AdvancedFrame

One thing I haven't seen mentioned much is how this kayak is perfect size and weight to take on a plane. I try to take an airline that allows the first two bags at no additional cost and one of them is my kayak. One of the best trips was to Glacier National Park, but also to Boundary Waters. Now, it is not large enough for long camping trips, but excellent to explore local lakes and some rivers. That under 50 lb. weight goes in checked baggage and is manageable (though tiring). I use mine to fish and the fabric shell is perfect, though like others say, slow drying. No it is not real sleek, doesn't glide or even track real well. But for me it is GREAT.

Spread the Word, We live on Vancouver Island and I bought the Advanced Elements kayak (10’5” model) after taking one of our friend’s for a paddle. It was love at first stroke. Shortly after, my husband too bought the similar kayak and we now take both on our 30 foot sailboat. The kayaks are light and are stowed at the bow when we travel. They are easily lowered or raised from and to the deck. There is nothing as peaceful as kayaking around a quiet bay enjoying the abundance of marine life we are fortunate to have in these parts. The kayaks track well and require very little effort to move through the water. Two of our friends have subsequently purchased Advanced Elements kayaks after watching us in ours. What also impressed us was the prompt and generous support provided when we experienced a malfunction. AE offered to completely replace the kayak but we settled on a replacement piece which was delivered with a couple of days. Connie & Mike

This is my second kayak, and first inflatable kayak. It is great for recreation and traveling. But it does not have the distance capabilities of my 17.5 Ocean Voyager kayak. Pros: 1. Rides better than any other inflatable I've tried; It is great for flat waters 2. Very space efficient. When it is deflated and packed in its bag it can fit in my small suv truck with room for all my other gear 3. Very portable. It seems to be easier to carry then my hard shell kayak, just cause it is not so bulky and has alittle give in it. 4. Very stable. You really have to try to flip this, It is great for entry paddlers who would be fearful of flipping.

Cons: 1. I thought the material would be similar to like Ocoee river boats, seems to be cheaper and less durable. 2. Does not come with a quick dry patch kit. In order to patch it you must completely dry the kayak, glue on the patch, then wait 12 hours. This means if you take it on a weekend camping trip to a lake and get a hole, you are pretty much not using your kayak that trip. 3. I am 5'10 and I have just enough leg room, for larger paddlers it could be difficult to fit in. 4. Cargo space is limited. 5. I have not been able to tell a difference with or without the spray skirt. Still tends to let water in in heavy waves. 6. Alittle Heavy. Overall: It's cheaper and faster to set-up than a folding kayak. It's not as sturdy or quite as fast as a hard-shell, but it's far more portable and easy to store. It's faster and more stable than a cheaper inflatable. It's a very good compromise kayak and though it may not last that long, I'll probably get another one.

We recently purchased the tandem Advanced Frame Kayak for use in primarily in the plethora of central Tennessee lakes. Our decision making process included single and tandem hardshell kayaks along with inflatable options.

We are hobbyist boaters who most often take canoe trips a couple of times a summer on various local rivers. We wanted to purchase our own craft in order to have a little more flexibility in terms of where and when we went out on the water.

The idea of inflatable kayaks was immediately appealing in the interests of space saving, but we didn't want to make huge sacrifices on quality, or wind up with something that wasn't good quality or able to stand up to the occasional bottoming out on lake beach / river bottom.

Apparently, inflatable crafts have come a long way over the years.

We discovered the Advanced Elements craft and was immediately impressed with the quality of the materials, the durability of the boat, the styling, and review that spoke to how well it handled. We also liked that there was a range of accessories available that we could outfit the boat with, including some that could help improve tracking.

In the end, we settled on the tandem kayak and were able to take it on a maiden voyage before fall kicked in.

Setup was easy and straightforward. The boat is heavier than we were expecting, which just means we'll probably wind up purchasing a trolly for getting it down to the shore... but the heaviness also speaks to the quality of the materials. Two people can carry it and gear successfully, you just wouldn't want to for a very long distance.

Handling was on point even without added backbone or drop-stitch floor, but it's nice to know that those options are out there as we improve our skills and tackle more challenge bodies of water.

Finally, it's worth noting that the customer service is awesome. We purchased the AE pump with gauge from a 3rd party retailer and the attached gauge wasn't working (unfortunately, we didn't notice before we took the boat out for the first time, which added an extra level of challenge to the inflation process!). On a whim, I emailed their support to see about what would be the best bet to handle the issue... and they immediately shipped out a new gauge to us to replace the faulty one. All within about one day.

Combined, all this makes the AE inflatable kayak an excellent buy.

One of the Better Inflatable Kayaks especially for the price. It's a great Kayak for Day trips in calm waters and is very durable. Tracking is better compared to many other Inflatable Kayaks but can be improved by getting either a Back Bone or a Drop-Stitch Floor. I do not advise getting both at the same time though. The Manufacturer is one of the better quality Inflatable Kayak makes.

I'm only a beginner and this is my first kayak, but it suits my needs perfectly. My biggest concerns were 1) storage and 2) portability. The AdvanceFrame is easily transported when I want to go solo since it all fits in a bag that I can carry to and from my car. When I pack it well, my PFD and paddle also fit inside the bag. My only wish is that the bag was a backpack instead of a duffle.

Inflating is a breeze and takes less than 10 minutes using a dual action pump. The first go, I under inflated a little, but the second time I made sure to get it full and had a much better ride. It's comfortable, tracks well (for an inflatable) and I appreciate the built in skegs. There is not a lot of storage inside the hull--small space behind the seat and little to no storage in the front for me (I'm 5'8"). However, there is ample deck space so with a dry bag or a deck bag you could potentially pack enough for an overnight trip (but I'd rather bring a friend that has more storage in their boat).

I would not recommend this for anyone taller than 5'8". It's a good fit for me, but anyone with longer legs will probably feel crammed.

I've taken it on both lakes and Class I/II rivers. On the river I can keep up well with my friends in hard boats, and essentially there is no difference. In flat water, I have to paddle a little more to keep up, but the positives in portability and storage far out-weigh these small downsides.

Overall, this is a great kayak for beginners, especially for someone who will be transporting the kayak alone and doing a few solo paddles.

The kayak tracks well. The storage capacity is limited. There is a bungee cord on the front, and some space behind the seat, but this space is hard to access if you are in the kayak. The kayak tracks well, not like a touring kayak, but better than an entry level hard shell.

The kayak is not very easy to get in, I am 5'11" 230lbs and I need to open the zipper on the front deck, thus it is almost impossible to take a splash on the middle of a lake as going back inside the kayak will be hard.

With regards to the weight capacity, I am a pretty heavy guy (230lbs) but I had no problems using the backbone. The kayak does not bend on the middle.

If water is cold, it's a good idea to inflate the kayak, let it rest on water for some minutes, and then top up the inflation. I have tried to over-inflate a little bit as well, it works, but it is not recommended by the manufacturer.

A couple of times people came to ask me about the kayak, because it doesn't look like and doesn't performance as the usual inflatable boat that people have in mind. I am very happy with this kayak, but For the price, it could come with an inflation pump.

We have never been in trouble. We have been in high waves, without being nervous. Great kayaks, we love them!

Since having it fully inflated is important for best performance, but the instructions warn you to NOT over-inflate, it seems that Advanced Elements should include an accurate pressure gage with the necessary adapters with each boat they sell to ensure proper inflation. At least they have said that if you pick it up on one end, if it is properly inflated, it should not have much sag in the middle.

One drawback is that it does take a while for it to fully dry out after use, and it has crevices that you have to reach down into to try to dry it out; if you don't have the option after a given paddling to leave it inflated for a while to dry out, you would likely need to lay it back out again later to let it dry out completely. A drain valve would be nice. Overall, a good quality boat w/ decent performance.

Other than this I like this a lot. You can pop it easily in the trunk of your car and take it anywhere.

1. This kayak is easy to paddle and is safe even in waves. I use the kayak for photography and never have felt that my equipment or myself are in danger.
2. The inside valve does not release as easy as the outer valve. I think it is a design issue. When the unit is folded one of the folds is much too close to the valve. This has caused the spring unit to bend out of shape. This can be corrected if the inside valve were positioned away from the fold.
3. I do not find this kayak easy to fold and repack into the bag. Most of the time I just store is folded in half. It is not a big deal so far. If I were going to ship the kayak ahead then it might become more of an issue.
4. I have spent many hours in this kayak on rivers and ponds in Wisconsin. My collection of wildlife images has increased because it is my opinion that wildlife is more approachable while on water.

Boy, was I circumspect before, but now, after I've tried it on my very own skin, I swear that if the BMW is "the ultimate driving machine" this boat is the beemer of all kayaks. It is more stable than a hardshell while the trackability is the same. And, wait, there's more: transportability due to inflatable feature, good looks due to the quality of the materials/manufacture ship, customer oriented service people etc. If recreational is your purpose, than look no further. AE really took the kayak world to heaven.

By the way, I'm a 230lbs/6ft Romanian guy that had no problem with the inflated chambers' snug-ness or the backbone's stiff-ness "downunder", as some dudes mentioned before. This kayak really cuts through water like a knife.
PS. For something funny, check out the Quality Assurance checklist that comes with the kayak. It is in Chinese. So... Viva Mexico!

I spent weeks researching inflatable kayaks here on p-net and elsewhere, and finally settled on Advanced Elements after looking at the sophistication of their products and comments from other users about their customer service record.
I was undecided about which model to buy, and after soliciting comments on the pnet message boards and having a long and very helpful conversation with AE's customer service rep, I settled on an AdvancedFrame.
I could not be happier with my choice.

Easy to set up and inflate right out of the bag (which, by the way, it actually fits back into pretty easily), it has so far provided me with quick and hassle-free days of paddling. I find it easy to carry and launch with only one person. The AF tracks very well and has amazing stability; I found it difficult to even deliberately flip it. It sits into the water like a hardshell and glides smoothly through it, and I can paddle circles around friends who borrow my old Sevylor sit-on-top.

The only bit of trouble I've had was when I was inflating it before my last outing and a few inches of stitching on the main tube cover (the AF has a waterproof nylon canvas cover on its two main inflation chambers inside the hull) popped, causing it to rapidly unzip. I deflated the chambers, re-zipped the cover, reinflated them (cautiously using less pressure), and was still able to enjoy a day of paddling without further trouble. I emailed AE about the problem and they responded in a matter of hours. Admittedly, the problem could just as easily have been my fault as it could have been weak stitching. I didn't think I'd over-inflated, but it's a difficult thing to eyeball without a gauge-equipped pump. AE gave me the benefit of the doubt and volunteered to send a replacement tube cover at no cost.

I would consider Advanced Elements to be the top of the inflatables industry not only because of innovative design, but also because of amazing customer service. They really take care of their people. I'd encourage all prospective customers to do their research here on p-net and on AE's website, and then contact them directly with your questions.

The AdvancedFrame is very easy to inflate, in the trips we've done, we were a few steps behind the other canoes and kayaks. I'd say it takes me around 5 minutes to inflate each boat. Deflating the boats takes almost no effort. I've read reviews of people not being able to get the AdvancedFrame back into the bag for storage, but I've never had a problem with this. In fact, I was able to get enough room inside the bag to store our air hammer pump! It's helpful to have a another person help get the kayak into the bag, but one person can do it with ease.

On the water, I've found they are just as fast as a hard kayak when properly inflated. Tracking is okay, I find mine drifts a little, but I think it has more to do with me and my paddling style. My wife's kayak tracks straight and true.

The build quality of these boats is very good. The vinyl is very thick and there are at least three layers of material before you would penetrate the air chambers. I've only had one issue with my kayak, which was the main zipper split in the middle and broke off a few teeth. I didn't think it was a big deal because I was able to fix the zipper. However, the next time I inflated the main chamber, the zipper again split wide open. This happened when my wife and I were on vacation, so I called Advanced Elements and they sent me a new cover at no charge! I did, however, pay for overnight shipping because I was on vacation but I think that's reasonable. Espically since the kayaks are over a year old.

The boats are solid, easy to transport and store, built well, and the company stands behind their product. What more could you ask for?