Customer Reviews

Coleman 2-Person Sit-On-Top Deluxe Touring Kayak with Paddles

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this 2-person SOT and a one-person Coleman along with the charger, and we're very happy with it. We've had two successful outings on a quiet river, and I predict these will also perform well in the intracoastal channels of Padre Island in a few weeks.

We've dragged both over rocks and sticks, no punctures as yet (knock wood). Sturdier and easier to manage than I thought they would be - I'm quite pleased with them, especially considering the price!

I was considering hardshell kayaks, but was reluctant to spend the money and equip my truck with a roof rack before I made sure we liked the sport and would continue.

The paddles that come with the Colemans are pretty flimsy; my next purchase will be some better paddles.

The rechargable inflator is great - stows in the bag with the kayaks and paddles, can be used right at waterside, inflated and deflated both the 2-person and the 1-person without having to be recharged.

I practiced inflating at home before we got out on site - I recommend that practice round to get familiar.

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I bought this inflatable kayak primarily because several local adventure races require soft-sided boats. It turns out to be one of the best $100 purchases ever, and I'm using it much more than I had originally thought. I love the ease of rolling it up, tossing it in the car trunk and being ready to hit the water almost anywhere. I've used it in the Gulf of Mexico, in the bay, and little inlets and it handles pretty well, even with a non-paddling passenger. It's a fun way to poke around the wetlands, do some birding, etc.--with its shallow draft you can paddle in literally inches of water. Because it is wider and flatter than most kayaks, the wind will push it a bit, but it's fairly responsive and maneuverable, even fully loaded. Definitely spring for the rechargable inflator, which does the job in less than five minutes. The paddles could be better, but they're OK for the money. This kayak is a great option for someone who'd like to paddle sometimes but doesn't want the hassle of storing a kayak, strapping it to the roof of their car, or dragging it to a launching spot. The price works out to be about the same as just a couple days of kayak rentals, and it opens up so many possibilities of kayaking where there aren't any rentals.

I have never owned a Kayak before so I don't really have anything to reference this too. But since I only bought this for $80 I wasn't expecting anything great. My main objective was to use this for boating on a lake on an upcoming camping trip with me and my husband (I swim, he doesn't).

Upon first opening, it was folded neatly in a box and was easy to remove it and unfold it. Don't forget how it's folded so you can fold it back the same way!

I was already somewhat familiar with Coleman's inflating system (I have their airbeds also) and I wasn't that thrilled with it. It's got a dual locking system where the whole valve pushes into itself and then the typical float type closure.

There are 8 air ports to blow up. 4 ports for the footwell areas. One air port for each seat and two air ports for the main kayak. It's a good design if one of the large main ports should rip while you're kayaking. The other large port would probably keep you afloat.

So I took out my Ozark trail inflater/deflator pump and started inflating. Perhaps since my pump is an inflater/deflator, air kept backflowing out of the other pump port. I was getting frustrated because I couldn't get enough air into it.

On top of that, the valve locking system on these Colemans is somewhat tricky and I was about to return it. By the time you'd get the air pump out of the valve, a huge amount of air was lost.

So I finally figured out a great way to get it inflated easily and I would recommend using this method if you have a problem with the valve locking system. For the footwells and seats, I just manually blew air into them with my good ol' lungs. Believe me, I'm a small woman and it doesn't take much to blow them up. You'll be able to get a lot more air into them using your mouth. Now here's the trick. When it's full, take your tongue and put it into the valve so you get no air backflow. Then just push (with your tongue or head motion) the valve into itself. Then you can close the other air lock.

Since the main air sections (2) are large. I used the pump to get it mostly filled and then blew a little more with my lungs to get it nice and full.

The oars were fairly well made however the instructions to put together the oars were terrible. It just showed a picture. The oars consist of 3 metal tubes and 2 connectors. The metals tubes are supposed to go a certain way and it's up to you to figure this out. No help from the sparse manual here.

The oar holders on the kayak are a joke though. They're a soft rubber C and the oars fell right out when we picked up the kayak to put it into the water.

I was pleasantly surprised at how it worked though. It was easy to get into and it's comfortable (even wearing life vests). There are two storage areas covered by a net. The storage areas are good to put stuff into but don't expect to reach into it while you're on the kayak. It's not gonna happen. You'd probably fall into the water trying to reach them. The cup holders work well and are in a convenient spot.

The kayak is easy to steer and moves fairly decently (for an inflatable) in the water. There's two fins (skegs?) on the bottom. One was slightly twisted (from being in the box) but it didn't seem to affect the performance at all.

I overall like this kayak alot. It's great for recreation and good for people who are afraid of the water because it's very stable.

It's a good deal for the money!

Bought this kayak because we are new to kayaking and didn't want to spend $400+ for something we wouldn't use if we didn't like it. It's very easy to set up, my 11 yr old daughter and I can get this out and on the water in >10 min. using the rechargeable pump! It's very stable and 110% more comfortable than a kayak we rented on vacation! Don't be fooled by the picture, I'm almost 6' and fit comfortably in the rear seat.

July 2007:Bought this Sept. 2006. Found it so good bought another double and a single so we have enough seats for everyone to go paddling. Recently took a friend and her 11y/o son out because she wanted something more stable than a canoe. Best recommendation is that after 1 afternoon of paddling with us, they ordered one for themselves and we try to take them out at least once a week. Would still recommend this Kayak without reservation!

My wife and I took this Coleman inflatable kayak out for the first time today on Lake Ray Hubbard in the DFW area. I received it Wednesday in a very compact box and inside, it had the kayak, instructions, and 2 kayaking oars that came in 7 pieces each. These went together quickly, and come with collars that separate each oar into 3 pieces for easy transport and storage.

When I unfolded the kayak for the first time I was really amazed at just how big it is. I'm 6'2" and my wife is 5'7". Both of us fit very comfortably and there is probably enough leg room for someone up to about 6'6" or so to feel really comfortable. There is a storage area in the front and the back that's triangular in shape. We brought along some snacks and drinks in a plastic bag, but I'd be willing to bet you could get a small cooler in there as well.

As for performance on the water, it worked better than I had expected. We launched from the shore over some floating debris and the sides barely displaced 2" of water with a combined weight of 320 between us. It was very stable to get into and out of because it's wide and has seems that allow the side air pockets to pivot and stay still while the bottom moves as you move around. It was a little slow over the water because of the same width and it's also because of the width that I have my only gripe. The included oars are a bit short for the size of this boat, which means you are going to get wet if you plan on getting anywhere in a decent amount of time... you are forced to swing the oars over so far that the opposite oar drips right on top of you.

We did encounter some boat wake, and it took that no problem straight on and at an angle. I would not be surprised if it even took a parallel wake without flipping. It just feels that stable. I wouldn't recommend taking it out in a lot of chop, however... the kayak does move and gyrate a whole lot when you encounter different levels of water.

Blowing up and packing couldn't be any easier. I bought an Ozark Trail large volume hand pump from Walmart to make my life easier, and I was able to fully inflate the kayak in just over 6 minutes from empty. There are numbers on each of the 8 valves that tell you the order to inflate in. Deflating for me was as easy as undoing all of the valves and rolling the kayak one way, then unrolling and rolling the other way. It collapsed on it's own to a size small enough for even the smallest trunk.

I expect to get a lot of use out of the kayak this summer. It's very fast to set up and a lot of fun... just remember that the oars are going to get you wet.

I was a little unsure of the quality that i was getting but you cant go wrong with this product. It is extremely stable and suprisingly durable. It did take a little while to inflate but it was well worth the time and effort. I am in the US NAVY. Myself and a bunch of friends all went on a camping trip. We had about 30 people out at the camp and all of them wanted to go kiaking. If this product can withstand a weekend of 30 drunk sailors it can withstand anything. I cant wait to take it out again.

We love this kayak! We purchased this item for our camping trips. It was easy to set up and the plug design was top-notch. I love the flat bottom that makes this kayak practically tipless! And is it ever comfortable. The included paddles are made well, too. We have only used it this season, so I will update my review as our use continues. I highly recommend this product!

This is a great product. I love it. It has a 595 lbs payload which is very good for an inflatable. It has 8 air chambers which makes it hard to sink if an air chamber fails or even more than one, is long, is easy to store, the paddles seems ok, it is cheap and is not to heavy. The only disadvantage for me is the fact that the front and rear cargo storage are to small. You can keep a book there and maybe a bottle of water but this is it.

This Kayak exceeded my expectations. My husband and I (sadly) combine to nearly meet the weight capacity of this Kayak, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I read all the reviews and decided on this kayak based upon them. There is simply NO HASSLE. A rechargeable pump will get you on the water in under fifteen minutes, and that includes parkling your car. Even with our weight the Kayak is incredibly stable and we took it out on a good sized reservoir. We even picked up some speed. I found the paddles were perfectly fine and would choose NOT to spend more than $40 a piece on better paddles. This is a recreational vessel. It is as comfortable as your recliner, providing excellent back support. As out of shape as we are, neither one of us was tired after over an hour of paddling. You will get wet, but I don't know how anyone could expect not to -- you are sitting on top of the water on an open Kayak. I suppose one could buy some drip rings to lessen the fallout from the paddles, but some water is going to splash on top of the kayak when you encounter wake. I find this a bonus on a hot day - you can kick back and dangle your feet over board while your partner does the paddling. The tracking isn't as good as a "non-recreational" boat - so if you stop paddling and you don't anchor, your kayak will turn this way and that of it's own accord. You can help this some if you physically straighten the skegs before entering the water (they bend sideways when the kayak is stored). There is plenty of leg room for two 6 foot plus people and the storage compartments will each hold a cooler --in fact, weighing them down will keep the skegs in the water and aid your tracking. If you want to have a blast on a lake BUY THIS KAYAK - you will have fun, it is worth every penny and then some!!!

This lightweight kayak performs quite well. The bottom has decent reinforcement and one small fin for stability. Probably not suitable for really rough use such as around sharp rocks or snags, it's workable for mild use. It has good handling and comes pretty complete. Inflating takes some time but goes pretty smothly.