Point taken. There are advantages and disadvantages to all types. I have both hardshells, and inflatables, and love them all. As far as I am concerned, there are no bad Kayaks.

My point was that there is nothing wrong with a good inflatable kayak. They are just as safe as a hardshell, generally speaking. They are a viable choice.

Quote Originally Posted by jszymczyk View Post
I'm not going to take anything away from your preference for inflatables, but you're not entirely accurate about the other stuff. Small cracks or holes in a "hard" kayak can be patched in any number of ways in the field -IN AN EMERGENCY- at least enough to get you home. Modern thermoplastic roto-molded kayaks can be easily and inexpensively welded and built up to fix all but major cracks and holes, not to mention the material is remarkably tough and forgiving of impacts. Plastic welding and filling is easy to do at home and can be done by anyone with rudimentary mechanical skills. "Laid up" glass, Kevlar whatever, boats also can be repaired fairly easily and cheaply with fabric and epoxy.

I'm sure there are very good inflatable boats out there, but there are reasons why they are still only small piece of the kayak market.