Great pity that you can't find a way to carry the kayak.

I haven't looked at inflatables to any extent.  The ones that I saw at places like Anaconda, many years ago looked like heavy dogs, so I lost interest.

Your post prompted me to have another look & wasn't I surprised ... They look good.  I'll see if I can find any reviews on them on a USA forum that I visit.

Only looked at one site http://www.ozinflatablekayaks.com.au/  

Some very interesting ones ...  The 'High Performance ones at around $1000 weigh only 20kg and lesser one that I looked at around $500 weighed 10kg!

One comment that I noted on one was that it was designed for straight tracking.  A bit of a worry!

Don't know about availability though & I'd certainly try one out before I spent my hard earned.

Whoo. I am no longer a newbie. Big partie tonight...NOT?

Here is a link to a USA Forum that has a 'sticky'? on Inflatables 

http://www.topkayaker.net/forums/  

Not the one that I was looking for but lots of opinions there.

We have hobie kayaks and love them they also make inflatables they look to be very good quality and have the same mirage drive

I'm guessing you don't want to yak in croc waters so why not a 2.7/3m fleabay cheapy SOT? They are ok for protected waters and lakes/dams in normal conditions. Failing that quite a few yakers use a small boat trailer or converted box trailer set up to hold all the gear for the bigger/heavier yaks like the Hobie.  Inflatables tend to be affected by wind but each to their own.

Pete

Here's a link that I was looking for ..

http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=1149 

There are hundreds of reviews including kayaks, but not a very good search facility.  I did notice one for an inflatable possibly similar to the BCF one?  that was mentioned in a previous post to this thread.

It is a USA site so everything is relevant to North America.

I get a regular news letter from them & find it great reading on most aspects of Kayaking.

 

ps.  

I too, like the Hobies even if they are pretty pricey & a bit heavy.

The mirage drive is surprisingly efficient.  

A friend has a couple of the shorter ones but I find them too wet in any sort of chop. I'm completely dry in my Viking Fisherman while he is wringing wet in his Hobie when on the dam after redclaw.  A model around 4 m long might be better.

They must have a pretty tight patent on them as there are not too many cheap copies out there that I have seen.

 

edit  ..  Forgot to mention that it is wise to keep in mind that perhaps a lot of the rating posts come from people with a vested interest in the product.

-- Edited by Cupie on Thursday 31st of July 2014 11:08:58 AM

Hi there, we have two Sevylor  kayaks.  one double and one single.  They are great in sheltered waters, not too stable in wind.  We had the double so our border collie could go along for the ride - and I would take the single.  Both roll up neatly and live in the Thule Pod on top of the fourby.  As previously mentioned, the oars are not that strong, but collapse into a bag that houses the oars, pump, and 2 life jackets.  Easier to blow the boats up manually, rather than using the compressor.  Easier with two people.

Photos below give an idea our ours - even the grandies were able to handle them.

John on lake Atkinson and with the grandies up the river from Linville - all SEQ.   Lynnek, hope this helps.  More than happy to answer any other questions you have about them.

-- Edited by Dunmowin on Thursday 31st of July 2014 11:12:52 AM

-- Edited by Dunmowin on Thursday 31st of July 2014 11:14:46 AM

I am another person who will go into withdrawal without my kayak with me - no room in a motor home not to mention payload!  ..... we travel with 2 of them - some fancy Hobie Fishing kayak thing and an older B-Line Fibreglass TK1.  I am seriously looking around at the inflatables and like some of you am a bit concerned about durability and how they perform on the water. - I would not be looking for ones that can take a small motor - I prefer to explore and enjoy the experience in mine! Not concerned about the fishing kayak - that's Charlie's and he just wants something that he can paddle out in  - sit in for half a day and then paddle back to shore in - obviously I am not into fishing! Up until now we have towed a camper with them on the car roof racks, but with our plans now to move to a motor home, sadly the 2 kayaks will gather dust at home for most of each  year!

Hi again everyone, once again a very big thank you for all your input. It's very much appreciated. I already have one of the kayaks that break in 2 but it's still too big for the motorhome. There are some amazing inflatables out there like the Feathercraft Aironaut but the price is very high. I'm not into fishing and don't need speed necessarily, I just like to paddle and look at the birds and the scenery and enjoy myself but having said that, if the yak doesn't track well, it's just an unenjoyable battle. I'll head off to a couple of nearby kayak stores on the weekend and see what I can glean from them. Many thanks again.

jetj wrote:

---

I'm disappointed to hear that you get wet in the smaller hobies, I thought the advantage of not having to use the paddle meant less water in your lap. I think that the foot peddling would be easier than using your arms to paddle. Also thought peddling might strip some weight off the hindquarters.

---

 In my experience paddling does not result in water in the yak.   You should have splash guards on the shaft to stop that.

A main advantage of the Hobie pedals is to leave your hands free for fishing.

If your paddling technique is correct there is little strain on your arms (or water splashing about).  You should be keeping the arms straight & twisting the torso thru the stroke & only bending the elbows at the end & beginning of the stroke.

Foot peddling is very easy ... just like those recliner bikes.  It just looks ungainly.