Alfonso Fishing Kayak

First let me give a big shout out to Jirka and Paul from Innova Kayaks, they moved heaven and earth to get me an Alfonso fishing boat. I had been trying to reach Tim Rosenhan formerly of Innova and learned he had tragically left both this life and paddle sports behind him. When Jirka and Paul reached out to me and got me a boat, I had already long since fallen in love with the boat from the spec sheet, pictures, and videos of the Alfonso. Rarely though do dreams of a boat match with it's first use. The Alfonso not only met my expectations for an inflatable fishing boat it far exceeded them. Not only is it a BEAUTIFUL BOAT it is also a dream to set up and use. It can be powered by a motor up to 3hp or by rowing.

I own multiple Innova boats and still retain all of my original fleet from 15 plus years ago. If it is possible, this boat looks better build than all of my other Innova boats combined. This is not just a great fishing boat, it is a great small boat in terms of the thoughtfulness of its engineering and the quality of its materials and construction. If there is a decent small boat feature it is missing I cannot think of it. From its mammoth payload of more than 900 lbs to its ability to configure multiple seating arrangements for up to 3 persons to the brilliant transom mount and rear "skirt" that can nearly if not totally empty a boat should you somehow manage to swamp it in sea or surf. This boat also comes with permanent padding affixed to the seats as well as a floor. I'm a big guy and shaped much like a barrel. I had no trouble whatsoever standing comfortably in this boat. In fact, this boat was so easy to use that I never even drove it home. I bought, unboxed it, and rowed it around Lake Elsinore in Souther California, roughly 8 miles. Never before in my adult life had I rowed a boat. With in 30 minutes on the water I had managed to figure out how to set the oars the proper distance from the boat and began my row of roughly four hours including a few breaks.

Learning to row this boat was far easier than learning how to use my kayak paddle for the first time. After four hours or so of rowing, I FELT GREAT. More importantly, I felt great the next day. Nothing hurt. For a guy who had never rowed in his adult life, this boat (as a boat) took phenomenal care of me its passenger and rower trainee.

Regarding setup, its a dream. Had I read the setup manual first, or payed closer attention to the excellent Gumotex (parent co.) setup videos I could have saved myself the only real mistake I made assembling the boat and seats. Even at that, The boat was so forgiving that I was able to catch my mistake and correct it in under 10 minutes. All totaled the "second" and subsequent times you assemble this boat should take approximately 20 minutes or less from unbagging the boat to rowing or motoring along. It is capable of accepting a 3hp motor.

On the water, I have never moved a water craft of this size with less effort. At 14 feet length and 48 inches breadth, I had somewhat expected this boat to be on the slower side and not all that responsive. I fell in love with the boat design for its intended use, fishing. I've been fishing since I was a boy and I am in my 50's now. I have wanted a boat like this all my life. You could put it in the truck of a compact car and visit any waterway that will permit you to launch. While it might seem to be a bit on the heavy side at 75 lbs, this is practically an ultralight for the boat, capacity, and stability you get on the water. This became especially obvious to me when I chatted with a kayak fisherman at La Jolla Shores in southern California. I was admiring his boat. He said, yeah, it is a great boat but heavy. I was thinking 75 - 80 lbs. His kayak fishing boat was one of the best on the market but it weighed in at 114 lbs DRY, sans ice, food, water, gear. At that point, my decision was made.

As for fishing features, wow, where to start? There are no less than 6 mounting points for fishing pole holders. The boat even comes with a pole holder. There are also two built-in pole holders pre-attached to the TRANSOM and six more on the backs of the included inflatable seats. At the nose of the boat are these AMAZING inflation valves. Push once valve open. Push again valve closed. There are also bungies, a short throw rope, a perimeter line, oar holders and more. I have fished on and off all my life, I can tell you that beyond this just being great little boat, it is now the most important piece of fishing gear that I own. I LOVE THIS BOAT.