Inflatable Kayak Accessories
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25 item(s) - Page 2 of 5
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AIRE 36 Quart Soft Cooler Bag
$99.00
New AIRE Boaters Soft Cooler 36 Quart
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AIRE 7" Diameter Kayak Thwart Backrest / Footrest
$89.00
See the write-up for the AIRE 12" thwart for more details. This seven inch Inflatable Kayak Seat / thwart is somewhat less fancy than the 12" version in the way that the side attachments work (these attachments are shown clearly in the photo above). A lot of people use this smaller thwart for a footrest. We believe this is a better call than using it to support your lumbar area, which it does very poorly.
Note that we also stock a $35 old-style Tomcat inflatable backrest/seat that's almost the same size as this one, though the Tomcat "seat" (which some paddlers also use as a footrest) does not attach to the floor quite as securely as this one or the 12" version. The Tomcat backrest also uses a small twisty-valve for inflation, whereas this 7" AIRE Thwart and it's bigger brother use the same Leafields found on the AIRE kayaks.
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AIRE Cheetah Chair Inflatable Kayak Seat
$59.00
The AIRE Cheetah Chair is just the standard closed-cell foam seat that comes in almost all AIRE and Tributary kayaks. Some folks may want a spare or an extra, particularly if you own a Superlynx or one of our new Trinity II's, which it also fits in. With a rear pouch and cup holder (please don't let river water mix with your beer unless you enjoy severe gastric distress!), and a "flip strap". The flip strap is intended to run all the way around & underneath the kayak, and back up to the other side. The idea for this strap dates back to when a certain Mr. Ramp, now of AIRE, used to do some ill-advised hair runs all by himself back in the early 80's. He felt that since he could only count on himself for rescue, it would be best to have a way to right an overturned kayak full of camp gear with one arm, without letting go of the kayak paddle in his other hand. For that situation it makes perfect sense.
Whether the flip strap is always a great idea depends on how snaggy the rivers are that you run, and how many compatriots you have along to help rescue your soggy self. If you are doing day trips on shallow rivers, this strap running underneath your kayak floor can obviously catch on twigs & pointy rocks. Many feel it is a bad idea, so if it doesn't make sense to you by all means leave it at home. It just clips into the backrest portion of the Cheetah Chair with two fastex buckles.
Also note that you can "beef up" a Cheetah Chair simply by opening the zipper that runs around the buttrest edge, and stuffing in extra closed cell foam. Most big box stores sell very cheap foam sleeping pads that can be cut up for this purpose. Cheetah Chairs run $59.
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AIRE Deluxe Kayak Seat
$69.00
We've yet to use one of these newer AIRE Deluxe kayak seats ourselves. They are different from the standard Cheetah Chair that other AIRE kayaks come with in several ways. The Deluxe Seat has stiffer foam, and more of it, in both the backrest and the buttrest. The front edge of the buttrest has a raised ridge to prevent you from slipping when you go over those steep drops. The rear pouch, instead of being made of mesh like on the Cheetah Chair, is constructed of the same dark gray pvc as the rest of the seat, and it measures about 10" X 10". There is no flip strap off the back (few AIRE pilots use these anyway), and the rear attachments are mounted higher. There is a cup holder like the Cheetah Chair has, but also a little rod holder.
Other important differences are the height of the backrest, which is only 10" compared to about 11-1/2" on the Cheetah Chair, and the elimination of the side angle adjustment straps found on the Cheetah Chair. These backrest angle adjusting straps, located near your kidneys on the Cheetah, run through ladder locks. And these Chinese made ladder locks are very weak; many paddlers end up with them broken, and a subsequent loss of back support. Not so with the new Deluxe Seat. It has extremely beefy side supports, set to 90 degrees, with no hardware to break. You can see the side angle supports in the upper right of the two views in our photo.
The Deluxe Seat also has one other construction difference that you should be aware of. Unlike the Cheetah Chair, the Deluxe Seat has no zipper to access the interior. This zipper on the Cheetah Chair is often used to either open up & dry out the interior, and/or to add additional closed cell foam. The edges of the Deluxe Seat, on the other hand, are stitched, and most of the upper ones also have edge beading on them. This means that once water gets inside the Deluxe, it will take a while to dry out. Drying is best accomplished by setting it on it's left or right side with one of the bare stitched seams facing down. We don't want to scare you into thinking this will be a big problem, but there will be some moisture inside after it's been used a while. $69 each
It should be noted that overall, this new seat is actually less comfortable than the Cheetah chair, and it is really best to think of it as a whitewater item rather than a chair for those who enjoy easier rivers and calm water.
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AIRE Footbrace Kit for AIRE Inflatable Kayaks
$65.00
Although other manufacturers like Hyside and NRS sell rubber-mounted glue-on kits for their boats, we don't stock those. This one is only for AIRE kayaks. The long hot dog shaped patches go on the interior surface of the side tubes (newer Lynx 1's already have the patches welded in from the factory), and give you a double layer to punch the bolt holes through. Small, smooth headed stainless bolts pass through these holes from the inside to threaded holes on the footpeg rails. The pegs themselves slide along the rail, locking into the square depressions. This system can slip sometimes, but unlike the more secure old-style aluminum peg & rail versions, they won't chew your legs up if you slip off them in a big drop or send you to the hospital for stitches.
The AIRE Footpeg Kit is $65, and unlike AIRE's Skeg Kit, it does not come with a hole punch for some reason. You will need to either use an exacto knife to make the six holes, or make a punch yourself out of something like a sharpened 22 caliber bullet casing, or preferably something a bit more stout.