I went and did it !!!!

Fishing Techniques & Entomology
1

I finally broke down and ordered my Kayak. It’s an Advanced Elements Straight Edge Inflatable. I’ve been tempted for over a year now.

I decided on the Native Watercraft Ultimate 12 but learned that while some people may do it - a carrying rack for my 2 door Chevy Cobalt is not made and is not recommended by either Thule or Yakima. I did find ways to carry the Kayak but it didn’t make sense to me to be spending more on carrying the Yak than on the Yak itself. So against most my friends advice I have been looking at inflatables. Besides I have no place to store a hard body Kayak in my Condo!

It’s interesting, all the comments I got from the non-believers showed absolutely no confidence in the durability or safety of an inflatable. I think understandably so as many aren’t fit for a swimming pool. But when on the lake and running into an inflatable owner all I would hear is “Best purchase I ever made”, “I take it every where with me”, and “I store it in my closet or trunk of my car”. I never heard anything but praise from the owners so now I have done it.

I asked on the board here but very few had any experience with an inflatable. Advanced Elements was sponsor at one time and did give away a Kayak in the raffle. It did get good reviews so that was the brand I looked at.

http://www.advancedelements.com/straitedge.html

The Advanced Elements Straight Edge has reports of excellent performance with strong use on Class II and III rapids so I will have to give a report once it arrives and I get a chance to get out. :smiley:

2

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

make sure you get a patch kit for it:p

Eric

3

Sweet! Please let us know how you find it, I would not worry about the puncture side of things, it should be no more prone to punctures than a float tube or 'toon. How you go in a good blow would be very interesting.
Hope you enjoy your purchase, I am sure you will.
All the best.
Mike.

4

Looks like a nice boat and with your current situation probably the best compromise for you. There are always compromises when you buy anything rods reels boats etc. Let us know how it works for you.

Eric

5

Eric,

Interesting comment and it makes a good point! Exactly the same as I got from many of my friends. Some were joking and some were seriously concerned about my safety.

It is one comment that factored into my decision. This logical mind of mine realized the same can be said about Pontoon Boats and Float Tubes. All can be classified as “Inflatable Watercraft”. The problem is there are no standards - this covers the toy not fit for the swimming pool to the Search and Rescue boats used by Coast Gaurd and Navy Seals.

Thus my decision to research and locate a quality manufacturer the same as you would do for a Float Tube or Pontoon boat.

6

I have heard of belly boats being deflated when someone put a blue gill upside down and put a little too much pressure against the boat with the gill while trying to get the hook out. having had my hand deflated by a gill occasionally I can see this happening. My post was in jest but having fished from a canoe, (and I wasn’t sitting on the floor but on a seat) I know how close your line is going to be to that boat. all it takes is one bad cast or one misplaced hook and your going to be heading for shore. just one of the compromises that you face. As long as you plan for this it should be no big deal.

BTW I marked the makers home page as favorites, I also have compromises to make and that looks like a great boat. your going to have to make a post or a product review as to how stable etc it is.

Eric

7

Well the Kayak came in delivered to my place of work Friday afternoon, so maiden voyage should have been yesterday. Unfortunately when I went to my storage shed to get a dolly to carry the box from the car I noticed a nice little puddle around the base of my water heater. That killed the maiden voyage as I spent the whole day with a plumber. :sad:

Today though I was able to inflate it in the living room. It is everything I expected and perhaps a bit more. Once out of the box it is in a duffle bag that will easily fit into the trunk of my car. It pulls out easily and inflates within minutes. Likely easier than a pontoon boat. Deflates just as easily and goes back into the bag no problem.

The material is tough - it is not going to be punctured by a fish spine, at least not accidentally. I suppose if I swung a Channel Cat at it those side spines might do some damage but it would take some force to make a puncture. All in all it looks like a great purchase, but truth really won’t be known until I get it on the water. That will have to be scheduled for next weekend now. Saturday will be the day! :smiley: I will follow up with a report.

8

Congrats Panfisher! Can’t wait for your report. I hope I’m as pleased with my toon as you are your yak when it gets here!!!

good luck,
hNt

9

I’ll be patiently waiting for the review too. Being a college student with a small apartment and 2 door car means no real space for a kayak or canoe. An inflatable would work well and I was thinking about one this summer but never got around to looking into it. I’m hoping it gets a thumbs up so I can think about getting one for the spring.

10

Joe Cool:

Here are a bunch of reviews on this boat. http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showKayaks.html?manf=4

David

11

Good purchase. It looks similiar material to my Outcast pontoon…and there is no puncturing it. Most guys are thinking of the nylon fabric used in the older belly boat and cheaper pontoons. Mine has a heavy duty PVC material. I have ran into all kinds of things…and during demos will take my knife out and attempt to stab it. Never have broke the seal.

One thing you will want to keep in mind is temperature fluctuations. On a crisp morning I will fill my pontoons, but as the temp rises, the air in the bladders expands. This is the main cause of busted seams. Also over-inflation is also a cause of puncturing them. Think of it like letting air out of your tires…less pressure in the bladder means more shock absorption.

12

zhoyt,

Actually I believe this is even heavier material than the outcast. I am definitely not worried about punctures especially since my plan is more for hitting the local lakes. Yeah altitude and temperature changes I am aware of - having used Float Tubes for many years now.

Joe,

Thanks for the link, I haven’t seen that one yet. Looking at the reviews I would say the one with the Pros and Cons is likely pretty accurate:

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2]Pros[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]

[ol]
[li][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][/li][li]Rather dry ride.[/li][li]Self Bailing ports can be covered in calm conditions.[/li][li]Very Stable. I am 5’ 8" and able to stand up to do fly casting.[/li][li]Very reasonably priced.[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/li][/ol]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2]Cons [/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]

[ol]
[li][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][/li][li]Very heavy![/li][li]Does not track straight very well compared to Feathercraft airline (I know, difference price point). I wonder will it be too late to design a skeg for it?[/li][li]Bag does not have a metal ‘D’ Ring at the end of the zip, which means you cannot lock your bag when traveling. But you can sew one on for a nominal price.[/li][li]Bag does not have shoulder straps to double as a backpack. Isn’t it nice to have a bag designed for this purpose and add some space for rod tube and gear.[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/li][/ol]
It is heavy at 35 pounds but that is to be expected considering the materials it is made of. I also see some comments about slow. This is what I expected. I want stable and something I can fish out of with better mobility than a Pontoon Boat or Float Tube. Most the reviews indicate easily going 7 - 10 miles in a day - just try that in a Pontoon Boat or Float Tube. The reviews indicate it should work out great - I’ll keep you posted next weekend after I take it out.

As far as tracking I was looking for something that might perform more like a recreational Kayak not like a touring Kayak. The [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans sarif][SIZE=2]Feathercraft Airline[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT] mentioned would fit the needs of someone looking for a touring Kayak. It is much thinner and designed more for speed than the Straightedge. The two boats simply fit different needs.

The Duffle Bag that comes with it could use some improvement, but is adequate for my needs.

13

Well I got the Kayak out to Lake Saguaro today for a test run. It is everything it is made up to be - awesome boat. My previous post did sum it up - it is what I expected.

It is a true Sit-on-Top, very easy to get in and out of, blows up in about 5 minutes (once you figure out how the valves work :slight_smile: ). Behaves much like a recreational kayak as I expected. Inside the bag it is heavy but not that bad, I carried it from my Condo to the car without difficulty and my Condo is in the center of the complex quite a distance from my car,

I would say the only problem is me. I will need to find a seat that gives more back support. More about the gut getting in the way than the seat that comes with the kayak. If I were in shape I could sit with legs straight and back upright - until I lose the gut that is going to be uncomfortable.

I didn’t take the rod with me this was more of a test run to learn what might be needed for me to enjoy. Now I know.

14

Lol!!!

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssssssssssssssss

I suppose this is a concern for any inflatable. I use a “big” inflatable and a client actually stuck a #6 wooly bugger in it this year. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Then when we came back for an evening session (about 8 hours later) the front right air chamber was soft :frowning:

I easily found the tiny hole and sealed with a patch. Back in business in about 15 minutes. (I use glue, patch and UV lamp)

It was a 1:10000 shot that the fly snapped through underhand on a weird cast and stuck into the material, but that’s life.

15

youre not really serious when you say there is no standards on inflatables for the coast guard and navy seals??