Sevylor Inflatable Colorado Canoe, 2-Person

by Sevylor

Product Features

• 10 Feet9 Inch x 3 Feet1 Inch (2-person, 500 lb. capacity)
• Raised bow & stern
• 2 elevated bucket seats with storage compartments in back
• Directional strakes for more control
• Air Tight Guarantee: guaranteed not to leak

Product Description

The Sevylor Colorado Inflatable Canoe combines the stability, maneuverability and sea-worthiness of a kayak with the comfort, styling and familiarity of the traditional North American canoe. Measuring 10 Feet9 Inch long by 3 Feet1 Inch wide, the Colorado Feets raised bow and stern and double-hull construction make it extra-rugged and rigid, so it Feets ideal for rough waters, lakes, ocean, fishing and diving. This two-person canoe holds up to 500 pounds; it Feets made of durable 18-gauge PVC with a 420D nylon cover and a rugged, fabric-reinforced bottom. It features directional strakes for maximum steering control, and built-in oar holders. The elevated bucket seats have storage compartments in back, while the canoe also features removable stern storage. D-rings and tie-downs provide a handy place to attach extra gear. A convenient nylon carry bag is included. Guaranteed not to leak, thanks to Sevylor Feets exclusive Airtight System, the kayak Feets Double-Lock Valves prevent accidental air loss and ensure quick, easy inflation and deflation. NMMA certified.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 44 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 43.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B003652GIK
• Item model number: 2000003441
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,270 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent canoe, very inexpensive for its durability and features, July 4, 2010

By 

stookinc (virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sevylor Inflatable Colorado Canoe, 2-Person (Sports)

DURABILITY:
The Colorado has a durable nylon skin (deck) and smooth waterproof material (hull) completely covering all the 5 PVC air chambers. Each covered chamber has a zipper to allow removal of the PVC bladder, but that's generally not needed, unless you're just nosy. I feel like I can run over small branches and smooth rocks w/o puncturing the PVC bladders.

PERFORMANCE:
A 10 minutes sprint by myself with kayak paddles averaged 3.0mph. 2 hours of paddling at a moderate-heavy pace averaged 2.4mph. I think this is comparable to most small canoes. My preference is 240cm kayak paddles, since the craft is so much wider than normal kayaks. I've only loaded it to 300lbs so far, w/o a problem. The max limit is 450-500lbs. I haven't tried 2 paddlers since my wife usually doesn't paddle. Tracking solo was not great, but that may be my total inexperience with paddling. When loaded with 300lbs with only me paddling, tracking was a bit better. I am looking to attach some kind of a skeg which this current version don't come with.

SETUP / TEARDOWN:
It comes assembled and ready to inflate and float. I found a $10 coleman dual action hand pump @ walmart, and pumped up the main hull chambers in 45 stokes. The floor and other chambers were just a couple strokes. Be sure to get a pressure gauge designed for inflatable boats, as over inflating will damage it. The spec pressure is 1.5 psi for the main hull chambers. With practice I could probably inflate and deploy in 10 minutes, and deflate and stuff into its bag in 10 minutes. To get it back in its bag, make sure to get all the water out, fully deflate, take the seats out, roll it up good and it will fit w/ space for the seats left over.

CLEANUP:
You must let it dry before storing overnight or longer, or it will grow mold and be ruined. The manual to says to rinse after salt water use, but I rinse each time. I stuff it in the bag to drive it home, but take it out again to rinse and dry. I inflate the hull chambers to give it some form, close EVERY chamber nozzle so water doesn't get in, and hose it down completely.

DRYING TIPS:
Drain out any water, fully deflate, and pull the hull chambers wide to expose the low area between the hull chambers and the floor where water collects, so it can dry. The nylon pocket for the floor chamber is the hardest to dry, so I pull the floor pvc chamber out through the zipper opening, stick a tube or something to raise the floor up a bit, and stick a small fan to blow it dry over night. All other parts seem to dry up overnight in a ventilated room or outside.

COMFORT / FEATURES:
It is a very comfortable craft. The seats have a stiffer back panel that wraps around your back. You sit on a stiffened foam pad on top of an air chamber. Back support is good. There's no foot rest or anything but I didn't feel like I needed one. It comes with a mesh bag that clips to the stern, and is about 30L in size. Each seat backs also has a simple lumbar pack that can be detached.

PORTABILITY
There are two handles at each end, and two handles on the side in the middle of the craft, which allows a 1-person carry. It is cumbersome for 1 person to carry inflated, but possible if you throw one side over your shoulder. Deflated, it is the size of a large , 45 lbs suitcase.

OVERALL:
You can find this for about $330 if you look around. I highly recommend it if you want a stable canoe with space for 2 adults, a small child, and gear. It has higher sides than inflatable kayaks to keeps small waves out of the boat. You won't find a more durable inflatable tandem for anywhere near this price. If you only need to fit two adults and don't mind a spray skirt in rougher waters, the Advanced Elements Convertible inflatable kayak will perform better, up to 4.5 mph (so I've heard).

UPDATE: (with diy backbone)
Inspired by the optional Advanced Elements backbone for their inflatable kayaks, I wanted give the same performance upgrade to my Colorado. I cut up 2 pool noodles to so it completely covers an 8ft pole, cut the ends to a tapered point, and stuffed it length wise under the pvc floor bladder. This forms a strong ridge down the bottom center of the hull, giving it almost a shallow V-hull. I took it on a 4 mile test run at a moderate-heavy pace by myself with longer 240cm paddles, and averaged 2.5mph. I can't say is noticeably faster, but it definitely tracks better. The craft wonders well under 10 degrees with each stroke. I think I'll be keeping this backbone upgrade for solo trips, as tracking isn't a big issue when tandem. As for the 8ft pole, a spare paddle, a sturdy stick, or a heavy-duty extension boom for a paint roller should do.

6mo UPDATE: Kayak > Inflatable
Although I'll be keeping the Colorado, I would only recommend it if you really need an inflatable. If you don't absolutely need the compact travel / storage size and lighter weight of an inflatable, it may not be worth the trouble. The time, steps, and space needed to fully dry the inflatable after each use takes away an otherwise good ownership experience. This is true of any inflatable. So if you are ok with the cost/weight/size/lower-stability of a canoe or large kayak, you'll have more fun with it than an inflatable, especially with regular use.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serviceable inflatable kayak, August 9, 2010

By 

Diana Comeau (Haverhill, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sevylor Inflatable Colorado Canoe, 2-Person (Sports)

This kayak arrived VERY promptly- Thanks Amazon Shipping! We needed and had it for vacation. The Sevylor Inflatable Colorado Canoe is comfortable for 2 shortish people [below 5'10" tops, we're 5'6" & 5'7"], easy to inflate, easy to handle, easy to deflate, roll, bag, and carry. [You need the Coleman special hand pump but we bought it at our local Walmart for $10]. It is manageable in light winds and ruffled waters and feels very stable- a child could wiggle around & not upset the boat! There's lots of storage bags too. Buy decent paddles- we used our regular kayak paddles- the cheap ones from our old inflatable left us flailing around. Overall, it's worth the money for a very portable canoe/kayak.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blew a zipper but all is not lost!, November 30, 2010

By 

catippins (Stuart, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sevylor Inflatable Colorado Canoe, 2-Person (Sports)

One of my zippers on the sides of my Colorado broke last time out (fortunately not while going down river). I was inflating it and *pop* - the zipper just blew (the pop was from the pressure of the air bladder coming through the now gaping hole). Apparently, two of the teeth on the zipper broke. I thought this might be the end of my trusty Colorado, but not so. It's in for repair right now at an upholstery repair place - [...] to replace the zipper. So if you happen to lose a zipper, all is not lost! Note that Sevylor (now owned by Coleman, by the way) does not do repairs. Had it been under warranty, which mine is not (3 years old now), they would just send out a new boat.

In spite of this problem, I've loved my Colorado. It has provided me so many happy times out on the water over the past three years. My girlfriend and I have taken it up the Wekiva River in Orlando, I've taken it out many times in Broward and Martin counties and I/we look forward to getting out more this season now that it's cooling off here in Florida.

Interestingly, last weekend when the zipper blew we wound up renting a standard fiberglass canoe. I can't believe how much I've come to love how stable the Colorado is! I do a lot of photography (birds mostly - [...]) and I love how stable the Colorado is. I have to admit to being pretty nervous with my Nikon D90 and telephoto lens around my neck in the fiberglass boat. Not so in the Colorado! You can move around pretty easily without fear of tipping the canoe. That being said if you're taking anything valuable, get yourself a nice dry bag with the fold down top in case it does flip. While I've never flipped the Colorado there is always a first time.

One more BIG plus for the Colorado are the comfortable seats. Again last weekend after 3 hours out on the fiberglass boat my butt was sore and my legs cramped. One of the great things about the Colorado are the seats that you can just let fold back and get comfortable in and actually lay down in the boat.

In summary, in spite of this setback with the zipper I still love this boat. Yeah, the tracking problems you're reading about are true but there are so many pluses to this boat you can't go wrong. And by using a kayak paddle instead of a standard canoe paddle they are easily circumvented.

12/05/2010: Adding a couple more notes: I got the canoe back yesterday from the upholstery people who replaced the zipper - they did an excellent job. I was concerned whether for [...] bucks they could replace the zipper - well, they did and it's great. So keep this option open if you blow out a zipper like I did. A few more things I forgot in my original review: On the backs of the seats, you have what amounts to a removable fanny pack! While attached to the seat they hold beverages, fishing gear, snacks, etc. If you want to pull over and go for a hike? They easily detach and become a fanny pack. Not bad! Also, I forgot to mention the "D Rings". They are all over this canoe. Very handy for tying on your dry bag or how I used them yesterday - for tying on the anchor. Yeah, that's one other thing you'll want to get for this canoe is about a 3 pound anchor that flares open (or folds to go it's bag for storage). I was photographing birds yesterday and it's great to just toss out the anchor to hold a spot. Very handy and inexpensive accessory! Lastly, pumps: I've got two. One is a DC pump that runs off the car lighter. This pump does the majority of the air filling. then I've got a hand pump to fine tune the air pressure after I've filled the 3 major compartments (two sides and the floor). The nice thing about the hand pump is it fits in the storage bag that Sevylor supplies with this canoe. I keep that along with a patching kit just in case this thing blows a leak midstream. One last final note: When you take your canoe home after being out on the water all day, make you sure you dry it out really well. I am meticulous about this. If you put it back wet or damp and leave it that way come next season you might pull it out to find a moldy, rotten, smelly mass of fiber. This is perhaps the biggest down side to this canoe. I dry mine inside on the living room floor with the A/C on and it's done drying overnight. But to me this is a very small price to pay for a 32 pound canoe I can carry over my head from ramp to car or portage around downed trees, etc. Happy canoeing!

12/08/2010: One more handy trick for this canoe: If you're going out solo, instead of sitting in the back seat where you normally would if there are two people, use the "front" seat and just put the seat in backwards so you're using the stern for the bow. Take a look at the picture of this canoe and you'll see it will put you just about midway in this canoe. You'll find it tracks a whole lot better, especially if it's windy out. A fellow canoe(ist)(er) showed me this little trick one day out in Savannah State Preserve in FL - can't remember her name, but it works.