Inflatable kayak vs inflatable boat for spearfishing

[Gab]

Hi all,

A buddy and I are thinking of getting either a two person inflatable boat or kayak, which is better for spearfishing?

I am thinking about things like:
* rowing ease
* storing spearguns, a bottle of water, masks, fins, etc. on the craft
* getting in and out of the water and on to the craft

We will not be getting a motor if we choose the boat. When I say inflatable boat I mean the type you can inflate/deflate yourself, not the permanently inflated type.

Thanks!
Gab

 

[Gazz]

I have used both,

The inflatable kayak makes a crap dive platform.
The Boat is slow without a engine.

Get a plastic kayak, best solution.

 

[Gab]

Hi Gazz,

Thanks for your input.

Unfortunately we can't get a plastic one because we have no place to store it, that is why we were looking at inflatables.

Why is the inflatable kayak a crap platform in you opinion?

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[foxfish]

Because they are difficult to get in and out, they puncture easy & drift with wind fasted than you can paddle!

 

[Gab]

Ok, thanks we will take this important information into consideration. So in that respect an inflatable boat is better?

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[foxfish]

Pretty much all inflatable craft will be dramatically effected by the wind, this is due to their light weight and the fact they sit very high on the water.
I am sure lots of folk use inflatables for diving, just bear in mind they might not be as easy to use as you hope.
Perhaps look at what is available, maybe something with a hard floor & a bit of a keel?

 

[Gab]

Thanks Foxfish. The usecase is principally non-windy situations, quick deployment and small storage footprint. This leaves us only with inflatables. We will use an anchor to hold them in place when we are spearing. We need the craft to be big enough for two people and our gear; the ease of getting in and out of the water is one of our worries, as is the ease of paddling (we cannot use a motor). We will not be going very far along the coast, at least we have not planned to.

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[Gazz]

There are some rigid fold up kayaks i have seen before.

What you want is rigidity, I used a 2 man quality inflatable kayak once and it was so slow and tracked all over the place. It wasn't that much faster than swimming. If you met strong winds in these craft you could be in real trouble.

Your other option might be a small light weight surf ski. that would be easy to store and if you get a good one it should be reasonably fast.

 

[growingupninja]

I have a 15' Kaboat (inflatable kayak with wooden transom). I have paddled it, and had three different engines on it--2.5hp 2 stroke, 9.8hp 2 stroke, and 6hp 4 stroke.

Paddling it is possible with 2 guys; it does come with oars which are a joke, throw them away and get a kayak paddle. We have done up to 6 miles a day this way. It sucked, even more so in comparison to a real kayak (I have happily done 18 coastal miles in a day on a real kayak).

With the 9.8hp 2 stoke I did 35 miles in a day, coastal. It was okay but really the engine was kinda heavy for that boat and it sucked a lot of gas which means more weight. The 2.5hp I used to do 20 miles a day regularly. Sweet little engine, weighed 30lbs, but top speed was about 7kts. 6hp four stroke is perfect--60lbs is not too heavy to deal with and i actually get close to 20 miles per gallon doing 12kts. I have run it a few times on that set-up from Redondo to Catalina--that is 26 miles across open ocean, so about 65 miles in a day...

The boat weighs about 60lbs and for deeper hunting I just treat it as a giant dive float, bullseye 35# of lead and steel to the pinnacles on bottom and cinch the anchor nearly vertical... My kaboat + spearing gear + 6hp engine fits in a compact car, I set it up, run and launch it solo all the time, although for beach launch you need two guys.

An inflatable with a small engine=incredible spearing and freediving rig. An inflatable you intend to row in the ocean=buy a plastic kayak instead.

Edit: by the way, i guess i did not answer your question but if you have to paddle an inflatable, a kayak design will be much better than a wider 'boat' design for paddling ease and be better in wind and swell but a wider boat design is easier for beach launches/landings... Really neither one is anything you want to paddle in the ocean.

 

[halfandy]

I have an inflatable dinghy with a wooden floor and wooden transom. It's about 2.5m long and fits two people and kit. It's a bit snug but two will fit. The floor is a bit of a pain to put in but well worth it. Getting in and out isn't a problem. It's very stable. An engine is essential IMO. Even a little 2hp is better than rowing an inflatable. It's not too pleasant rowing any further than a few hundred meters. Even if you don't want an engine now, if you have a boat then you have the option.

 

[John86]

Hi gaz,
I've got a two man inflatable sevylor kayak (reef explorer 205) which is similar to the sevylor dive yak and it's fine on my own with kit and it's open backed so it's easy to get in and out of, but it would be a night mare with two in it. I've also just bought an intex seahawk which is basically a rubber dingy and have put a ply floor in it and a transom mount on it, it go fine up the river but any wind you really notice it. Not braved open water yet and not sure I will!
I've got an electric trolling motor run off a marine batery which works really well on the dingy and kayak it's light enough to carry and it's silent! I only use it as an aid tho and don't treat it as a "real" outboard!
You'd be pushing it on the weight side aswell with the two of you plus two loads of kit and anchor ect.
Maybe better off with two singles, you've then got back up if one of you sticks a knife or spear in your yak! Also you can lash them side by side for a sturdier platform when getting in and out of the water.

 

[samuelskelton]

The distinction fit as a fiddle between inflatable vessels and inflatable kayaks has noteworthy repercussions for everything from execution on the water to the degree of transportability. For inflatable pontoons, they highlight an a lot more extensive base that typically implies that these vessels are regularly in fact fit for holding more travelers.

While it wouldn't be a frightfully agreeable ride, my Seahawk 4 inflatable vessel gloats of having the option to suit up to four grown-ups and quite a bit of this is because of the generous width of the pontoon. Past the additional width of the pontoon, the nose and tail of an inflatable vessel is typically very level or squat and doesn't highlight sharp points as a kayak would.

Then again, inflatable kayaks have a shape that is only that: an inflatable watercraft that is planned looking like a conventional kayak. What this first methods is that the kayak is more tight than the inflatable pontoon all through its whole body. In addition, the nose and the tail of the kayak include a sharp edge that permits the kayak to slice through the water easily.

 

[popgun pete]

Anything tippy may roll and send your gear to the bottom, so your spearfishing excursion may turn into a salvage dive as you recover your possessions.

 

[Gab]

I finally got the Intex Mariner 4 (unmodified for now) and I am quite happy with it.

It is a lot heavier than a kayak, but it seats 3 adults with gear (they say 4 but it is too tight with the gear). It has an inflatable keel to keep it from drifting sideways to much, it is robust, has a hard floor, side line where you can hook spearguns, fish net, etc. I use a 500g anchor when we want to stay put and raise the flag. The best part is that you can actually climb back on it from the water without tipping it over! I hesitated for a while (it is heavy!) But the pros outdid the cons in the end when compared to an inflatable kayak.

A flat back inflatable kayak (e.g. Sevylor Reef 300 or Aquaglide Rogue XP2) may be better if you need to navigate in difficult areas though. If I get tired of rowing I may buy an electric motor.

 

[musubi]

Hello. As much as I want a Hobie, I won't be able to get my SUV in the garage if it has a roof rack on it. Does anyone here freshwater fish out of an inflatable? I see a bunch of reviews on Youtube but I'd rather get real-world experience from people here. It would be for a couple of local lakes and floating the Delaware river (when it's at a reasonable flow rate )
I like the idea of being able to leave it in my hatch all the time, I am concerned about durability but from what I've seen some of them are pretty tough.

I'd check out the Oru kayak line. They seem pretty sturdy from the video's I've watched and seen people fish out of them on lakes.

 

[Mr. X]

Anything tippy may roll and send your gear to the bottom, so your spearfishing excursion may turn into a salvage dive as you recover your possessions.

Pete is right, I found some curious things in a net bag weighted to the sea bed, near rocks, which turned out to be spearo/dive accessories!

Looked a bit grim but decided to recover it to see what it was. Not easy as heavy and tangled but my dive float proved useful.

I presume a spearo/diver on a boat or kayak overturned nearby (not far from a remote beach with only private and limited sea access.)