Twist 1

Twist 1. My wife and I own 2 of them. Great fun and very practical to take onboard with us on our 26' sailboat. Used as dinghies to go ashore and as exploration crafts when at anchor. We stow away when not being used. Quick setup even with large volume manual pump. Break diwn equally easy. Top quality valves. One of the kayaks has had major issues with the glued seams coming apart. I repaired with contact cement with much effort. Figured it was worth a shot. Holding up OK but non repaired seams now giving way. I'll fix them and see how it goes. Shame to toss the kayak w/o trying something first. Too bad they are discontinued. Really don't want to buy a longer kayak which is why I'm fixing for now. They wag a bit when paddling but expected that and not a huge problem. Paddling technique can minimize wagging. We always use the skegs and of course they drag in really shallow water. We've had them in pretty rough conditions and they handled it fine. (We are not beginner paddlers) Customer service sucks for US customers. Pretty much non existent.

After a lot of research I bought a Twist 1 for my wife for our trip to Hawaii. It's light weight and the compact design makes it excellent for traveling, and on the water it is stable, nimble, and easy to handle. It was a joy to use. It's light weight does make it vulnerable to cross winds, but it's so easy to paddle (once you develop the necessary skill) it's very versatile. She used it in the bays and lagoons without any issues, sitting up high enough to be able to see and enjoy every-thing, but not so high as to compromise its balance (and it's wide enough to make it very difficult to cause any problems in that area). You do have to use some common sense. The skeg is not permanently attached, and will break off if you hit an obstacle hard enough. To be fair, this would happen to any skeg with a similar design. If you wanted more directional stability, a little imagination and effort could make the skeg larger, adding to its steadiness. That would also help compensate for a paddler's inexperience. Like everything else, it is designed for certain things, and not everything. Taking its purpose into account, it is an excellent choice for uses. Attachable accessories are available from multiple sources to make it the perfect kayak for you. 

One note: I bought ours on Amazon and after using it discovered it was the discontinued model after seeing a newer one. Still and excellent kayak, but the "bait and switch" thing was pretty annoying.

After much research I recently ordered and received two Twist 1 kayaks. We had the opportunity to try them out this past Father's Day weekend while camping at a nearby lake.

The setup was super easy taking only about 10 minutes to inflate both kayaks. Quality construction and materials is evident. 8 different family members ranging in age from 13 to 50 took them for a spin and all agreed...FUN, STABLE and EASY to maneuver!

I could not be happier with this purchase! Now the test will be wear and long-term durability. Oh yeah... deflating and stowing was just as fast and easy as the setup!

The boat is extremely light and compact. Skeg is necessary. It handles on-coming seawaves well despite its claim for calm water only. The speed of the Twist 2 is comparable to other small inflatables of the same length. The "stick-up" seam is annoying, but it helps to deflect some minor seawaves. The small valves for seats develop hard-to-repair leaks after a couple years. The boat is not durable, but I would consider buying another after this one dies. It is so convenient we backpack it everywhere. We have not come across any other decent inflatable so compact and light - the exact reason for buying inflatables.

The Gumotex (Innova in the US) Twist is the lightest and smallest packing inflatable kayak I could find - as far as I know, there aren't any (serious) boats that come smaller. Although it's basic, it's very well built, and oozes quality. The first time I inflated it, I had loads of people stopping to look and ask what it was. The Twist is made from Gumotex's 'Lite Pack' material. As the name implies, it's main quality is it's light weight, but it also seems really tough to me - although I haven't yet had a chance to test it, it has the feel of strong tarpaulin. I've read reviews where people have had misgivings about the toughness of this new lighter material, but I've not heard of anyone who's actually had a problem with it.

I chose this model as I wanted a boat that I could put in a small rucksack and walk the short distance to the seafront from my house. The Twist fits in a tiny rucksack and only weighs 6 kg! I'll be using the boat to paddle out to my favourite freediving spots to go and collect scallops, and the loud yellow colour will help warn boaters of my presence.

I've just got back from my first test-paddle, and I'm absolutely stunned. It can be inflated/deflated incredibly quickly and easily. The most amazing thing is how well it paddled. I'm used to a hard-shell creek boat, so I was expecting a major compromise with this inflatable toy. In fact, it's performance was superb - I paddled a couple of miles around the harbour and it tracked beautifully. I was using the removable skeg,and I found I could paddle quite hard without the boat waggling too much. This is incredible when you consider the short length, low draught and light weight of the boat. It also put in a respectable turn of speed - slower than my creek boat, but fast enough to fight currents and get out of the way of boat traffic. It is very stable - I tried a few high braces, and I found it really difficult to get the boat to go over. You do get wet as you're sitting on the floor of an open boat in the water that's dripped off your paddle.

The inflatable seat isn't anything special, but I didn't find it uncomfortable. The footrest wasn't far enough away for me (I'm 6'2"), however, this can easily be altered by lengthening the webbing strap which holds it in place. There are no thigh braces - I'm sure you could find a way of fitting these, but I don't think I'll bother. For someone like me, who wants a boat to transport me across calmish water, this is perfect. I'm not sure I'd want to drag it over rocks (although it may be capable of this - until someone tries it, we don't know) but as it's so light I can easily carry it down to the water's edge so there's no need to treat it rough. I plan to leave it in the boot of my car, with a drysuit and a collapsible paddle, so if I ever come across some inviting water I'm ready for it.

So far, I haven't seen any other detailed reviews of this boat online, so I thought I'd add my first impressions now. I agonized over the decision to buy this one, as I had nagging doubts over how this would perform. Now I've tried it, I'm certain I've picked the perfect boat for my needs.