http://www.seacanoe.org/inflate.htm   Â

A little hot air on inflatable kayaks

"Most inflatables belong in swimming pools."

     So sniffed Randel Washburne in his 1983 book, The Coastal Kayaker: "Some can handle moderate whitewater...Most can be guaranteed to float...But they will not carry much cargo, have little freeboard, will not track, and are abominations in wind."

     Well! By 1989, Washburne’s view had warmed up a bit. In The Coastal Kayaker’s Manual, he admits, "Hawaii resident Audrey Sutherland has forced me to eat my words. This veteran worldwide coastal cruiser has paddled over 4,000 miles in Alaska and British Columbia alone, always solo and always in an inflatable. Her ingenious gear system allows self- sufficient travel for weeks at a time, and she regularly manages 20 mile traveling days."

     I thank Audrey Sutherland for turning me on to inflatable kayaks. But most of my sea kayaking friends have all they can do to stifle their guffaws at the thought. And in the East, you can’t be a serious whitewater demon if you’re in a (snicker) "rubber ducky." Out West, however, whitewater paddlers love ‘em. Jeff Bennett sings their praises in his book, The Complete Inflatable Kayaker (Ragged Mountain Press, Camden, Maine, 1995). So now, inflatable kayaks even merit their own book, at least for whitewater, if not for touring.

     Contrary to Washburne’s earlier claim, there are many inflatable kayaks now made to withstand the most punishing Class V rapids, as Jeff Bennett’s book shows. And in case you doubt whether the author is a serious whitewater paddler, check out the photo of him on page 109, in mid-flight half way down a 30 foot waterfall - in an inflatable kayak, of course.

and so on...........

There is a literature discussing inflatable kayaks on the ocean. Read and make your own judgement. Here is one place to start