Innova Rush 1 Solo Touring Inflatable Kayak

Note: Rush solos and Tandems are now out of stock and the U.S. dealers may not have more this season. On another note, the price of this model through the few non-U.S. dealers who show it on their websites is $1,600, so we expect demand for it to drop considering the very high cost.

Innova Rush 1 Solo Touring Inflatable Kayak

The hull and floors of the Rush kayaks are very unique. Both the floor and main hull utilize drop-stitch technology, which is a way of making an air chamber that inflates flat like an ironing board. Typically when it is seen, you are looking at a pvc coated pad in the bottom of an inflatable kayak sitting on top of a “sub-floor”. When kayak makers build a boat this way, grit tends to accumulate between that sub-floor and the underside of the drop-stitch pad. There are also a couple Sea Eagle boats known as the “Razor” series made entirely of drop-stitch, and though fast, they also tend to be tippy.

What Innova's factory has done does not really fall into the previous categories. For one thing, the Rush drop stitch floor is an integral unit, not a separate pad, but more uniquely, the front portion has a protruding rib that functions as a keel in the same way as an inflatable keel on a marine Zodiac style boat. This lengthwise hump pokes both upward on the top (between your legs where it won't interfere) and downward on the bottom to form the keel. The second, and more novel area where drop-stitch is employed is at the tapered bow and stern. The normal round side tubes transition to being drop-stitch at the front and back, something we have never seen before with any boat of any type. Normally a single air chamber is either conventional construction, or it's drop-stitch material, but never a mix of the two. What this odd engineering provides is a bow that when viewed from underneath, comes to a narrow rigid point. Kind of like a secondary keel. The stern does the same thing, which also helps with tracking and performance.

The solo model has three main chambers like most inflatables, and a small inflatable foot rest also made of drop-stitch. The seat is a well padded foam chair, adjustable a few inches. The overall length is 11'8”, making it the second-longest solo Innova model and easily able to fit even the tallest paddlers. The width is 32”, and the side tubes are 9”. There are bras at both ends. These bras, along with some patches on the main portion of the tubes, incorporate attachment points for an optional deck cover for anyone paddling cold or turbulent waters. Each bra also has a lift handle, and the overall weight minus the optional deck is 27 pounds. It comes with the fancy Innova backpack-drybag like their other higher end models, and a removable skeg. There are enough other tracking features in this hull that the fin probably won't be needed for more experienced kayakers, and if you decide to use the Rush in a little whitewater you should definitely leave it off. It is, however, primarily an open water boat for oceans and larger lakes & bays. Our concern with using this model in whitewater has to do with that keel part on the floor – it would become a wear point.

So far all the images show this as a black boat with a gray interior. There hopefully will be a second color option but as yet we do not know what it is. Two year warranty.