Kayaks - Inflatable, Rigid, Folding. . . whaddya have and how do ya like it?

[FrontyFrank]

Picked up this 13.5ft tandem last summer at West Marine. On sale at the time for under $500. From my research it’s a rebranded Perception kayak. This is my first yak, but I’ve had a great time with it so far. It’s easily manageable paddling solo.

 

[theMightyGoose]

Got my wife an Advance Elements inflatable 2-person. It’s awesome. Easy to paddle and easy to store. The only concern is weight. It’s pretty heavy at almost 50lbs.

 

[Plasmajab]

50 lbs of weight on a kayak is pretty heavy but for a two seater and the ability to store it easily, its worth it.

 

[KonzaLander]

We got into kayaking about 6 years ago and it's become pretty much part of every camping trip that we take. That's when I retired and I decided to take up fishing too. I'm a terrible fisherman but I enjoy the kayaking.

After probably too little research we bought a pair of Ascend 10' kayaks. They've been great but I really don't have any experience with anything else to compare them to. One thing I like is that the seats are very comfortable and they pull out easily. They have a metal frame and can be used as beach seats.

We currently transport them along with our bikes on a utility trailer I built. They will be going on an expedition trailer that I'm nearing the completion of. We also put them in the back of my Comanche when we're just out for the day. As mentioned, we use them mostly when camping but there are some fun one day outings like the "Lock and Paddle" event at the Peterborough, Ontario lift locks. We're in the pic below somewhere!​

​

I have been an Ascend D10 user for 3 years now and have little to no complaints about my first yak. My wife, a former rower in college, said she did not want a yak when I was shopping. After I bought my D10 she decided it was fun, so we had to buy a second. Great little boats, though a bit heavy.

 

[Nickzero]

I own a 12 foot Perception Pescador. It is a sit on top type and has been excellent for the type of recreational / camping lifestyle I live. It also fits great on top of my Jeep Wrangler unlimited.

 

[billiardspintail]

I've always wanted to get a Kayak or Canoe for when I'm camping, and this thread is not helping my budget one bit

 

[CSG]

I have an original Innova Sunny. I don't think it's ever been in the water. The photo is only for reference, not mine. I'd love to sell it if anyone is interested.

 

[JNewton99]

Currently in the market for a Kayak. We're going out this weekend to try my brothers Ascend H10 out and see if that's the direction I want to go. Like the idea of the H10 being a sit in style since I will have my 3 yo riding along and it looks like it will be roomy enough to accommodate the both of us for the time being. May be a little on the heavy side but the plus is my brother has one so I can look at his without having to buy one and figure out the cons later on! LOL

 

[obvious_disaster]

My problem now is that I want to take it all with me when we go camping and that's not possible without a trailer. So I guess eventually that will be the next money suck.

 

[Road]

I was talking to one of the guys at REI. He said the feedback on Oru Kayaks is mixed. It seems they are only good for extremely calm waters. He said he's heard some feedback on how they fatigue quickly and then buckle and fold in the water, especially if the water is anything other than calm. He highly recommended an inflatable. And they sell Oru's and don't work on commission. So I think his feedback is trustworthy. And we were thinking of buying Orus. Now we're looking at the inflatables

Been gone for eight months on the road camping backcountry, mostly along the border with limited or no cell service, and this place has always been hard and slow for me on a phone, so I'm just now catching up with posts in this thread since Oct when I left.

This is really great feedback on the Oru folding kayak and I hope others in this thread who have considered it, see your post.

Thanks for coming back to add it, man, much appreciated.

 

[Road]

We got into kayaking about 6 years ago and it's become pretty much part of every camping trip that we take. That's when I retired and I decided to take up fishing too. I'm a terrible fisherman but I enjoy the kayaking.

After probably too little research we bought a pair of Ascend 10' kayaks. They've been great but I really don't have any experience with anything else to compare them to. One thing I like is that the seats are very comfortable and they pull out easily. They have a metal frame and can be used as beach seats.

We currently transport them along with our bikes on a utility trailer I built. They will be going on an expedition trailer that I'm nearing the completion of. We also put them in the back of my Comanche when we're just out for the day. As mentioned, we use them mostly when camping but there are some fun one day outings like the "Lock and Paddle" event at the Peterborough, Ontario lift locks. We're in the pic below somewhere!

View attachment 74812
View attachment 74813
View attachment 74814

Dang man, that floating locks deal looks like a grand time!

 

[grubworm]

Just bought our first kayak this week. Got a 12' Vibe Skipjack tandem. After renting kayaks in Arkansas last month, we decided that a kayak is a great piece of gear to have.

 

[CR-Venturer]

Nearly finished the floor for my Intex Mariner 3. The boards are 1/2 inch plywood with 2 thick coats of Thompson's water seal, hinges are cut from a crazy carpet snow sled. Just need a couple of touch ups and I'll be done. I suspect this floor is actually lighter than the roll up slat floor.

 

[PCO6]

Dang man, that floating locks deal looks like a grand time!

It was!!! Here's a pic of what it looked like when we were in the bottom lock and getting ready to go up. You went up once and down once so you ended up back where you started and launched your kayak/canoe. With my cell phone I couldn't get the whole wall in one pic. It was massive!

We returned last night from a week at Bon Echo Provincial Park. I haven't down loaded any of the pics yet but we kayaked next to an equally big rock face (pics to follow). I finished fabricating a new rack for my trailer just before we left and it worked great. I really couldn't detect that the kayaks were on as we travelled.

 

[LD5050]

I own a 12 foot Perception Pescador.

I’ve got the pedal-driven version, the Pescador Pilot, and love it. I wanted this model as a backup after I got my Hobie, but found this one locally for a steal. Has a micro anchor power pole to keep you from drifting in shallow water, and pedal-power frees up your arms to keep fishing!


I currently haul it with a T-Bone bed extender, but once my truck is fully kitted for overlanding I’ll be designing a custom fishing kayak trailer. Something like this:

 

[Boarider]

I'm new around here but this is a topic I'm pretty good at.
I drank the koolaid of the Hobie and I'm on my 4th one. I fish tournaments, this is the reason I joined here. I'm working on a 4x8 runway trailer for my tournaments and prefishing and was looking for ideas on the easiest way to rooftop it.
But I've had two Outbacks then went to a 14 Pro Angler (Cadillac, but heavy as hell). Now I'm back to a 2019 Outback and love it. Peddling is where it's at, hands free casting. The Hobie marriage drive is by far superior here in the marsh of South Louisiana. Grass doesn't get tangled and you can do the half stroke flutter in skinny water.
Once I get my post count up I'll share some pics, and if any of you guys find your way down here, I'll take you out on what we call a Cajun sleigh ride.

 

[LD5050]

I'm new around here but this is a topic I'm pretty good at.
I drank the koolaid of the Hobie and I'm on my 4th one. I fish tournaments, this is the reason I joined here. I'm working on a 4x8 runway trailer for my tournaments and prefishing and was looking for ideas on the easiest way to rooftop it.
But I've had two Outbacks then went to a 14 Pro Angler (Cadillac, but heavy as hell). Now I'm back to a 2019 Outback and love it. Peddling is where it's at, hands free casting. The Hobie marriage drive is by far superior here in the marsh of South Louisiana. Grass doesn't get tangled and you can do the half stroke flutter in skinny water.
Once I get my post count up I'll share some pics, and if any of you guys find your way down here, I'll take you out on what we call a Cajun sleigh ride.

Cant wait to redfish in Louisiana
If you don’t mind me asking, why did you down convert from the Pro Angler to the Outback? Was it just a weight issue, or something else? I’m about to pull the trigger on a Hobie but because it’s the absolute top-of-the-line but I want to make sure it’s the right decision for me.

 

[Chetta58]

I tried the inflatables but didn’t like the way they tracked. I have 2 Perception’s, one is a 11 foot Rhythm and the other is a 9.5 foot Matrix. I bought the Matrix off Craigslist for a little bit of nothing and the Rhythm I got from a friend pretty cheap. They track straight and are easy to handle but as everyone said, they are a pain to load even at only 40 lbs and 37 lbs respectively. My wife has MS so finding one that was as easy as possible to paddle was my priority. With the inflatables she just had to work to hard and it took the fun out of it for her. We rented a dozen different ones at lakes around for her to try so maybe it was just the rental fleet variety that was the issue more than the fact they were inflatables. I’m not experienced enough with them (inflatables) to say one way or the other but we love our Perceptions and price wise they are pretty reasonable.

 

[Boarider]

The PA is a Cadillac but is real heavy to combat launch on the side of the road. It rides real high and the wind will pin you making it pretty hard to turn and maneuver in tight places. The seat and stability cant be beat.
The new 19 Outback is faster and turns on a dime. Lighter and the stability for sight casting is pretty close to a PA. Only thing I miss from the PA is the seat.
I'll be roof topping on this little camper and will appreciate the lighter Outback after a long day on the water.

 

[LD5050]

Roof vs bed/ trailer carry is a big factor where weight is concerned. Do you use any type of landing gear to launch?
If so, is it temporarily or permanently mounted?