American Bushman

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing." —Benjamin Franklin

Monday, July 09, 2007

An inflatable kayak

Who would have guessed that something like an inflatable kayak could be so much fun?

What we were paddling was the Quest 2-person inflatable kayak from Dick's Sporting Goods. It's rated up to 335 pounds and will easily hold one adult and two or three small children. There are only two inflatable seats in the kayak but, once removed, the kids can more easily flop from one end to the other.

When we were actually trying to paddle around the lake I found the kayak a bit too wide to use the paddles efficiently but I never felt under-geared for the trip.

The kayak has several separate air chambers so even one bad chamber doesn't necessarily leave you in the water. As a matter of fact, there were chambers in the bottom (clear so you can see into the water,) one in each gunwale, one at the front, one at the back, and each seat had three chambers. That's 11 pockets of air to keep you afloat.

We turned the kayak over and spent some time under it too. There is easily enough air space to use the kayak inverted as shelter against the wind should it turn cold. You can either use the ropes along the front and back to hang on or, as we found, you can just slide your hands up into the open area at the front or back of the kayak to remain completely protected.

A word of caution: Don't carry sharp items on an inflatable kayak.

The kayak is made of some very thick material but I still don't think it would hold up to a poorly placed key or rescue knife. The box did contain a patch kit though so a repair could be done if required.

Thanks for reading,


B

5 Comments:

At 7:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

WoW!!! i was happy to read your blog! i just purchased this kayak from dicks sporting goods and i was searching for paddles and found your site . cant wait to have some fun on the lake. was happy to hear that its durable!! Thanks R S

 
At 1:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any more thoughts on the Quest (or any other) inflatable kayak? I am planning on getting something of the sort to play on the local lake with my son, and would appreciate any input. How does Quest compare to the Coleman version? She Who Must Be Obeyed has expressed disapproval of the pricetag of my first thought, which was a Stearns inflatable canoe.

Thanks for any thoughts!

 
At 12:12 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes i must agree its a blast last year i picked up a new kayak and a inflatable Sevylor

 
At 4:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I purchased my Inflatable Kayak it was missing a plug where do I get one Dicks does not sell them any more and the plugs they sell do not fit, I want to keep the Kayak.
Where can I get the plug??
kari

 
At 10:34 PM, Anonymous Kai said...

Another thing always to have with you when out on an inflatable is good old duct tape!
Sevylor Fish Hunter

 

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