INFLATABLE KAYAKS

Our inflatable kayak line includes whitewater kayaks, kayaks for oceans, calm water, and backpackers, with AIRE, Innova, NRS, Momentum, Incept, Hyside, BicSport, and others. Details on solo whitewater, tandem whitewater, and touring inflatable kayaks are found on their respective pages, but some rough rules of thumb about all models are as follows:

The more boat length in the water, known as the "waterline", the more easily it will ride through holes and the better it will track. Short waterlines decrease weight capacity but can help a kayak pivot and surf better on rivers or in ocean waves. Wide boats are more stable but also slower. In other words, there's no such thing as a fast flatwater boat that is also a great, stable whitewater craft. An inflatable kayak's total payload capacity (your weight plus your gear) depends on width, waterline length, tube diameter, and on self-bailers, how thick the floor is from top to bottom. In some instances you will be sitting directly on top of the inflatable floor, and on other kayaks there may be an inflatable or foam buttrest underneath you. Many of the Sea Eagle, Stearns, and Sevylor "self-bailers" that are being sold today have floors that only range from 3" to 4", so if you are a larger person, or you want a tandem model, you will want to keep this in mind. All inflatable kayaks in our two whitewater sections are self-bailing except the Innova Vagabond. (Photo: rocky, technical low water runs are ideal for inflatables. Unlike hardshell kayaks, which tend to get pinned, inflatable kayaks will "boof" over obstacles. This boat was a decked version of the Innova Junior that Hyside built for us back in the 80's called a "Bullet", and no, these are no longer available)

To be sure, we don't try to carry every brand of inflatable kayak. There are some European models we've never even seen. Several issues may keep something out of our selection.

There are a number of companies who either mostly sell direct (like Sotar, Maravia, Custom Inflatables, etc) or who do so exclusively (like Demaree in Maryland).

Some may sell through a handful of dealers, but due to labor intensive one-up production may not be able to offer a margin that allows a dealer to stock and sit on that company's inventory. A few simply don't seem to offer a good price/quality/warranty ratio. And others, like the newer generation of self bailing Sevylors, are so readily available at hundreds of retailers - and even on Ebay - that again, it makes no sense for us to be a "me-too". Even if a brand or model isn't here now, that does not mean we won't pick it up later. And just because something isn't on our pages does not mean that boat isn't worth your consideration, but we do try to carry inflatable kayaks that will provide both excellent performance and cost you the minimum amount per year to own.

For information about multiple boat discounts, and discounts on accessories that are purchased with your inflatable kayak, please see the F.A.Q. page of our website. Most sections of our website were updated in the Spring of 2005.