Best Inflatable Kayak for a Sailboat

[Mark Prouty]

I don't have a MacGregor anymore. It is now a 23' O'Day but I've always found this site very informative. Can anybody reccommend the best inflatable kayak for a sailboat?

I am taking an extended vacation and would also like to do some whitewater kayaking. I was thinking of a Aire Tomcat or maybe a Sea Eagle 340x Explorer. They are both self bailing. Anybody tow one?

For the benefit of the thread, whitewater kayaking need not be a consideration... just the best overall kayak for a sailboat.

Tomcat

Sea Eagle

Thanks,
Mark

[davidbagnall]

I use an Aquaglide on my Mac and find it quite versatile..
http://www.aquaglide.net/categories/multisport.cfm
It folds up to quite a small bag and has the benefit of being very stable for caring supplies etc. The sailboad/sailboat combo function means it is a heap of when when anchored.

[Retcoastie]

I have a Sea Eagle 370 Inflatable Kayak. I do not recommend it for a dingy. It has no hand holds, no pockets, no tie downs. The only thing to grab is the ends. I once lost a seat while towing because there was no place to tie it on. Friends have a West Marine K 8, I think. It is much better with lots of pockets, hand holds, and tie downs.

[Rick Westlake]

If what you want is a kayak, I would not recommend my KaBoat. But as a tender for a Mac it's been pretty good.

The KaBoat is like a stretched, skinny Zodiac-type inflatable, the type with the cones behind the transom. It's 12 feet long overall, but from bow to transom it just barely fits between the bow pulpit and the mast of my 26X. It has a high-pressure inflatable floor. It's pretty light, about 35 lbs without its thwarts and oars. It's rated to carry about 500 lbs, and will take a 2 1/2 hp motor.

It doesn't paddle worth a drat, either with canoe paddles or a kayak paddle. You're seated too high for the kayak paddle, unless you can find a REALLY long one; and there is no keel to keep you straight with a canoe paddle. But it rows very nicely with its included oars, and I found it rows best facing forward and pushing rather than pulling. I've rowed a bit with two people in it and it wasn't bad, but my passenger (Uncle Jim here on MacGregor Sailors) wasn't so comfortable with the way it flexed under our weight. He was much more comfortable in Chinook's PortaBote.

I have not tried it in anything resembling rough conditions, but I've heard that inflatables are difficult to row in the chop and slop. I did try it once with a borrowed 55-lb-thrust electric trolling motor, and it did pretty well but it was a bear getting the 50-lb battery in and out of it across Bossa Nova's gunwales. I am giving serious thought to an old British Seagull engine for it - at 28 lbs it will carry and mount easily, and at $200 (Craigslist) it's more affordable than a cheap trolling motor and battery.

[kelseydo]

You might consider the Sea Eagle PaddleSki. http://www.seaeagle.com/PaddleSki.aspx?custPhoto . Versatile, but not much of a white water boat. I'm thinking of a rigid open cockpit double kayak, probably stitch and glue, as a tender. Not sure where/how to store it under way; don't want to tow for extended trips.

It's the journey, not the destination,
Dan

[Rick Westlake]

I'm thinking of a rigid open cockpit double kayak, probably stitch and glue, as a tender. Not sure where/how to store it under way; don't want to tow for extended trips.

Kelsey, perhaps a Folbot would suit your wants. It's a double-kayak style boat with a take-apart, internal rigid frame. I wouldn't want one for whitewater, and I think they're pricey, but it would stow in the forepeak between anchorages.

[Québec 1]

Someone on this site suggested this one some time ago. Looks interesting.
Q1
http://www.kaboat.net/inflatable-kayak-boats-12.asp

[Gypsy]

Nothing beats a good old fashion real kayak !
We have two Old Towns 12 footers . We haven't yet towed them behind the but we have towed them about a 1,000 miles total behind our Bayliner 2252 .

We like to explore little creeks and backwaters . We call it Gunkholing . We tried it in our inflatable dinghy and worried to much about putting a hole in it. So we went back to our kayaks.

They tow great at speeds under 10 mph . Anything over that and they start getting squirrelly .

The Old Towns are comparably priced to the inflatables .

[Rick Westlake]

Someone on this site suggested this one some time ago. Looks interesting.
Q1
http://www.kaboat.net/inflatable-kayak-boats-12.asp

That very well might have been me - I have a 12-foot Saturn KaBoat for my dinghy, and I discussed it in this thread a few posts up.

I think it's pretty good as a tender, but it's NOT a "kayak". It rows nicely and tracks well with two oars, but it's loathsome with paddles (either canoe-style or kayak-style). I have no plans whatsoever for taking it into white water, but I have tentative plans to buy a British Seagull (!) 2-horse engine to putt-putt around the harbor when I anchor out.

[Theo]

Mark,

We have had an Innova Helios II for about ten years now. It has done yeomans duty. It is not self bailing but it is very dry. Unless you plan on punching through surf you will be fine. It can also carry quite a load.

http://www.innovakayak.com/store/store. ... uct=437577

One caveat though, you MUST use the available rudder for two people. It almost ended our marriage before it started until we got the rudder. Drastic improvement.

[Mark Prouty]

Someone on this site suggested this one some time ago. Looks interesting.
Q1
http://www.kaboat.net/inflatable-kayak-boats-12.asp

That very well might have been me - I have a 12-foot Saturn KaBoat for my dinghy, and I discussed it in this thread a few posts up.

I think it's pretty good as a tender, but it's NOT a "kayak". It rows nicely and tracks well with two oars, but it's loathsome with paddles (either canoe-style or kayak-style). I have no plans whatsoever for taking it into white water, but I have tentative plans to buy a British Seagull (!) 2-horse engine to putt-putt around the harbor when I anchor out.

Thank you all for some very good suggestions. Weighing all them, I just bought the 12 foot Saturn Kaboat. My wife's dad gave us an old 2hp Johnson outboard I'll use.

Mark

[elvatoli]

We have two Hobies Mirage Kayaks, one of them is a Revolution and the other is an Outback.
Both have the pedaling system of the Hobie Mirage Kayaks, so you can ride with just the pedals and any paddle if you want or do both powering systems at the same time. They have the rudder system also, so you can control the direction effortlessly.
We have carried the two kayaks on top of our X , at the bow part of the boat on the sides next to the lifelines, and have never towed to know how it handles.
The only problem is that they are expensive (around $1,800 each), but I havent seen anything powered by yourself, more powerful and maneaurable.
Once we towed our other sailboat (Venture 21), with no engine, using our two kayaks, to take it out of the water at the public ramp, and I think we could have done this using just one of the kayaks.

Hector
RGV, TX

[csm]

Sevylor has a large line of inflatable kayaks/boats at a resonable price. I haven't paddled one, but I've checked the construction and talked to owners who are very pleased. I'm looking at the Colorado.
Not to hijack this thread, but Evatoli mentioned carrying Hobies near the bow. I have two Outbacks, and I've secured them in the cockpit, but forget about sailing or moving around in the cockpit. I been eyeballing alternate ways to secure them on my 2001 X; do you have any pictures of your setup? thanks

[Gypsy]

We have two Hobies Mirage Kayaks, one of them is a Revolution and the other is an Outback.
Both have the pedaling system of the Hobie Mirage Kayaks, so you can ride with just the pedals and any paddle if you want or do both powering systems at the same time. They have the rudder system also, so you can control the direction effortlessly.
We have carried the two kayaks on top of our X , at the bow part of the boat on the sides next to the lifelines, and have never towed to know how it handles.
The only problem is that they are expensive (around $1,800 each), but I havent seen anything powered by yourself, more powerful and maneaurable.
Once we towed our other sailboat (Venture 21), with no engine, using our two kayaks, to take it out of the water at the public ramp, and I think we could have done this using just one of the kayaks.

Hector
RGV, TX

My Wife and I have been racking our brains trying to figure out a way to get in and out of our Kayaks from our

How do you do it ?

Kayaks are one of the most stable , graceful boats on the water , unless you are getting in or out of them.