As I get older and older, I fish less and less. I sold my 16 ft tinny last year, but still, occasionally, want to get out onto the water.

I have a small pond nearby that would lend itself to a 10 or 12 ft inflatable boat. Weight capacity is 400 lbs which should be enough for my big 250 lb butt.

Just wondering if anyone has used one of these or something similar??????

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07F88P35C/ref=emc_b_5_t

You still have the Lifetime Manta?
The Manta is only 20lbs heavier than the Intex.

I’ve had a Sevylor inflatable and hated it. At 220lbs+ an inflatable with drop stitch flooring for better support and stability is really nice. The drop stitch floor kayaks start at around $700

Now have a Sea Eagle 350fx and love it

Cheaper, lighter, higher capacity, and better quality than the one you listed, take a look at the Sea Eagle 370

Well, after all that, this guy has a lot of good things to say about the Excursion Pro and the Challenger

I no longer have the Lifetime Manta (great cheap yak).

Unfortunately, when I changed vans from a 2007 van to a 2014 Toyota Van, the Manta no longer fit inside.

I have no interest in putting a 60+ lb yak on top of the van anymore (I'm 81 now). I don't have and won't have a pickup truck. I have no interest in storing and hauling a trailer, which led me to the inflatable consideration.

I'll look into the Sea eagle, but do kind of wonder what made that one markedly better than the Intex choice.
Thanks for all of the help. rich

All the best in finding something you like.
Inflatable kayak seats definitely benefit from this easy $15 modification + a couple of 3ft long zip ties. (both found at Wmart)

Be careful guys!

I have one of the cheaper models I picked up at academy a few years ago. It doesn’t handle that well in open water but we have had a lot of fun with it in rivers. The best thing about it is that it fits in a suitcase and we can fly with it. Here’s a few pics from a long weekend trip to the John Day River in Oregon.

I have some experience with the Intex Challenger 2 Kayak having used one for several years. I purchased this so I could roll it up into a bag and carry it in my Motorhome. I enjoyed the above video comparing several inflatable kayaks and can add my 2 cents. First of all he is correct about the seats. This was the first thing I replaced with a stadium seat. A couple of things that relate to his being a very fit 20 something as opposed to my 70 something. The manual pump that comes with the intex is very good. If you want some exercise it takes about 60 pumps to inflate a kayak. With my Motorhome sitting there it is much easier to plug in the electric pump and only takes a minute. Getting in and out is probably easy if you have a nice beach like he did but in in several years I usually dealt with a 2-3 ft drop to the water with rocks and limbs. My cheap kayak never leaked and I never had to patch it. The standard paddle seemed to work fine and since I never used an expensive one I don't know the difference. You must have the skeg for any decent tracking and if I was still using it I would think about adding a second one. My Challenger 2 looks like the green one he reviewed but is 11' long and has 2 seats. I was usually by myself with one seat but on occasion my better half would want to go so I was always prepared to carry both of us and we always had a good time.
Over the years I kept trying to improve the fishing Kayak experience by adding stadium seats, rod holders and equipment basket. Then I went a little further and added pontoons, a PVC frame, trolling motor, Garmin striker depth finder and batteries. One day I ran across an old Triton TR21 bass boat for sale and never looked back. A kayak is a lot of fun but you just can't beat sitting high and dry fishing from the bow of a Bass Boat. Almost forgot...this will be for sale in the spring if you are in this neck of the woods.

Apparently Intex is a little better than Sevylor. Whatever you do don't buy Sevylor, I shipped one of their rafts back home for my vacation in September and it popped on the third fishing trip from some sticks- two chambers at once.

Adding a skeg or two makes a huge difference.
The adhesive you use will depend on the material of the bottom of the kayak and the skeg material
If it’s PVC, Stabond two part PVC adhesive with catalyst is best
See instructions and PSA here (10th and 11th posts down)
Adding skeg(s)

And +1 on don’t buy a sevylor. Had one and hated it. Too many corners cut on quality design and materials.

This video goes over the best adhesives depending on kayak and skeg material.
I know many have had success with Goop and other all purpose marine adhesives; especially if there has been good prep.

Basically, the best adhesive for urethane/rubber skegs is Clifton’s adhesive
and the best adhesive for PVC skegs is Stabond.



PVC skegs are more rigid and tend to be taller than urethane/rubber skegs, which provides better tracking, but you might have to remove the skeg more frequently for transportation.

Bucketlist - its hilarious yet awesome that your intrex is registered. I’ve thought about getting something similar for my trips down to Galveston. I just wonder how an inflatable would hold up in the bays especially over oyster beds.

I have a diablo amigo that i take sometimes but I worry about where to store it especially if we’re staying in a rental and its just one more hassle with a truck already loaded down with gear, kids and pets. I just wonder if an inflatable would be easier for those trips.