend to rub my hands along the seams on each side, this was rectified by purchasing longer paddles in my case
Pros:
Easy to inflate and deflate.
Good design and looks very robust.
Comes with removal skeg (fin)
Cons:
The pump feels very flimsy, fell apart while inflating, although I managed to reassemble it
The inflation point in the seat cushion is not fitted with a non-return valve which is a bit of a pain when inflated as you lose air while hastily trying to fit the plug.
Hands tend to rub along side seams when paddling.
The cons are minor irritations, I certainly suggest buying a decent pump.
Obviously, I will update this review once I have had the opportunity to test out my kayak on the water but I am confident that this will be a very stable and reliable kayak on rivers and canals.
Concern #1: It wouldn’t come with everything we’d need. Wrong! You need to buy life jackets separately, but this canoe comes with a hand pump, two (collapsible) paddles and a skeg (like a keel – which assists steering). You need nothing extra to get yourself on the water.
Concern #2: It would take ages to inflate. Wrong! The instructions are straight forward and it took two of us about 5 minutes to inflate using the hand pump. The valves are designed so that no air comes out when you pull the pump nozzle out. It really was very easy. Don’t over-inflate. The instructions say “firm to the touch but not hard”. This is what we did and it was perfect.
Concern #3: It would lose air in the water and we would slowly sink. Wrong! We had no issues whatsoever. It was as good coming out of the water after 2 hours as it was going in at the beginning.
Concern #4: It would take ages to put away again. Wrong! We collapsed it after use and then re-inflated it when we got home, in order to hose it down. After a couple of hours drying in the garden I collapsed it and folded it up again very quickly.
Concern #5: It would come in one of those bags where once you use it for the first time you would NEVER get it back in again. Wrong! Once collapsed and folded it easily fit in the bag together with all of its accessories.
Concern #6: In use it would be easy to puncture. Well we’ve only used it the once but the river was quite shallow in parts. We had to remove the skeg (which took about 10 seconds to do) and even then we ran aground more than once. Yes, of course we were careful but the material seems durable and hard-wearing, so providing you are not stupid with it I think it will last well.
Concern #7: It would be very unsteady and easy to overturn. Wrong! We certainly didn’t try to overturn it, but it was easy to get into and out of and I was able to stand up (just!) to grab onto bridges and branches without too much of a problem.
Overall we are really pleased with this product and can’t wait to get out on the river again.
– Comes with everything you need in one bag – kayak and seats, paddles, pump, instructions.
– Easy to inflate, doesn’t take too long and the instructions are clear.
– Light enough and compact enough for me to carry in the bag, although if going far (further from boot-to-water) I would probably want to use a proper rucksack or wheeled holdall
– Convenient – small for storage, fits in the car boot, can take on trains/taxis. Basically opens up kayaking to everyone!
– Relatively comfortable for two adults (combined weight 140 kg) and a day-rucksack. The furthest we have gone is 10 miles (not experienced paddlers)
– Surprisingly good handling and tracking with the skeg.
– Very stable, easy to get in and out.
– Did not have any trouble at all getting it back in the bag (other reviews say this is difficult but if you can pack a tent or sleeping bag away you will be fine)
– Deflated quickly and easily
– For the price you get a LOT more than you should expect.
Minor criticisms:
– Seams on the top can catch your hands when paddling. I now wear short MTB gloves.
– Yeah, the DRAIN PLUG if you don’t know about it. Make sure it is plugged in or you’ll have one person bailing and one person paddling back to the bank…
– I probably would not want to use this in high winds or waves as it is an inflatable kayak so sits a bit high (obviously).
– Does take a while to dry. I usually bundle it into the back of the car to take home and dry properly before putting away properly in the bag.
Purchased two of these for myself & son & my x partner & her daughter (but only one has been used so far) it’s been on 3 outings in total twice on the River Severn here in Worcester & once in the Sea in Aberystwyth where my son lives, all three times have been great fun although my first experience here in Worcester was a little strange, I’ll explain, I’m 6’2″ & around 17 stone my son at the time was 13 years old, after setting off from the river bank I noticed water coming into the Kayak, I assume from the intentional water-hole that’s in the bottom back edge of the Kayak to let water drain out! Now I was a little disappointed with this as both our weights would put us well within the recommended total carrying weight of this craft, it came in at a slow trickle & we had to abandon the journey a short time after setting off (i was getting concerned about it staying afloat) about 10/15 minutes. I still haven’t looked into why it did this or why there is a hole in the craft at all. Aside from that qualm & the poor quality of the carry-bag I would give this Kayak 9/10 for quality & price. Looking forward to taking it out later this year to some large Lakes in Wales!
I bought my first Kayak over a year ago after a lot of research. I settled on the Intex because it has decent thickness side walls, a removable skeg and is a great price. I have used mine in Lakes and most recently on the Dordogne in France with the wife and kids. the beauty of them is that we were able to transport two in our car with all our luggage for a week in France without needing a roof box or bars.
Weight – they aren’t exactly light when packed up. I can carry it fine as can my wife, but its not a comfortable carry and you wouldn’t be able to walk miles carrying it. The bag only has a couple of strap handles – it would be great if they had added some form of padded back pack straps.
Setup – dead easy in less than 5 minutes. The double action pump is great. I’m not convinced of its quality so am glad I carry one in each pack, but it hasn’t failed me yet. the paddles snap together in no time, and you are good to go. The craft has boston valves which let air in but not out – these are a must have as you don’t lose air when you disconnect the pump. They unscrew afterwards making it really quick to deflate and pack away.
Usage – I forgot to put the skeg on once and really noticed the difference, the kayak was moving in all directions despite my best efforts to paddle straight. I recommend putting in the skeg and then it works beautifully. I’ve had no troubles with punctures at all, it seems really durable which was always my biggest concern. I haven’t exactly been rough with it and didn’t buy it for anything more than leisurely paddling with the kids.
I wouldn’t waste your time on cheaper ones which have thinner walls and I personally wouldn’t waste my money on more expensive ones as I can’t imagine what the benefit would be!
This has been one of the best things I have purchased this year. It has bought a lot of enjoyment, peace, amazing sights and cannot wait to get back on the river.
Pro: cost for what you get. Boat, pump, 2 sets of paddles and comes in a hold-all bag (not the best quality but sufficed thus far). Inflates through 5 separate points taking about 10 minutes maximum, plus inflation of the seats that strap in.
Cons: Once inflated it is big and not the easiest to carry, for one person to lift and carry, it is a bit tricky but doable.
Note: Make sure the water release cap is closed on the bottom rear of the boat prior to launching. Luckily I did a practice inflation once it arrived in the garden to ensure there were no punctures/as expected, this cap was open. If excited by the river you may overlook this only to discover on the river when you get the sinking feeling. Having read other reviews as part of my research, make a small hole in the skeg and connect with a line to rope on the kayak, should the skeg come detached then you will still have it connected via the rope rather than paying 17 for a new one.
If just for a quick jolly on the river, then great, if going distances then you will need to have a reasonable level of fitness. Downstream is fine, upstream back to your starting point is where stamina is required. Check winds, if really blowing then give it a miss… you’re in an inflatable!
Most waterways in Britain require kayakist and canoesist to hold a permit. Check first where you are going. For example, you require a permit for the River Thames and most canals. See British Canoeing as they have an all-in-one permit for 4500km of waterway. Enjoy!