Explorer K2 Kayak, 2-Person Inflatable Kayak Set with Aluminum Oars and High Output Air Pump

I lay the blame firmly at Amazon for making purchases like this too easy, but one day a few weeks back I was living my normal, non-watersport partaking life, the next day I had a two person kayak on my doorstep. I drive a Skoda Citigo (tiny!) so it had never crossed my mind that a kayak would be a practical purchase, but this one was inflatable, relatively cheap (£80) and had hundreds of excellent reviews. I’ve never stepped foot in a kayak, but this one would fit in my car, so… The River Avon is only a 10 minute drive away and in a lovely part of the world (Bradford-on-Avon) so we put the kayak, a couple of buoyancy aids and a dry bag in the boot (it all fit!) and headed over. Everything comes in a single –heavy- bag that feels like it will disintegrate at any minute. Included is the kayak, two sets of paddles, an excellent pump, two seats and a shark fin thing that is fun to hold in the water and scare your 4 year old child with. Within 15 minutes everything was assembled, inflated and ready to go, it’s incredibly easy to put together and basically fool proof. The main air compartments go up in no time with the included pump, but weirdly the tiny end pieces (which are not structurally critical) are a nightmare to inflate, they deflate quicker than it seems possible to inflate and shut the valve. I’m not sure if it was mentioned in the instructions (of course I’ve not read them) but there is what looks like another valve at the back at floor level, this is presumably to aid drainage once back on dry land. Yeah I didn’t plug that first time out, despite taking on water the kayak never felt unstable or at risk of sinking. Fool proof, eh? The kayak comfortably held several inches of water, me (6ft) and my 4 year old with plenty of room left for our things and the bag, pump etc. You could probably even stand up in it quite comfortably but I’m not about to try. It’s easy to steer and will move along at a pretty reasonable pace, I’ve been out in it on my own a few times as well and it’s perfectly usable as a one-person kayak. Deflation is easy, open the valves and it’s pretty much down in two minutes. Unlike every tent ever, it actually fits back in the bag without needing a PhD in origami as well, a huge bonus when you’ve had a long day on the water. We love it, a genuine bargain for what appears to be a very well made and thought out piece of kit.

Initial impressions after first use.... Packing and instructions: Fits easily inside the bag. Quite heavy but then it is a sturdy two-seater so this is to be expected. If you need to carry some distance, I'd recommend removing oars, pump and seats and putting in a second bag. I was glad I unpacked and practiced at home as I was much more confident when we got to the water. Note, assembling the paddles was confusing until I realised the instructions cover two different types and there are two diagrams depending on type. Assembly: Generally very easy. After a practice takes 10mins. The air compartments 4&5 (spray decks at front and back) were a little fiddly - they are small and deflated immediately I pulled out the pump. I realised best to inflate by mouth (only 4 or 5 puffs), then push a thumb up under the valve to seal it shut before plugging the top. On the water: You'll get a bit wet so wear suitable clothing. Very sturdy and stable. Consensus is that it's practically impossible to capsize an inflatable kayak. Pick your launch spot with care so you don't break the little fin (skeg) at the back or get stuck on stones. From a beach, I'd suggest floating it in backwards until the skeg is well clear of the bottom, then straddle the kayak above your seat so you can just sit down. If launching from a deck/canal side you would normally step into a kayak and put most of your weight on one leg as you got in but I'd be wary of doing this in an inflatable. I haven't tried yet but I imagine it would be best to sit on the deck and then swiftly and confidently swing round and plop into the boat. Obviously DO NOT get into the hilarious situation where your weight is split between the bank and the boat.... Because inflatables have wider/taller sides you have to lift the paddles quite high and water will steadily drip into the kayak. I realised it's best to have the paddle rings as far out as possible to minimise this. Nevertheless, I would want to land the kayak after an hour or two to drain the water before I ended up sitting in a puddle. Note there is a drainage plug at the back of the kayak to make this easy. The seats were comfortable and I felt quite well supported. I'm 6' tall and sat at the back. After an hour my feet got uncomfortable being wedged to the sides of the front seat. We stopped and moved the rear seat as far back as possible and the front seat forward. This made it more comfortable for me but also much improved the handling - with our weight nearer the ends we travelled straighter and quicker than before, (but obviously not as quick as the rigid hull guys). We were fast enough to not embarrass ourselves. Even with the rear seat fully back, there is room for a 30L drybag behind the seat. As with any trip on the water I'd recommend tying it to the grab-rope so it' doesn't float away should the worst happen. After: Landing was the reverse of launching - come it to shore until it's shallow enough to get out and wade - any closer and you might break off the skeg. We took a large water container in the car to rinse the salt-water off the kayak to save doing it at home. Then a careful drying off with an old towel before deflating. One advantage of this cheap, single-skin type of inflatable is that you can dry it quickly. More expensive, tougher inflatables that have a second skin over the top retain water much longer and need to be left to air dry for some time. It deflates quickly but the bottom and seat valves are like a lilo - you have to squeeze them let the air out - if easier you can take the pump hose off the pump and push the nozzle into the valve to let the air escape (or push something like a coffee stirrer into the valve to stop it closing up). I'd take a waterproof tarp or plastic sheet in the car - especially if you don't have time to dry it thoroughly before driving off. Single-handed: As long as I could park very close to the water I would be happy to take this out just myself. Usually a single-handed paddler would sit on the back seat with it fully forward but my passenger did manage by herself being right at the front. Punture: I managed to puncture it putting it away after the first use, I guess I pushed it down on something sharp while packing away. So when we next came to use it and found it deflating, we applied one of the supplied patches and waited 30mins. This worked fine for about an hour then the patch started to peel off. The patch would probably have worked better if we had been able to clean the area better. I'd say these patches are likely to be fine for just a temporary repair and then to do a better job with a PVC repair kit once home. A fellow paddler said "always carry duct tape!". Sounds like good advice. Dogs: I've seen several videos and read a couple of reviews with people taking small dogs in this type of inflatable (with some padding in the kayak). I'm not brave enough to try my 20kg dog who will want to constantly get in/out to swim. Maybe someone else has tried?

We've used our kayak a handful of times over the summer and found it to be a fantastic purchase. It's very easy to inflate, the supplied pump allows the kayak to be inflated quickly, I haven't timed it but I think it was probably around 5-10 mins to inflate the kayak itself, then another 5 mins to inflate and fit the seats plus build up the paddles - so around 15-20mins from being in the bag to getting it in the water. Deflating is also pleasantly easy and quick, expect it to take around 15 mins to deflate and pack away. All of our use of the kayak has been in the sea and on relatively calm days with little wind (less than 10mph) and no swell/waves. You do notice how easily the wind can influence the kayak and I'd be hesitant to allow my kids to use it alone with any offshore breeze, and if the wind speed is over 12-15mph it's going to start pushing the kayak off course and make paddling much tougher. The kayak tracks better than other inflatables I've tried but nowhere near as well as our previous plastic sit-on-top kayak, but it's still easy to paddle and manoeuvre and remained stable at all times. We've used it as a double seater and a single, with the kids (ours are early teens) happily taking it out on their own to explore the neighbouring coves and beaches. My only concern when purchasing was longevity with fears that it would puncture easily, we haven't yet encounter any problems but equally well I don't expect it to last forever. With the price I paid I'd be content if it only lasted for a couple of holidays, and to be fair, having previously paid £25 an hour to hire a double kayak on a local beach, with the use we've had out of it already this summer it's provided good value for money.

Great blow up kayak. Good value for money. Has lasted really well. Storage bag just isn’t great, you’ll need to get something else as they handles can’t cope with weight and broke almost immediately but boat itself is fab.

I ordered this on a Sunday and it was due for delivery 8days later.....it arrived 3 days after purchase, result 👍👍. It comes very well packaged in a great box. It has a storage bag for transport. If folded correctly it goes into the bag quite easily. It is very easy to set up with 5 compartments requiring air, and they are clearly numbered to show which to inflate first. It comes with a 10cm strip of clear plastic that is your pressure gauge. At first I thought this was a gimmick but it works perfectly. The base and 2 sides are the big compartments requiring plenty of air. I already had an electric air bed inflating pump which plugs into car socket so I use this to do 90% of the inflating then attach the hand pump for 3 or 4 pumps up to full pressure. Very easy to inflate this way. Compartment 4 and 5 are on the ends of the kayak and I blow up these and the seats with my mouth. Very quick and easy. The kayak is quite light to carry to the water then I attach the skeg before setting in water, again this is simple. The kayak is very easy to paddle and really easy to manoeuvre in the water. It is surprisingly stable and copes with rougher water well. Getting in and out it stays very stable and doesn't rock or tip over (even though getting in/out can look particularly inelegant). With it being light and having a high front above the water line it can be pushed about by the wind a bit.....but is easily corrected while paddling. My wife and I bought this on a whim due to Covid-19 enforced staycation, but WOW what a whim. We have absolutely loved every minute out on it and its made a great staycation. Every trip we plan we get so excited, its such a relaxing and fun way to spend time together. We have had 1 trip in a sea Lough around some islands and 3 river trips so far. The kayak seems fairly robust but we are super careful to make sure we don't hit rocks or anything sharp just to make sure we never damage/puncture it. The oars come in sections for transport and easily click together. The only slight gripe is that at 2.18mtrs long we found some water easily dripped off them onto our legs and into the kayak. I remedied this by removing the center plastic joining section and getting a wooden brush/mop shaft and sanding it down to be a tight fit and hammering it into the oar shift and then covering in duck tape. With this section fitted my oars are now 2.4mtrs long and this makes a massive difference and now we rarely get water dripping on us. In conclusion.......don't waste time wondering......just buy this kayak and start having fun adventuring on the water.

This has been one of the best things I have purchased this year. It has bought a lot of enjoyment, peace, amazing sights and cannot wait to get back on the river. Pro: cost for what you get. Boat, pump, 2 sets of paddles and comes in a hold-all bag (not the best quality but sufficed thus far). Inflates through 5 separate points taking about 10 minutes maximum, plus inflation of the seats that strap in. Cons: Once inflated it is big and not the easiest to carry, for one person to lift and carry, it is a bit tricky but doable. Note: Make sure the water release cap is closed on the bottom rear of the boat prior to launching. Luckily I did a practice inflation once it arrived in the garden to ensure there were no punctures/as expected, this cap was open. If excited by the river you may overlook this only to discover on the river when you get the sinking feeling. Having read other reviews as part of my research, make a small hole in the skeg and connect with a line to rope on the kayak, should the skeg come detached then you will still have it connected via the rope rather than paying £17 for a new one. If just for a quick jolly on the river, then great, if going distances then you will need to have a reasonable level of fitness. Downstream is fine, upstream back to your starting point is where stamina is required. Check winds, if really blowing then give it a miss... you're in an inflatable! Most waterways in Britain require kayakist and canoesist to hold a permit. Check first where you are going. For example, you require a permit for the River Thames and most canals. See British Canoeing as they have an all-in-one permit for 4500km of waterway. Enjoy!

Not owned anything like this before. My wife has a paddleboard which is a real work-out to pump up, but having bought Intex airbeds previously, I know the pump they supply is really good. It inflates both on pulling up and pushing down, and this pump was exactly the same. Taking inflatable/ foldable products out of their bags for the first time (tents, looking at you) is always worrying as you feel there's no way it'll go back in. But, Intex have you covered- the bag is very spacious so even after deflating it poorly, you can still get it in the bag (but best to deflate as well as you can). Tent manufacturers could take some notes here, they always provide bags that are just sightly too small! Easy to inflate, instructions are clear, and the fact it can hold 180KG/ 400lbs is great. There is nothing that is a pain with the inflation and clipping the seats in- 5 different things to pump up (2 seats, the floor, 2 sides) but it's so quick and easy. Even my 6 yr old was mucking in and making good progress. My only minor quibble is the the seats could use a bigger plug as they're not the easiest to deflate, as squeezing the nozzle to let the air out doesn't do the greatest job. Still, this isn't that big of a deal and frankly I'm nit-picking. In summary, at the price (£95 at time of writing), this is a solid, great fun and well made piece of kit. And the yellow/black looks great.

I don't often write reviews, but this product deserves it. I'm a sea kayaker with a "proper" kayak, so when I bought one of these as a portable "holiday" kayak I didn't expect much more than a wobbly inflatable dingy type affair. I was very very surprised with how good this is! Firstly, in the box you get a basic pump, some modular paddles, two inflatable seats and the main kayak. To pump it up you just follow the numbers, there's 3 main compartments, being the two sides and three floor, then two small ribs at each end, then you inflate the two seats. The seats velcro into the floor and can be moved front and back a bit. Then on each seat two nylon straps clip into clasps on the main kayak body and can be tightened to support the back rests. There's a plastic "skeg" that clips in the bottom to help going in straight line. Clip the paddles together and you're all set! Oh! But don't forget the bung at the back like we did our you'll take on water!!! We actually never found our bung so not sure if we lost it or it was missing but I stuck a whisky cork in it and all good!!!! The whole setup comes in a handy bag which is heavy but not too bad. And it's generous enough you can get the kayak back in it again after including the seats and paddles. With two people it zips along in the sea, and even though I'm 6'2" I was pretty comfy in the back with gf in front. Although I did have to cross my legs. Solo, I sit in the front/middle and have plenty of room. Im used to a very decent rigid sea kayak and didn't expect great things of this inflatable, but it tracks very very well even with a side wind or into a head wind or against the tide. It turns more easily than my rigid kayak too! It's really very fast for an inflatable! People at the beach had various types but this one was by far the most rigid and sturdy that I saw. I thought the paddles would be crap but their very decent too!!!!!! In short, for the money, I don't think you can go wrong and it's really easy to inflate, use and repack. Buy one! You'll not regret it in my opinion.

付属の手動ポンプで膨らませたが、初めてで15分ほどで完了した。 片付けも15分くらいでできたが、夏場にすると汗だくになってしまうくらい疲れます。 収納後のサイズがそこそこでかいので、しまっておく場所を確保しないといけないのと、わかってはいたが重いので持ち運びは大変なのでキャリーが必要。 付属の取っ手で長距離は持ち運べません。 それらそ差し引いても価格が安いので満足しています

Très satisfait par ce kayak qui tient ses promesses. Il est étonnament extrêmement stable, on peut se mettre à l'eau ou remonter dessus sans risquer de le retourner. Le gonflage est rapide (il faut juste prendre le coup de main la première fois mais c'est assez intuitif par la suite) et se fait en moins de 10min avec la pompe qui est très efficace. Lorsque replié dans le sac avec tous les accessoires, il est plus lourd que je ne l'imaginais mais c'est nécessaire pour garantir sa résistance. Le kayak m'a l'air très solide, nous l'avons déjà utilisé 4 jours sans aucun problème technique. Cependant le sac a l'air un peu fragile, mais cela ne me pose pas problème. Niveau confort c'est excellent, beaucoup mieux qu'un kayak rigide, cela ne fait pas mal au dos ni aux bras. Les rames sont efficaces et légères. Bonne surprise aussi, il y a beaucoup d'espace dedans (testé avec 2 personnes d'1m90) ce qui permet de tout embarquer pour ne rien laisser à terre. Je ne l'ai pas testé sur des eaux agitées mais pour des eaux calmes comme un lac c'est absolument génial.

Très bonne stabilité bonne balade dans les gorges du Verdon

Suitable for people who want to have fun and enjoy small water adventure but it’s not suitable for professionals

Love it because it’s so much fun to use, great price. Hard work to actually pump it up and deflate for storage.. but hey!!! when your scenery outweighs the hard slog, what can you say…