Inflatables

[TheAG]

Greetings, fellows. Does anyone have any sage counsel to provide on the subject of inflatable yaks? I am planning a trip to Andros (where I used to live) in early April, where I intend to head to the west side with a kayak for a 10 day, hard core solo fly-fishing expedition. I've been unsuccessful in locating a hard shell to rent on the island, so I'm thinking that if I pick up an inflatable I can skip a step and get a sea plane to take me straight from Nassau and drop me on the west side for later pickup. (I know a pilot I can trust to do this.)

Any recommendations on inflatables that could hold up? I tend to go pretty light on these sorts of missions, but i will be taking about 30 gallons of fresh water as well as several large dry bags, so storage is an issue.

[Henry]

Your planned trip sounds great. My buddy and I purchased an inflatable kayak a few years ago specifically for the purpose of DIY bonefishing in remote backwater areas innacessable to footbound anglers. Our model is a SeaEagle 380 kayak - http://www.Seaeagle.com . We're very impressed with it as it has held up extremely well due to it's rugged sturdy construction. It's a perfect vessle for two people although it's alot of work paddling into a stiff headwind. Being a single angler, I don't think it would be suitable for you. You'd likely end up getting blown around quite a bit. Another option available from Seaeagle is their "Paddleski". It's almost like a hybrid between a pontoon and kayak. The tracking is much better and paddles/rows much easier. In fact, propulsion options include...kayak paddles, sliding rowing platform, or even a small sail!. If weight restrictions on your airlines allow it, I'd go for the rowing option. Both the 380 kayak and the Paddleski's have plenty of storage so that shouldn't be a concern.

Hope I've been of some help,

[joev]

Here is another option .Its a folding inflatable with a hard bottom.
http://kayakfishingstuff.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/Yakka-Kayak.jpg
Saw one over at KFS it was pretty nice.
Sounds like you got a great adventure planned.

JoeV

[TheAG]

Thanks to you both for the quick replies. I've been looking at the smaller Sea Eagle (340) and it looks like it should fit the bill quite nicely. My only concern is that Andros is notorious for extremely sharp limestone shelves in and around flats areas. Henry, have you had any rips or tears in the backcountry?

The trip should be pretty interesting. I'm going to put in on the West Side near where the south bight cuts through and head south toward the Water Cays, where I will get picked up. I'm looking at about 40 miles over the course of the trip, which is pretty easy. I should have enough time to explore the mangrove interior a bit for tarpon, the type of mission for which the good lord actually invented the handheld GPS. The hope is that a full week of solo adventure will be enough to cleanse my muddied soul of a year's worth of MS Excel-related build-up. We shall see....

Thanks again.

[Henry]

The bottom of our Seaeagle 380 is made up of at least 3 plys. The inner floor liner is rugged in itself let alone the double exterior layers. The inner floor being heavy vinyl...inner layer being 1000 denier re-inforced grey/blue colour...and outer being another 1000 denier re-inforced black. We've got a few "cosmetic" scratches after about 6 weeks of use over every type of bottom you could imagine including molten-lava/type limestone formations as well as oyster-beds etc. We drag it on the sand and bottom out plenty of times while paddling. It's rated at least "Class-4 Rapid" capable so reliability shouldn't be an issue. I'm sure if a person were to abuse it, you could end up getting some punctures that would need repair. Thats a simple matter too as the package includes a reasonably sized repair kit although I'd purchase an extra for such an outing as yours.

After thinking awhile about your post...perhaps the 340 or 380 kayak "may" be suitable for you. You could stow your supplies and water in the forward section of the kayak giving you extra "keel tracking" ability. If you do decide to get one...be sure to also get the "Stabilizing Rudder" option. It sure makes a big difference.

Your trip plans sound like they'd make a great "Boneclave" type outing. Imagine 2 or 3 kayaks paddling the backwaters?

Good exploring!

[Eddy Merckx]

Your trip sounds like a blast!

Have you considered a Folbot or Feathercraft? I've seen Folbots go for reasonable prices on eBay. I paddled one years ago, it handled very nicely, but it was not loaded for the type of trip you're planning. I think the capacity for their bigger yaks maxes out at around 300 lbs.

From your trip description, it sounds like you plan on hauling about 250 lbs. :eek: of water. I know nothing about Andros, is there limited freshwater available on the areas of the island where you plan on camping?