inflatable kayaks - Decathlon or something else

We bought a SH Seyvelor years ago and then sold it on when we got SUPs.
Deals around on them it seems - https://aquascene.co.uk/collections/all-package-deals/products/laxo-380-deal-1

I've got one like that but it's the 2/3 person one with the non-drop-stitch floor. It's alright, it floats, goes forward and backward when paddled appropriately. It's quite well designed in many areas although it's very easy to lose the Boston valves completely when deflating it as my wife did on holiday and they are an odd size so you can only get replacements from Decathlon. However on the plus side you can get replacements from Decathlon 🙂

On mine the rucksack has crappy straps unlike the iSUPs, so to carry it any distance requires a sort of Sherpa style, leaning forwards with your hands behind your back. It can be carried some distance like this though.

It's pretty wide which makes it slightly annoying to paddle compared to a plastic boat, but otherwise it's decent.

We’ve already got a plastic canoe but its a pain to get it ontop of the van so it rarely gets used

Do remember an inflatable needs inflating, deflating, drying etc.

I know I have a car - but I can go from rack to car and tied down within 5 mins, same again at launch or packing away.

What have you got to get it on the van?

Not sure If I'm allowed to suggest this but Brighton-Canoes are selling the Gumotex Solar at genuinely a very good price.

https://www.brighton-canoes.co.uk/productpages/gumotex/solar.htm

Gumotex boats are made from rubber (Nitrilon) with no plastic/PVC at all so more environmentaly sound in manufacture and have a single skin rather than thin plastic bladders inside. They tend to last much longer than any other inflatable and are one of the few with a resale value. My own Gumotex Scout is over 10 years old and still going strong. So many of the cordura/plastic infltables end up in landfill after a couple of seasons (if you are lucky) as they break and can't be repaired.

Gumotex are a Czech company and have been making kayaks for decades - some are still being paddled that are 30 years old!

https://gumotexboats.com/

The Solar is narrower and easier to paddle in an efficient manner than many of the wider 'stable' recreational kayaks, comes with a waterproof rucksack and can carry 2 adults and a child or two adults and plenty of gear.

Disclosure: I am affiliated to the vendor

If you want a decent inflatable have a look at Neris smart kayaks.

https://www.neris.co.uk/

I have a smart 2 and it's brilliant. It's a hybrid folding / inflatable. Goes together in about 10 mins. Tough material, flexible on how you can configure it. I use mine as a open canoe. But you can get full spray decks for them.

Also quick to dry etc.

It's not the cheapest, but I'm certain well last for a long long time and have resale value.

They also paddle exceptionally well as they have actual shape and stability.

Made in Ukraine. Importers on link above.

I'm an not affiliated to the manufacturer.

This is mine on Ullswater a couple of weeks ago.

I have the decathlon one and the drop stitch floor makes it much more rigid than a standard inflatable kayak. Also it is much easier to dry than the decathlon non-drop stich ones. It is quicker to inflate than a sup board so if you are used to that it shouldn't be a problem.
I was going to say they are usually cheaper in Europe but with the offer on at the moment, they are about the same price. I'm going to get the bigger one this year and that's currently 399 Euros in France vs £499 in the Uk. May sure if you get the oars from Decathlon you get the wider ones.

matt_outandabout
Full Member
We’ve already got a plastic canoe but its a pain to get it ontop of the van so it rarely gets used

Do remember an inflatable needs inflating, deflating, drying etc.

I know I have a car – but I can go from rack to car and tied down within 5 mins, same again at launch or packing away.

the plastic boat needs carrying down the side of the house which is narrow so it needs to go on its side which makes it really unwieldy. I then need to bolt on the roof bars. Lifting the boat on and strapping it down doesn’t take that long really but once it’s on, I can’t open the tailgate so it has to be the last thing loaded and it’s a pest having that restriction on a road trip

First world problems I know - and worth the effort for situations when’re a rigid boat is worth it, but does sometimes put us off the quick “let’s have a quick paddle after work” jaunts

That Neris one looked great until I saw the price!

I hear you on the awkwardness - I happen to have a yard which is 18' across. I can have the boat off the rack onto shoulders, back up, spin round stood on the hany centre mark I made, then forward over the (chopped down for this purpose) down the drive and onto the roof.

And I had forgotten the bolt the roof bars on bit...plus 5 mins

I was wondering similar things in decathlon yesterday. They looked better than I expected.

But my contribution here is discovering our store will let you rent one for 24 or 48 hours. As my question is will the dog go in it I’m keen to find out without waisting the full price

We have had the cheapest 3 man decathalon inflatable kayak for a couple of seasons, probably a dozen or so uses on a mixture of sea and river.

We like it, great for safely ferrying about 2 small boys whilst wifey uses her SUP. Can fit a large amount of kit in it.
It inflates far easier and quicker than paddleboards.

Downsides its pretty heavily and can be a pain to fit back in the bag. It can be hard to dry out properly after you've given it a good clean. The fins can get jammed on and need a knock from the paddle - they are also very easy to forget when being hassled by kids to get going and then you wonder why its so hard to steer!

Overall I'd buy again. I think it cost us £300.

Those Neris kayaks look superb. You can’t get a decent bike for £300 so I’m not sure why people think you should be able to spend so little on something that floats!

I think there are fewer moving parts on a canoe / kayak / sup etc. Most rigid ones are basically giant tupperware from an oversized mould, fitted with mass-produced and standard fittings. Hence the thought they are often cheaper to buy (they are) and the 'bank of plastic' in keeping value.

The two SP3 canoes I just sold were £700ish to the centre that bought them, used for 10 years, then sold to me at £300/350, and 9 years later I've just sold them for what I paid, and they've still got another 10 years in them...

You can’t get a decent bike for £300 so I’m not sure why people think you should be able to spend so little on something that floats!

You can buy a decent bike for £300 if you just want to get around on it. And that's what the OP is asking for. He's not going white water kayaking in it.

STW at its best - regular threads insisting you must get out and enjoy life through outdoor pursuits; you must spend loads of money on gear; and we also should be sensible with money.

Lol STW at its best - posts conflating different things!

Yes you could buy SP3 as a comercial buyer for £700 10 years ago.......erm.....now try it!  And in fact your post proves a very good point - buy a decent Canoe (SP3 will now cost you £1300-1500) and it will last plus you will get much more in resale value.

I suggested the equiverelent of what I think most people on this forum would suggest to a non cycling friend who wanted to buy a bike i.e not the cheapest 'halfords' option which we all know will not last and is built to a very low price in a chinese factory but something built by a company that actually understands and designed the product but still well priced  - maybe Pinnacle would be a good analogy. I see sooo many cheap chinese kayaks both rigid and inflatable and quite honestly they perform poorly and many many end up in landfill - I hate that.

A Gumotex or Neris will provide a family with a something that will last for years, perform well and may even lead to them using it more than they ever thought they would. Plus its not just feeding the great big corporates and both are more environmentally sound.

Buy less stuff, Buy better stuff.

If you’re thinking of the Neris, Mrs kilo has a Point65 Martini which she really likes and is very easy to transport and set up and much, much less hassle than the inflatable kayak the preceded it or her SUP

The trouble with Gumotex at the moment is that only 3 models are drop stitch. These are all really expensive. The cheaper Twist and Solar are lower pressure tubes. Buying a non drop stitch kakak seems a mistake at the moment. Has anyone paddled a low pressure Gumotex and a high pressure drop stitch model and care to comment on the real world differences

I suggested the equiverelent of what I think most people on this forum would suggest to a non cycling friend who wanted to buy a bike i.e not the cheapest ‘halfords’ option which we all know will not last and is built to a very low price in a chinese factory but something built by a company that actually understands and designed the product but still well priced – maybe Pinnacle would be a good analogy. I see sooo many cheap chinese kayaks both rigid and inflatable and quite honestly they perform poorly and many many end up in landfill – I hate that.

Well quite. The Equivalent of BSOs are the kayak shaped beach toys you can get in The Range. You see loads of these at beaches. I reckon the Decathlon one is the equivalent of a £300 Carrera that is heavy but completely functional as a bike, and I'd be happy to ride around town. In fact, I do ride such a bike around town although it's Kona not Carrera. Still has 15 year-old Alivio on it.

You absolutely can paddle around flat water on the Decathlon one, I've done it. It works.

The decathalon works in the sea as well. As I've done it with kids. Its easy enough for my 7 year old to paddle on his own in waves. Its our first kayak so I'm not sure what I'm missing by not having spent double or more. It is perfectly functional and does the job. The extra money we've saved can be spent on ice creams 🙂

We got the 2-3 person one from Decathlon last year.

Been great fun, from lakes, rivers, canals or sea.

Opted for the x version which didn't have the cloth outer for quicker drying.

Have it up in 15 minutes and down in a similar time.

Think one day we may get a proper canoe but space is limited.

Plan to go on some summer adventures in it this year.

I bought the Décathlon one a year ago and it has been brilliant. I’d have no hesitation in buying the same one again. On the other hand, if I had the space to store it, I’d much rather have a rigid - for the lack of hassle. Inflating my Kayak is a piece of cake - it only take a couple of minutes and is very easy to do. Deflating , packing and drying it out is a pain in the ass.

A mate got the Decathlon one at around the same time we bought a slightly cheaper option that Millets were selling at the time. Ours doesn't look as well made as the Decathlon option but for mucking around on a river for a bit etc, its absolutely fine. We've taken ours in the sea as well and it was extremely stable even with kids climbing in/out of it.

Think it was this one we bought but we paid half that price: https://www.leisureoutlet.com/57069-sevylor-adventure-2-person-kayak-kit?msclkid=7eb244214a581061ecd4207373015950&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shift%20-%20Shopping%20-%20GB%20-%20tst%20-%20EXTRA_LOW&utm_term=4587299958489691&utm_content=Shift%20-%20Shopping%20-%20GB%20-%20tst%20-%20EXTRA_LOW%20-%20lithium-beryllium-whiskey-cat%20-%20ebebed96a1c14633aa08d283e43a5da0

I started out with a Sevylor - standard lilo floor type thing with bladder side walls . I now have an Aquaglide Chelan - drop stitch floor, tough, single tube side walls.

Yeah the AG is 3 times the price but a much more enjoyable experience. Easier to pack away no need to dry out as much too. Still fairly heavy to hulk around though.

https://www.aquaglide.com/product/chelan-140/

We have a drop stitch Decathlon one, echo what @stainypants said -

I have the decathlon one and the drop stitch floor makes it much more rigid than a standard inflatable kayak. Also it is much easier to dry than the decathlon non-drop stich ones. It is quicker to inflate than a sup board so if you are used to that it shouldn’t be a problem.

@ampthill - I have a Gumotex Thaya (drop stitch model) and have previously used a Solar several times - I’ve not paddled them back to back though. I think they are both very good and don’t think there is much between them in terms of paddling efficiency - we do only use them for casual family use but have done some river trips (<10 miles). The Thaya is wider/roomier/more rigid with the drop stitch bottom and a bit more comfortable and the Solar is a little narrower and might even track a little better as it sits lower in the water (they both have a fin which helps with this). I would pick the Thaya again I think but the deal posted by @Winston up there ^ on the Solar would be hard to ignore given that the Thaya is nearly twice the price!!

Anyone brave enough to take an inflatable down a shallow stony river? I'm not sure I am with mine, but a drop-stitch floor would be a lot tougher.

Dropstitch? Where we're going we don't need dropstitch!

https://youtu.be/PdIGplJW_WE

Dropstitch isn't tougher, in fact its actually easier to damage. Thats not to say it isn't really good for some applications but just because something is made from dropstitch doesn't automatically make it better. There is a reason Gumotex don't use it for any of their proper W/W rafts and kayaks - it doesn't flex enough in big water and it catches on rocks (and eddy lines) too easily.

There's more water and probably fewer shopping trolleys and bikes in there than in my local river 🙂

Dropstitch isn’t tougher, in fact its actually easier to damage.

Than what?

Easier to damage than traditional low pressure (3-5 PSI) Hyperlon/Nitrilon  i.e the stuff that RIBs, W/W rafts etc are made from.

Ah right. I was comparing it to mine which is just nylon with the plastic bladder, 1.5psi. Actually, come to think of it the base is the thick rubberised stuff, so maybe it's not too bad.

yep - the bladdered boats (Sevylor, Itiwit etc) with the thick black plastisised floors (it isn't rubber) are not the worst as the hull is quite thick though once it goes it goes and can't be fixed unlike rubber. Problem with bladders is they are prone to overinflation and splitting as they are only thin plastic and always end up puncturing as stones etc get inbetween the skin and the bladder and rub away at them. Plus 1.5psi is too floppy for efficient paddling. So the cheaper manufacturers came up with a dropstitch hull but cheap dropstitch is also very fragile as the manufacturing process (the filaments inside) can't really cope with 10-15PSI for very long, plus the floor tends to be thinner skinned so can rip on a rock. Proper dropstitch is expensive.

Again its horses for courses - if you don't use the kayak very much and only use it on calm water then the cheaper ones are clearly as has been described in many posts above fine.

Yeah I'd just like to take it down the river once or twice that's all. Being inflatable I can get out by my house, deflate and walk home 🙂

Anyone brave enough to take an inflatable down a shallow stony river? I’m not sure I am with mine, but a drop-stitch floor would be a lot tougher.

Took my Sevylor down the Tryweryn a few years back. Concluded that it wasn't big enough for two adults on grade 3 water, despite what the specs said!

As we have some knowledge here here the combination I'm temnpted by is 2 Gumotex Twist 2

Or a solar and a twist 2

We have aquired a very large dog so which might fit in the twist 2 or solar with me

We could also ram other people, into the boat, short trips

Plus really light for locks on canals

The Solar is larger than the Twist, has better places to store gear fore and aft plus it comes in a waterproof rucksac so it can be packed up wet and chucked in the boot without leaking over the rest of your stuff. The Twist 2 does however pack down smaller and is very light - only comes in a soft drawstring non-waterproof bag. Both have central seating positions so can be paddled solo.

Dogs are fine but I always suggest cuttting up a cheap karrimat to fit a cushion into the bottom of the boat so the dog doesn't have to sit in a puddle

I’m looking to add an inflatable kayak to our flotilla of SUPs to use at our sailing lake on the evenings when the weather is not conducive to sailing. We’ve already got a plastic canoe but its a pain to get it ontop of the van so it rarely gets used

Any possibility of keeping the canoe at the sailing club?  If you are rarely using it anywhere else that would massively increase the ease of use.  I've got a SOT kayak that I can get from house to canal in 5 minutes with no car involved, and prefer it to the SUPs we have too because I don't have to inflate, pack etc.  But the other point to consider is they will move at very different speeds on the water - so if I take the kayak and someone else takes the SUP I end up waiting around a lot.

I have one of these, brilliant for WW and pretty good everywhere else