I've been canoeing since I was just a kid, about 20 years. Recently I decided it was time to get into a kayak, problem is I have no space to store one, or the cash to buy a hard-shell that could handle my size/weight, over 300 lbs.. So I landed on inflatables as my answer as they typically have higher weight caps as they are naturally more buoyant and you just have to let them dry out, fold them up and throw them on a shelf when your done.
Anyways I spent several weeks reading reviews and checking out Kayaks and was actually pretty much set on the Sevylor SVX when I happened upon the Qayak site. I instantly noticed that the Qayak's are extremely similar to the Sevy's, infact the only huge difference is the Sevy's have a rigid floor. I'll admit I was kinda skeptical, this thing was about half the cost of the Sevy, but as a small business owner I'm always quick to support a smaller company. I figured it was worth a shot besides they have a 30 day return period, so I took the plunge.
I received my Qayak, which comes with really cheap paddles, a pump, removable skegs, bag, and removable/adjustable seats and of course I inflated it right away to check it out, I was really impressed with the construction, thick PVC coated denier on the tubes and the outer skin on the bottom, with a thinner material for the floor, but it seems fairly strong as well. The seats are pretty solid, and easily adjusted. The boat was so impressive that my friend purchased the single upon seeing mine. We bought some better paddles (the ones that came with it will serve well as back-ups) and yesterday we took them out for the first time.
We headed out on the Hudson River at Nyack Beach and headed up the river a little over a mile, and then came back, about 2 - 2 1/2 miles all said and done. They both performed extremely well, we were impressed, even with the currents and the fact we are both new to kayak paddling they tracked quite well, on a smaller river or lake I think they would be even better. There are two removable skegs which I'm sure helped with the tracking, although I wish they were a little longer, I might fabricate a larger pair for deeper water, and just use these in shallow rivers where I may have clearance issues.
All in all, for the money I don't see how anyone could do better, the only thing I wish was different was that it had a more rigid floor, but I'm pretty sure I've already figured out a solution to that and knowing that I saved a couple hundred dollars, I can't complain.
