Hi All! Anyone with Experience with Inflatable Kayaks?

Hi everyone! Just wanted some advice for myself and my friend with an inflatable kayak we just bought. Thanks!

Unless you bought a nice Hobie inflatable or quality zodiac, then I would invest in quality safety gear (wetsuit, life jacket, radio, whistle, etc) or start saving money for a non-inflatable kayak. 

I started off with an inflatable, and while they're cheap and compact, they will eventually leak from use.  And you can only patch them so much until its not repairable.

Aquaglide also makes pretty incredible inflatables.

I got a Hobie i12s and it's great. I do surf launches with it w/o much problem. Just make sure you take care of it to make it last.

I still use my advanced elements strait edge angler and i14T. It’s great for me too when I don’t want to car top my hard shell or traveling. Albeit it’s easy to puncture by fishing hooks if you’re not careful or have kids fishing off it too.

Welcome to NCKA InflatableKayakman 

I used an inflatable kayak exactly once to paddle out to Goat Island at Lake Berryessa. On the trip back in, the kayak sprang a leak and began to take on water. Thankfully, the lake level was low and several of the smaller rockpiles between the island and Oak Shores were poking out of the water which allowed us to stop and empty out the water as we island-hopped our way back to shore. In all of the commotion though, my prescription sunglasses went overboard and the drybag came open and filled up with water frying our cellphones and keyfobs. That kayak found a permanent home in the dumpster at Oak Shores.

Anyways, welcome ! 

I used an inflatable kayak exactly once to paddle out to Goat Island at Lake Berryessa. On the trip back in, the kayak sprang a leak and began to take on water. Thankfully, the lake level was low and several of the smaller rockpiles between the island and Oak Shores were poking out of the water which allowed us to stop and empty out the water as we island-hopped our way back to shore. In all of the commotion though, my prescription sunglasses went overboard and the drybag came open and filled up with water frying our cellphones and keyfobs. That kayak found a permanent home in the dumpster at Oak Shores.

Anyways, welcome ! 

Was it a sevylor or an intex? 

My advance element is more than 10 years old and still going strong.

I used an inflatable kayak exactly once to paddle out to Goat Island at Lake Berryessa. On the trip back in, the kayak sprang a leak and began to take on water. Thankfully, the lake level was low and several of the smaller rockpiles between the island and Oak Shores were poking out of the water which allowed us to stop and empty out the water as we island-hopped our way back to shore. In all of the commotion though, my prescription sunglasses went overboard and the drybag came open and filled up with water frying our cellphones and keyfobs. That kayak found a permanent home in the dumpster at Oak Shores.

Anyways, welcome ! 

Was it a sevylor or an intex? 

My advance element is more than 10 years old and still going strong.

Jason, I don't think anyone has anything against inflatables, I actually really like your i12 and almost bought one.  I think we just want to make sure the OP bought a quality inflatable before going out in the big blue.  Hard shell kayaks can sink too and have their own problems.  I think everyone is in the same mindset when it comes to safety.

What kind of advice do you need?

I have an Advanced Elements kayak, too. Tough, well-built, and not bad for good weather.  It's not fast, but I've fished and dropped crab pots from that thing.

I started off with a cheap inflatable. It didn't do well with rockfish spines, but I miss being able to carry my kayak with one hand.

You can be very successful with your inflatable if you let your GF paddle around a swimming pool, small pond or slow parts of the Russian River.  I would not fish out of it.  You can get a good sit on top kayak for cheap and it will last much longer and you will be safer.  Good luck.

I started with an inflatable too.  It was compact, light, and fulfilled my easy thrills back then.  But as my thirst to go further and catch more fish, I needed something more sturdy.

You can get a good sit on top kayak for cheap and it will last much longer and you will be safer.  Good luck.

Your inflatable is only good if it has a yakgina.

So basically ....

Cool video Kevin.

However I would have used a bin when handling crabs or spiny fish instead. 

I will go out as far as anyone except the AI and such in my hobie i14T. It's a user error, not the inflatable