Inflatable Canoes

[Europeair]

We are thinking of buying an inflatable canoe because I don't want to be bothered with strapping a solid one to the roof of our Hymer. Does anyone have any experience of using one?

 

[Guest caraprof]

Europeair - 2007-07-17 9:19 PM We are thinking of buying an inflatable canoe because I don't want to be bothered with strapping a solid one to the roof of our Hymer. Does anyone have any experience of using one?

I had a superb one for many years and canoed the Ardeche gorge and many other easier rivers. The bag that they go into is pretty large and the canoes are prone to damage. When canoeing the Dourbie, a tributary of the Tarn, I shot over a rapid and dropped four feet. Unfortunately I dropped onto a sharp rock, which puntured the middle compartment and made the last mile or two very difficult.

Now I just rent one for the day.

I bought mine in France and had it for about five years. It was great to use and comfortable but there is always that risk of damage, which may leave you stranded with miles to go. Having said that though, if you're not white water canoeing there is less chance of a tear or puncture.

[andy]

Practical Motorhome August 2007 page 50 has feature including inflatable canoes. It gives a couple of web sites for manufacturers: www.seaeagle.com and www.sevylor-europe.com and also www.kayaksandpaddles.co.uk

 

The article says they weigh around 12kg, pack down to 50x60cm and cost about £150

[Guest JudgeMental]

COSTCO and MAKRO often have good offers on inflatables

[MandyAndy]

We have just bought one for my son and daughter, the bloomin thing is huge, stretches across the lounge.

 

We are really pleased with it, going down the Loire in summer and across to Brittany so hoping to get lots of use out of it. Bought it from a company on Ebay, cost, quality and postage we thought very good. It is a 2 person one, came with 2 oars with paddle on each end, pump (which is very fast) and a zip bag. It is heavy though so if pay load is a problem you may need to ditch a few cans of beans.

 

It is the K2 Challenger as listed on Ebay £64.99 + £14.99 postage, came very quickly by courier. Sorry can't do links .

 

Mandy

[grocer jack]

So do Anne Summers. Whoops, wrong sort of inflatable.

I'll get my coat! :$

[Mel B]

We've got one (see below) and have had it for a good few years not. It's a Gumotex Palava large 2 berth Canadian style canoe. It's very rugged - has to be with us and 2 dogs with their sharp claws! We've never had a puncture yet and have used it quite a bit. After a couple of goes of getting it out and putting it back, just one of us can now have it out, inflated and ready to go in 10 minutes, and less to pack away. We always give it a good dry down before packing it away to keep it nice and clean and check for damage, but have never found any problems with it after use.

 

It packs into a large rucksack type bag about 15" x 8" x 36" max (depends on how well you roll it up but you soon get the nack and can get it smaller if needed. It probably weighs about 45lbs. We went for this one in particular as it is very tough, made from the same material that the inshore lifeboats are made of so we knew the dogs wouldn't damage it and that it would withstand a battering if necessary. With it being a Canadian type it also means that you sit on seats across the top rather than in the canoe, so my husband finds it much easier for paddling than a traditional canoe/kayak.

 

It cost us around £450 three years ago including paddles (can be clipped together for one double ended paddle or with 'T' pieces to make 2 separate paddles), pump and postage. We originally saw one on ebay but bought one direct from a company in Germany in the end - in the UK they were at least £599!

 

You can get much cheaper ones but remember that they are not meant for much more than a bit of messing about on the odd lake etc, not meant for proper paddling. There are also some 'middle of the road' ones cost wise, we've not actually seen any of these in the flesh to don't know how good or long lasting they would be but if you only intend to use one occasionally on quiet water and look after it it would probably be okay.

 

One thing you must be aware of though is that they are more prone to wind than a conventional canoe, we've found that when we have the edogs on board with us it is actually a lot better than without, probably because the extra weight keeps the canoe lower in the water so less easy to blow across the surface. If you don't have any handy 'dogs' to take with you just put some weight in it. A few lemonade bottles filled with water would do the trick, quick, cheap and easy.

 

Oh, and make sure you get yourself life jackets and use them, it's tempting not to when you're on a nice lake etc but it surprising how cold water can be even on the hottest of days and if you're dunked in the middle of a lake it's a hell of a swim back. When we got a dunking in the Ardeche gorge in May it certainly made it easier for us to get out safely not only for us but our dogs ... if our little dog especially hadn't had a life jacket on I have no doubt that he wouldn't be here now. Dogs can swim well but not indefinitely, people tend to forget that unfortunately.