The boat is well designed…
Submitted by:
paddler2614958
on 12/27/2023
The boat is well designed and tracks well but the build quality is poor. One of the seams split 9 months after purchase with very light use. I attempted to contact Pakboats several times but my emails were ignored for 6 weeks. Eventually, I managed to get hold of someone and they agreed that there appears to be a problem with the fabric’s adhesion between coating and substrate and a repair is unlikely to hold. Claiming that their warehouse had just burned to the ground with all of their stock, they were unable to offer me a new skin replacement under warranty. They told me that they would not have any new skins in stock as the Quest did not sell very well and they had decided to stop manufacturing it. Pakboats have continued to sell the Quest 150 on their website since then so this was clearly not true.
In respect to my experience I cannot recommend Pakboats products as they refuse to stand by their products or offer any warranty support, bordering on dishonesty. As such I’m left with an unusable kayak that’s hardly been used.
This was exactly what I was…
This was exactly what I was hoping for use on inland lakes and large rivers, but capable of sea kayaking and Class 2 rapids, and a pack-in trip. Assembly the first time took 2 hrs, but once you see the quirks and tricks, a half hour is about right. With practice, 15 mins. Mike's video shows three important assembly tricks that the wordless Danish video omits. Very well-designed and strong, once assembled, this is every bit an expedition boat. If you took the time to lash the joints as well, this would be truly bomber. Infinitely adjustable backrest, seat allows lower seating in boat if you let out air of seat. Very comfortable, lumbar support is excellent. I got foot pegs and thigh straps, pegs are very good, have not tried straps yet. You can also infinitely adjust seat fore and aft if you need to balance the trim. Tracks straight in stiff wind (for me). Feel no need for rudder. Full length sponsons make boat nicely stiff yet flexes over waves, flotation made me feel very secure in big flat water. Following sea, no problem. Not for surfing, though, it has continuous length keel. Made in Indonesia, manufacture and finish is excellent. I subtract one half star only because no written assembly instructions provided, no link to online video (I found one good one on my own, and one flawed one, the Danish one). Video supplied was on CD ROM, most laptops don't have a CD - ROM any more, a thumb drive would be better. But you shouldn't get a boat like this if you lack patience and ability to figure out assembly. I think it is actually safer and stronger than a fiberglass kayak, and much lighter. Price for what you get is very good value compared to heavier, less elegantly designed, barge-like or less sturdy foldables. If you want an expedition quality, lightweight, but durable pack-in boat that is reasonably priced, this is your boat. If you want a boat you can put together and disassemble in 5 mins or less, and only use for excursions where a city (and rescue) is nearby, then you can find lighter, more quickly assembling - but also twice as expensive - alternatives. But if I had to do an emergency surf landing in rocks, I'd rather be in this hypalon-on-aluminium frame boat than a fiberglass boat which might be holed by a rock, where this boat would flex and keep going.
Very well designed and built…
Very well designed and built boat. Tracks true without need for rudder. Assembly is straightforward with video displayed on paddling.com, there are three tricks to assembly, which written instructions would help, so drop 1/2 star for lack of written instructions. The wordless Danish video does not display these tricks, so watch Mike's video first! This boat so sturdy I feel safer in it than a fiberglass boat, and it is so much lighter. 4.5 stars
