Inflatable Kayaks

[tim osgerby]

I am thinking of getting a inflatable kayak to fish out of, because I dont have a big car so I have reserched and seen some at a camping shop in Vic park. They are cheaper than a solid canoe and are probably just as stable. Has any one tryed an inflatable and what do you think of them for fishing.wezels riped my bream

[torvic]

Ya know one night I was watching this documentary about Australia's Z special unit that fought in WW2, a top secret special forces unit that operated deep behind enemy lines.

Anyway they had these rubber canoes they used quite extensively...basically there the rubber outer shell and the skeleton which you fit inside. After abit of assembling u've got yourself a pretty good canoe that is very strong.

Umm...I dont know if there are any of these around though or if you'd want to go breamin in one...probably be pretty uncomfortable in it. Oh well yeah I guess I just wasted your time :p

[MATTY]

g'day tim,
been on one several times,not fishing just messing around.it was a single man version i think from ranger camping.not to bad but cant take a lot of gear and sits low in water so a long paddle could be tiring.suggest a two man version or a cheap 2nd hand glass kayak.most 3 meter boats fit on a roof rack no probs,not to heavy.if you go for a inflatable a good quality one costs $$$ as much as a glass boat.a cheapie is ok but take some good duct/gaffa tape with you to patch a puncture.a electric pump you plug onto the car battery is better than 15 mins pumping by foot.a couple of links for you to have a look at.
a good thing about an inflatable its a good paddling pool for the kids and a great party esky.
www.seaeagle.com
www.innovakayak.com
www.incept.co.nz
cheers

[cyberfish]

Hey torvic, those keppler collapsable kayaks would be excellant for bream fishing and as they are designed for long range paddling(or rowing with a special kit) they would be comfy enough. No, I've never been in one. They cost in the thousands and are not easy to make. I'd love to have one though. cf

[MATTY]

cyberfish/torvic,
have a look at www.feathercraft.com

[bparker]

Heres another one to look at

http://www.shakespeare.com.au/products/modelDetail.cfm?modelID=1679

I've seen them at JV Marine in Melbourne...very nice. can even strap on a small electric motor.

[Bear]

Tim,
There is a really good inflatable made by Sevylor (Zodiac). Wiltrading in Fremantle sell and repair all of them here in WA and there are branches in the east.

I used one a few times and have been really impressed.

[cyberfish]

mmm, nice boats! Thanks for the link matty. cf

[SWANK-E]

bparker.. how much was that shakespeare at JV?

[tim osgerby]

Thanks everone for youre replies. I found the site kayaker.com.au, they sell the fould up kayaks in queensland. Ive seen the Sevalar? zodiac kayaks at the caping shop in Vic park. Very well priced, I will go to that shop in Freo to check prices. Dont know wether to go for two man or one?Wezels riped my bream!

[Bear]

Time,
If you can afford it I'd get the 2 man. They are around $1000 and come with the seats, pump, oars and bag as you see in the pic below.

Let them know that I sent you and they'll look after you. They are a nice unit.

B4 I get PM's again, they are not sponsoring me in any way and I have no commercial involvement with them at all. I just like the craft.

Couple of pics to follow.

[Bear]

:)

[Bear]

:D

[tim osgerby]

Beare,

Why do you think two person is best, and is a two person craft easy to use by one person.Wezels riped my bream!

[Bear]

Hi Tim,
I like the 2 person better as it means I can head out for a weekend trip and have plenty of room, it also fishes 2 guys easy so you can take a mate.

It's easy enough to carry for me, but a slight person would have trouble when it is folded. Once inflated it's pretty easy to carry. You can have a look at one in the show room and ask plenty of questions.

HTH.

[SWANK-E]

the thing with inflatables is... i am so worried about it puncturing, not by the snags and rocks you glide over, which is often pretty blunt and the material is a lot stronger for that... it is the spinal fins of the bream... they are damn hard and sharp !!!

[bparker]

Hi SWANK-E,

Don't quote me on this but I think it retails around the $900 mark.

Most good inflatables are made with multiple chambers so should you get a small puncture, you should still remain afloat enough to get back to shore without a wet butt.

The material on most decent inflatable seems pretty tough anyway so should be pretty resilient.

[mattiger]

Hi,

I have a gummotec two man.
Things to bear in mind:
It takes a while to pump up.
They have a lot of windage so unless it comes with a rudder it becomes very uncontrollable in windy conditions.
They are harder to customise than hard kayaks.
You have to be wary of temp changes if you pump up when it is cool and leave it in the sun it will POP!

With reference to punctures.

I have only had one from a spikey flathead.
The spine has to be fine to fit between the cloth weave.
My puncture does not noticably deflate the Kayak even after 4 hours on the water.

Cheers
Matt

[john]

Hi there,
Dunno if this is still a current query, but here's my two pennorth, I've had a single person sevylor river xk1 for almost a year now and though I haven't had a great deal of time fishing in it, I can tell you it's excellent. You just gotta be careful with pointy things.The single person one takes up to 250lbs wieght (recommended) if you leave the kitchen sink at home there is heaps of room easy to climb back into (jumped out deliberately honest) over bow or stern, side is impossible. Same material as zodiacs and as its designed for whitewater canoeing its tough as buggery. Takes ten minutes to ready and inflate with a good foot pump and about fifteen to deflate/pack away.
Regards John