Top positive review
1,067 people found this helpful
Comfy, durable, fun
By Ink on Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2016
Update, 3rd summer season, 2018 Bumped to 5 stars. I still LOVE it. It’s maintained its durability, and I’ve had no problems with holes, leaks, or failing valves- this is enjoying the kayak several times per week, with my dog on board. I use a cheap yoga mat on the floor of the boat for extra protection. *We both, me and my dog, always wear a life vest! I love the portability and ease of set up and take down. I did decide to buy a power pump that plugs into my car. This quickens the set up process, and is especially helpful with complete deflation. A note- the power pump has a safety feature that results in the sections not fillling up as much as I would like. So, I use the power pump, then top off with the manual one. I did seem to lose track of the skeg, however, but I was able to order a replacement directly from intexstore.com, and entered 11650 (the part #) into the search bar. It cost $3.40 plus shipping. If you’re on the fence about this, or are looking for intro equipment to try out kayaking without a huge financial commitment, I can not recommend this particular product enough. Go for it! Living in an area that abounds in natural recreation, I've been debating purchasing a kayak for years. I been on many different hard types via rentals over the years, but the investment in both a kayak, and some type of frame to transport it on my car were definitely prohibitive factors. After a lot of online research, I decided to give an inflatable a try. One of the key requirements was that it was durable enough to bring a dog. This definitely fits the bill. I've taken it out several times, now, and I have to say that I love it. Some of the pros: Easily transportable in any vehicle Easily set up- it takes me about 10-15 minutes, from vehicle to water Durable (I have brought 2 of my 3 dogs, nails trimmed) Roomy Very comfortable Moves well in the water The two dual valves are very reliable Some of the cons: Heavy (it's best to inflate in a location close to the water if possible) Not a one-person task for anyone with any physical limitations (I'm guessing) Paddle is a bit flimsy. I ordered a Day Tripper, which is much better Instructions are a bit lacking Pool-toy style of valves are difficult to manage Deflation can be tedious I chose the two-seater so that I could accommodate another person, or a dog. If you do go with this kayak, I recommend you set it up in your home first to get the hang of the inflation process, and make sure everything is in working order. The manual pump is quite easy to use, and it inflates the kayak quickly. I purchased a small motor pump, mostly for the deflation feature, as getting all of the air out can be challenging- especially the floor, which for some reason does not have the dual valve feature. There is a plug in the rear of the kayak which you should make sure is secure before getting in the water. The intention of this plug is to be able to drain any water from the kayak when done. This is not in the manual, and we found this out the hard way. If you intend to bring your dog, I recommend trimming and filing nails, and make sure he has a life jacket (I recommend Outward Hound). Also, I purchased an inexpensive yoga mat to put inside the kayak on the floor, just for extra protection, and to give more of a feel of stability under their paws. I'm very pleased with this purchase, and I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time exploring in it this summer.
Top critical review
51 people found this helpful
It's really a toy canoe, but a fun one
By David Johnson on Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2019
Like so many other reviewers, I bought this because I have had a lot of fun the few times I rented a kayak, but the price of a new hard kayak is too overwhelming. Unfortunately, this thing just doesn't live up to the same experience as I have had on the rental sit-on-top kayaks. Read on for details, but for the TL;DR crowd: get this if you want a toy to take camping or to play on the lake. It might also work out well for fishing. But, if you want a serious kayak to use for a workout and to improve your kayak skill, I would recommend to look elsewhere. KINDA FLIMSY FEELING It just doesn't feel very rigid. I am 6 feet tall and 265 pounds, so i got this one to be sure it could handle my weight. It does stay afloat well, but it bends at the middle, even with no weight in it. The problem is there just isn't a rigid enough structure to the bottom to keep it from bending. If Intex ever reads this review, I might recommend making an option with a rigid bottom that can be inserted. CANOE FEEL After using it a few times, it really seems to be a misnomer to call this thing a kayak. You sit down inside the sides of the hull like a sit-in kayak, but the top of the hull is not covered. It really seems to be more of a canoe than a kayak. POOR TRACKING I use the skeg, and I have tried all sorts of combinations of seat and leg placement, but no matter what I do the front of the boat shifts right and left with each paddle. That makes it a real challenge to cover any distance with this thing. I did find that the best way to get it to track was to sit cross-legged in the rear seat. That makes the bow of the boat rise up out of the water so it doesn't sway as much, but it still sways back and forth more than a normal kayak. I would suspect that this would be less of a problem with two adults in it. INFLATION AND STORAGE This is the most impressive feature of this boat. It blows up and breaks back down easily, and everything fits in the provided bag. I didn't time it, but I would say it probably took about ten minutes each for both blowing it up and breaking it down. CONCLUSION Overall, this turned out to be something less than what I wanted. I wanted a real kayak to get a workout and explore the local lakes. Because of the poor tracking and floppy structure of this thing, the farthest I got was maybe a mile up the lake before it turned into too big a frustration. It is, however, a fun and safe toy. I have two daughters, ages 3 and 6, and because of the way you sit down inside the hull of this thing it felt perfectly safe to take them out for rides (wearing life jackets, of course). In fact, the next time we go out, I may just remove the front seat so they can both ride with me. It is also plenty sturdy, so dragging it over the pebble shoreline at the lake offered no risk of damage or rupture. In the long run, I will probably leave this thing packed away and only take it out for family camping trips, because it does make a good lake toy, but I will still be on the hunt for a good deal on a real rigid kayak for my workouts.
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