WARNING: Far too many inflatable kayaks are just swimming pool toys. If you forget that, if you take them out to sea, they may kill you. They're made in tens of thousands on Chinese production lines that have no environmental protection, no job security, very little quality control and no knowledge of kayaking on cold seas. Amazon sells them. People sell them at street markets. Price is no guide - some supermarkets have sold 'pool toy' kayaks for less than £50, but some of them are offered as 'adventure equipment' for more than £500. That's a colossal profit margin for a cheap, nasty product. It's also a way to suggest that these flimsy, dangerous toys are strong, durable and safe.The main thing to watch for is that the shell of a nasty inflatable kayak is probably made of the same quality of fabric that is used for poolside chairs, and the parts that inflate are probably made of unreinforced PVC (vinyl) that's no stronger or more durable than a kids' paddling pool. The seams are probably RF-welded. Unreinforced PVC fabric and cheap valves cannot hold the high pressures that make a serious IK into a relatively stiff boat; unreinforced PVC is thin and easily punctured. It will become brittle with age as the plasticisers evaporate, and it can just split open where you had it folded up over winter. An entire seam can suddenly pop open because the RF welding fails, dumping you in the water in less than a second. A nasty inflatable kayak probably has a life of less than 3 years of summer use. They're designed as badly as they're made, so they're very slow, hard to paddle in a straight line and impossible to control in windy conditions.
>>2756258No shit. Inflatable kayaks are for warm lakes and mild rivers. Not the fucking ocean.
>>2756261a few are actually seaworthy, gumotex brand for example (formerly grabner) but they are made of rubberized nylon like a white water boat, and much more rigid than a pool toy like in OP
So what you're saying Is I should go to sea in an inflatable paddling pool.
>he fell for the intex guerilla marketing threadssadthe future is looking bright thoughnew developments in dropstitch materials allowed more complex hull shapes than previously possible
>>2756258Screw you. I will take my pool toy out on the ocean if I choose to do so. Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. Communist.
I just bought an inflatable kayak today. Excited to try it out on the lake in the next few days. > But but but...Sorry, not spending 2k on a kayak.
>>2756334my boat was around 2k 5 years ago and it was well worth the expense. its made of rubberized nylon like white water boats. ive run over deadheads with rebar sticking out, oyster beds and god knows what else and theres just a bunch of scratches and scuffs but nothing that even breaches the outer rubber layer.
>>2756323>>2756334Bearers of the Faustian spirit, I kneel. Mollycoddlers will never get it.
>>2756334You'd have been better off buying a real kayak for < $1000
>>2756258My dad had that Sea Eagle for 3 years now. So far so good he loves it.
>>2757181i also had it and its shite, weathercocks like mad, slow and hell, cant be inflated to a high psi because of the shit pvc chinesium welding. just pure utter chinese trash. never again
>>2756334>Sorry, not spending 2k on a kayak.i bought my Necky rip 12 about 9 years ago and I think I got it for about $900 new after a 25% savings on two.Still as solid as day one and I'd trust it anywhere especially when not loaded down with a couple hundred lbs of gear.After owning such a kayak and several more moulded kayaks I can honestly say I will never purchase an inflatable kayak although I can imagine that travelling and storing one may be easier.I've had canoes, zodiak and other inflatable boats as well as 14 foot aluminium fishing boat and non of them can compare to the kayak.
>>2756323Based you do you bro.
>>2757181same kek, dad's gettin up in years but he's still an adventurer at heart
Life jackets will save your life
What’s a decent Kayak I can get for under $400? I just want to casually use it at the lake I don’t plan to take any gear on it or anything.
bros this decathlon dropstitch kayak looks decent as fuck especially for less than 1k. Anyone ever tried one?
>>2757181My dad convinced me to get one. Kayak is probably the outdoor hobby I do the least, but it's worked well for me and held up for 2 years while I've been van lifing.
Pussies
>>2757761decathalon is chinkshit. get an european made if youre going to get an inflatable
>>2757829no shit sherlock, did you miss the part where it's less than 1k? Also not had one disappointing experience with decathlon gear yet.
>>2757481WOULD WOULD would would
>>2757283I'm picking up a used Necky Zoar 14' today so this is nice to hear
>>2757829You mad bro ? 15 psi dropstich tandem sea kayak
>>2758025Tell me bro is it nice? Does it track good and is stable? Or does it twist with every paddle like every other inflatable water thing?
>>2758061Very nice and stable, tracks ok , no skeg so will try to turn to the wind/current like any other 18 footer. Rigid kayak are better but inflatables does not equate shit
>>2758025cringe af. enjoy your ball cancer from pvc leaching through your skin every time you use it
>>2758025also way to out yourself as a lake boater casual. your sea eagle trash wouldnt last a second on my local waters in the north pacific
>>2758082That is a décathlon, you are retarded , stay mad bro
>>2758075Shortlisting the decathlon kayak since no space to store a rigid one. Thanks bros
>>2758106You are welcome bro
>>2758105>>2758106>>2758112no one is falling for your fake "viral" ad campaign, fuck off decathashill
>>2758116whatever you say fagman muh china brand seethe chinkpain anon
>>2756258>if you take them out to sea, they may kill you.Bro, you shouldn't kayak anywhere you can't swim to safely. If you do artic or offshore kayaking, that's advanced where you have appropriate skills and equipment.
>>2758416sorry im not a scaredy cat homebody like you. how do you think our ancestors got here in the first place
>>2758424riding plesiosaurs, duh
>>2758429more like surfing on beds of grass
>>2757181I have one as well. Its a good little boat for small lakes and very slow rivers, which is all I use it for. I wouldn't take it into any environment where I can't easily swim back to shore, but I have had it for 2 years now and it has held up pretty well.Yes, you'd be stupid for buying a $200 inflatable and taking it into the ocean. A cheap inflatable is not the same thing as an ocean kayak, they're completely different types of boats and they're good for their own thing
>>2760962Anything that let you enjoy paddling is better then nothing, let the seething op rage in his mom basement
>>2761398>>he puts the drybag in the bow not the sternlol....ngmi.....
>>2761479It depends on the kayak. Storing the dry bag up front makes sense for other Intex models.
>>2761534typical intex casual. youre missing the point, the ballast is supposed to be in the back to balance out the weight since youre sitting in the middle and the skeg is at the back
>>2761565Ok, except we were talking about dry bags not ballasts. Its contents aren't heavy in most cases, so it has minimal effect on the kayak's weight distribution.
>>2761579wow you are retarded. your boat is inflatable so it needs something heavy to counteract the force of weathercocking and usually you keep those heavy things inside a bag that is dry. if you are paddling an inflatable boat with empty inflated dry bags then you are beyond help
>>2761580The purpose of my dry bag is to keep valuables like my wallet, watch, and car keys dry. It adds practically zero weight so doesn't matter where it's stored.
>>2761479>>2761565>>2761580Says the fag that does not even paddle, where are the pics of your recent outings? Typical basement dweller stfu boy
>>2761714im not doxxing myself on this nivkh basket weaving forum. but anyway ive been paddling since before you were a tiny sperm inside my ballsack. say hello to your mother for me jr.
>>2761534Used this kayak to explore an abandoned mine. Pretty nice, scraped it over rocks without issue. Won't care if it doesn't last a lifetime, it was 50 euro.
>>2763817Aside from being slow the bang for the buck is a pretty good deal , Intex are so dirt cheap it is a no brainer as a gateway kayak to test if you want to get into paddling, you outgrow them but aside from the seat they are durable
Are any of those modular kayaks worth it or should I just bite the bullet, install the car rack, and deal with dragging it in and out of my first floor apartment? $~1,100 + $500 Rack Install (and ~220 on accessories) vs $1,600 on a "modular" one.
>>2764203it is 2024 bro
>>2764216Can I fish in one of those in a not retarded way? I really want to fish.
>>2764225Wait a minute, nevermind this will get me killed because I live in alligator land.
>>2764225not sure tbqh. sunnies/dock fishing from an inflatable paddleboard would be fine and chill. you could probably manage sportier fish but you would want a specialty isup with a broad/stable platform and maybe a small anchor.
>>2756258I took the kayak in that picture out onto one of the great lakes during a good chop. It handles waves like a champ, you're fucking retarded.
>>2764328force 1 winds are not a "good chop". get on my level, casual
>>2764380You are so full of shit it's coming out your ears kiddo
>>2764328Mine was great in the surf until a seam split.
