Anyone who’s spent time online searching for an inflatable kayak knows one thing—there’s a heck of a lot of inflatable kayaks available. And these kayaks are available in a wide variety of colors, have diverse features and often have many interesting sounding “techno terms.” Moreover, the price range of inflatable kayaks range from the dirt-cheap to the ultra-expensive.
To help people who are shopping for an inflatable kayak choose the right boat for their needs, I created this article on Big Sky Fishing. The purpose of this page is to explain the following:
The Primary Types of Inflatable Kayaks
Expedition level inflatable kayaks are the most versatile of all kayaks available. These kayaks are ideal for float trips through remote terrain. With a large weight capacity, these kayaks can carry two paddlers and all their gear for trips of one week or more. Solo paddlers can easily carry gear for 2+ week excursions.
Yet expedition level inflatable kayaks aren’t just for “expeditions.” Rated for use in Class IV whitewater, these kayaks are excellent for playing in the rapids.
Moreover, these kayaks are fun to use on lazy river floats, too. Comfortable and stable, these kayaks are great for floating down local rivers. And their portability and ease of setup allows them to be used on rivers that lack good vehicle access points.
These kayaks are also good—but not great—for lake paddling and paddling across long stretches of flat water. To make lake paddling more efficient and effective, simply attach the detachable skeg. This skeg reduces yaw, or the back and forth motion of the kayak when the boat is paddled.
These kayaks are designed for paddlers who do long and frequent paddles on lakes and flat water. Their sleek design, inflatable keel and nose design allows these kayaks to cut through water almost as easily as a hardshell kayak can.
Because of their unique design, these kayaks are easy to paddle across large lakes. The kayaks almost effortlessly cut through flat water. Their tough construction and large weight capacity also makes them well-suited for overnight paddle trips.
These kayaks are the “fun” kayak. Good quality recreational level inflatable kayaks are inexpensive yet surprisingly durable. Primarily designed for short or lazy paddles across lakes and ponds, these kayaks also work great for day floats down local rivers. Good quality kayaks can also run rapids up to Class III. Their lower weight capacity limits their utility for longer, overnight trips, particularly for couples.
One word of warning. There’s “varying levels of quality” among kayaks of this class. Low quality recreational inflatable kayaks have an unpleasant tendency to develop leaks, often on the seams which can’t be repaired.
These kayaks are, as the name suggests, designed for use in strong whitewater rapids. And by strong, I mean Class IV and Class V rapids. These kayaks are constructed from tough denier fabric (usually 2000 denier) that allows these boats to survive large drops and high-speed impacts with rocks. These kayaks, which are typically quite short, are also very maneuverable and—in the hands of a skilled paddler—literally surf among the waves.
Their short length and limited weight capacity greatly limits their use for overnight float trips and they aren’t meant for long lake paddles.
An inflatable fishing kayak is a “specialty” kayak. It’s one of the above types of kayaks that’s highly customized for fishing. Typically, most fishing kayaks have higher seating positions, stability to allow standing, swivel seats and an optional trolling motor mount—among other features.
Best Uses for Each Type of Inflatable Kayak
Expedition Level
- Multi-night or multi-week floats through remote terrain
- Running whitewater rapids up to and including Class IV
- Recreational day floats on rivers
- Paddling around on smaller lakes and ponds. Not an ideal boat for long or frequent lake paddling.
- While not a dedicated fishing kayak, these kayaks work just fine for “casual anglers”—or those anglers who don’t need a boat for daily fishing but still want a boat for overnight float trips or running river rapids.
- Not temperature constrained—may be used in sub-freezing conditions
Dedicated Lake and Flat Water Paddling
- Frequent and/or long paddles across lakes and other bodies of flat water
- Multi-night paddle trips across lakes—such as taking a trip through the Boundary Waters or similar terrain
- Can’t run river rapids greater than Class II
- Excellent boats for long paddle trips on rivers that lack strong current—which is most rivers in the USA
- Not temperature constrained—may be used in sub-freezing conditions
Recreational Level
- The “fun” kayak—more than anything else this kayak is meant to play with
- Quality recreational kayaks can run Class III rapids without problems, although I don’t recommend doing it frequently
- Paddling around the local pond or lake. Not meant for long, frequent paddles across big lakes, but taking them out for a day of lazy paddling is just fine. Just don’t plan to paddle across a twenty-mile long lake—you won’t have a good time.
- Lazy floats down nearby rivers
- Ideal for RV’ers who need a boat for “day use” since these boats inflate in minutes and pack down into a small, lightweight package
- Work ok for overnight floats, but the fabric isn’t nearly as strong as what’s found in Expedition Level inflatable kayaks. Thus, not a good for use on remote terrain.
- Fun fishing platform, but lacks many features even casual anglers might find useful. Perfect boat for kids to fish from, though—I spent my childhood spin fishing from these types of kayaks.
- Lower weight capacity limits than found in expedition level inflatable kayaks might prove limiting for couples who need a boat for overnight float trips
- Temperature constrained—only use when air temperature is above freezing
Whitewater Kayaks
- Designed specifically for frequent running of strong rapids rated Class IV or Class V
- Basically, if you want to play in strong rapids—these kayaks are the boat of choice
- Fun for lazy day floats on rivers
- With rare exceptions, only suitable for one paddler plus a very small amount of gear
Fishing Kayaks
- Designed for serious anglers who seek an inflatable boat that is primarily used for fishing
- Some of these kayaks also pull double duty as a quality expedition kayak and lake paddling kayak
- Suitable for day trips on rivers
Good Inflatable Kayaks vs. Cheap Inflatable Kayaks
There are two types of inflatable kayaks in this world today, good ones and bad ones. What is the difference between the two? Simple, really – construction. Good inflatable kayaks are boats that, with proper care, will easily last a decade or more, even with extensive use. Meanwhile, a bad inflatable kayak will be lucky to last the summer, often requiring numerous patch jobs.
So, how bad are “bad inflatable kayaks?” Real bad. I know. I’ve had several. These types of inflatable kayaks are generally purchased at mass marketers, like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc..They look nice out of the box. And they are cheap, around $150 or so. Yet, like a horror movie that doesn’t reveal the plot until the end of the movie, these inflatable kayaks will rear up and show their ugly side at times when you least expect or desire it.
See, poor quality inflatable kayaks are prone to rips in the seams of the boat. This is a very bad thing, since rips in the seams can not be adequately repaired. Additionally, the thin fabric on these boats will constantly get punctures. While these punctures are relatively easy to fix, it is still a pain trying to track them all down.
All said and done, save yourself some grief and get a good inflatable kayak, one that will last and that won’t require constant tender-loving-care. If you just need a inflatable kayak for the kids to paddle around on a small pond or something, well, these cheap inflatable kayaks may be just the ticket. But for any serious fishing or river floating use, especially uses that lead into remote areas, don’t even think of using a cheap inflatable kayak.