This is another example of someone being able to get out onto the water in their own boat, in a way that wouldn’t have been possible with a hardshell boat. Here’s hoping he has many happy trips.

Credit: Christopher Reichert

Life is never dull with an inflatable canoe, according to Christopher Reichert.  He has been paddling with crocodiles in Zambia, in a Stearns inflatable canoe and lived to tell the tale.

Cecil Kuhne has written Inflatable Kayaking: The Complete Guide, which sounds perfect for beginners like me. I am a little perturbed, however, when I see what else he has written:

• Near Death on the High Seas
• Near Death in the Mountains
• Near Death in the Arctic

(Also A Litigator’s Guide to Expert Witnesses, which seems to have taken the author off in a different direction – perhaps all those near death experiences took their toll!)

The editorial review on Amazon starts with the line “On the lookout for new, more exciting ways to tempt death? “. Well, no, actually. I am looking for ways to spend more time on paddling about rivers and lakes. So, I haven’t read this, but would love to hear from anyone who has. Is it any good, or is there something better out there?

The other book that caught my eye was the Guide to inflatable canoes & kayaks by William Sanders from 1979. I wouldn’t recommend it as a source of product information – I think things have moved on a little since then – but it might have some useful info on techniques.

Are inflatables costly? No more so than many canoes and kayaks. The cheapest boats usually have unreinforced vinyl tubes. They’re great beach toys for good swimmers. Period. Better boats have Hypalon-coated fabric tubes or encapsulated air-cells. These are more expensive, but they’re a lot stronger, too, and they’re still no more costly than even the cheapest folding kayaks. As an added bonus, better-quality inflatables withstand higher inflation pressures. Higher pressure means greater rigidity, and rigidity translates into easier paddling and better control.

It’s a useful reminder that if you are intending to do more than amuse yourself for a couple of hours at the beach, it’s worth doing your research.

On that note, here are some of the basics you should be looking for in an inflatable canoe if you are considering it as a serious alternative to a hardbody canoe.

• How much weight to you want to carry – even 2 person boats vary quite a lot in what they can handle.
• Do you need room for storage, e.g. camping equipment?
• Are you going to use it for whitewater, sea, or still water?
• Is speed or stability your main priority?

Some recommendations, from a browse of the reviews:
Streamlined paddling on rivers or lakes: Stearns Spree 2-Person Inflatable Kayak for paddling on river or lakes
Whitewater and for those looking for stability: Sea Eagle 340 Inflatable Kayak
All-round favourite: Sevylor Colorado Inflatable Canoe

Whatever you want to do with your canoe, it seems like there should be something out there to meet your needs.