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July 24, 2007
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Which inflatable kayak will serve me well on flat-water outings?
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Solo (courtesy, Grabner)
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I’m hitting the road with a travel trailer and would like to take an inflatable kayak so I
can get out on flat water along the way. What kayak would serve my purpose?
— Doreen
Vero Beach, Florida
Do you have a question of your own?
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 There are plenty of good choices out there. The constraint will be, alas, price. A
really great inflatable, for instance, is the Innova Seaker (innovakayak.com). It sets up
in about 15 minutes, has high-pressure side tubes for rigidity, comes with a SealLine
SmartTrack rudder system, and can handle you and 200 pounds of gear. But, it also costs
$2,800. Ouch! It’s a nice boat though, maybe you can find a used one.
Fortunately, there are more affordable choices. Innova also makes a boat called the Helios
1, which is a little less capable than the Seaker but still an excellent one-person
collapsible boat. Not much storage to speak of, and a rudder is optional. But the Helios 1
is light (29 pounds), sets up quickly (ten minutes), and sells for a reasonable $750.
At an in-between price you’ll find the Grabner Solo ($1,270; grabner-sports.at). This is
an interesting boat. It’s almost a sit-on-top with an open cockpit, but it can handle
Class IV whitewater. It’s a great little surfing boat along the seashore, and it can even
tour reasonably well if you’re just looking for an easy paddling boat to hop into when you
see an appealing bay or inlet.
Lastly, if you’re really on a pretty tight budget, Stearns’ B521 Spree One
(stearnsinc.com) is a pretty good three-chamber inflatable at a great price of $385. It
might be just the boat for a trip where you don’t intend to spend days on the water, but
want to get out and do some paddling.
Have fun!
You’ve seen our picks for 2007 Gear of
the Year, and now the entire Outside Summer
Buyer’s Guide is online. Check out this year’s more than 400 must-have gear items,
including kayaks.
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GEAR GUY FEATURES
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