Customer Reviews

Sevylor Inflatable Colorado Canoe

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This thing is great...took it out to a small lake where I was sure I'd be alone...afraid I'd paddle around in circles...didn't, this thing was amazing...I have never paddled anything, I'm a motorcycle chick, this was so much fun I was surprised when I discovered I'd been on the water for two hours. couple of tips...put the red thing on before you inflate the canoe and the psi is 1 - 1.5 had trouble finding that on the canoe till I was in it. Also, I'm 5'3 and used a 5' paddle and had no troubles...Take along a foot pump the canoe got slightly squishy from the cold water...next stop...a slow moving river :-) hope this helps...a no regret paddler

Well, Amazon ate my previous review so I'll do another quick one.
I love how portable this boat is - throw it in the trunk "just in case" and off you go. Can't do that with a hard shell. Also, can't really take a nap in a hardshell while floating downstream. Plenty of room for one person - I could probably bring enough gear for a week worth of backpacking, including a 6-person tent! Could get a little bit cramped with two people, but is still very comfy. Does go in a circle a little bit and is susceptible to wind, but you get used to it. Has a hard time with currents, but on flat water, even with wind and waves, it's as fast as cheapo plastic kayaks.

The only downside is drying... the nylon does absorb water well, but 30-40 minutes of drying with a small round fan and it's good to put away... I wonder if the cheaper Tahiti is as sturdy but easier to dry. Get a double-action pump, it's easier to inflate/deflate the boat that way. Also, IMPORTANT, if you get kayak paddles, get something longer than 230cm... walls are very high and wide, so it's hard to reach the water - have to raise the paddle high, which makes the water from the blades drip into the boat.

Excellent boat for recreational use and have gotten a fair share of looks and inquiries from people on the lakes/rivers that I've been on - Sevylor, pay me for advertising!! :). I will be getting a more appropriate boat for ocean / fast paddling when I have more money and more space.

Edit: I have tried fishing in this kayak and unless you have a clever way of anchoring yourself, it's a bit of a pain. Since the boat gets blown around by wind and currents, casting an anchor makes it spin around the anchor. Perhaps, a two-anchor system would work... but there are what seem to be rod holders behind the seats, so that's pretty awesome.

5/19/2011: Well, at the end of last season I found out that my boat has a leak - it's a small gash at the front, right at the seam. Looks like the seam is just separating, pretty much (and it's uneven too). All in all, I realized that this is not the right boat for me, and I'm tired of fighting the wind, the lack of tracking, and now this tear in the PVC, which I attempted to fix with PVC cement, but nothing came out of that. I will try again, but in the mean time I will be looking at more expensive and more sturdy hardshell and foldable kayaks. I will miss the portability and being able to lie and drift in this boat, but I'm pretty sure I'll be happier with something that I'll have an easier time paddling. If I do manage to fix this leak, I'll keep this as my fishing boat, and if not - well, I got good use out of it, shame it quit on me after only 2 years.

I took my Sevylor Colorado out for the first time yesterday, and I love it. I was a little worried about the tracking issues, but after having it out on the water, it is no longer a concern! If you paddle Canadian style with two people, it works great, and I didn't even try attaching the skeg yet. It does take a little more work to keep it going straight than a regular canoe would, but don't let that discourage you! I was also concerned about the speed of it, and while it wasn't quite as fast as a hard-shelled canoe, it was fast enough that it was never really an issue.

With the Coleman rechargeable pump it took me 10 minutes to completely assemble, and it takes about 5 minutes to fully deflate it. Compare that to tying a canoe to the top of your car, and this might actually be more convenient surprisingly.

The seats are amazingly comfortable! We were in it for 5 hours total with about a half hour break in the middle, and we were very comfortable the entire time.

The main downside is the storage. There is a tiny bit of room behind the back seat, which we were able to fit a 18-pack cooler in, but other than that, anything you want to bring with you will have to go between someone's legs.

All in all, this canoe is a great product for the money. It is just about the cheapest way to get out on the water and still feel confident enough in your boat to not be worrying the whole time! The price, convenience, and quality outweigh the small tracking and storage issues a thousand times over in my mind.

We purchased this canoe in September 2009 in preparation for a canoe trip with some family. We have room to store and a vehicle to transport a hardbody canoe, however we knew that the process of getting it out and loading it on the car is one that we would not do often. With the Sevylor Colorado, we quickly throw it in the back of the car along with our paddles, life jackets, and few other accessories.

It's about 11' long and weighs 30-40 pounds? It's a tad heavy to tote around, however it feels very light when inflated. My wife and I are both pretty short (5'7" and 5'1") and have plenty of room to stretch our legs out (more in the front). It folds up quickly and easily fits back into the bag.

We bought the blue version of the canoe. The green had been $55 cheaper earlier in the day, however it was over $40 more than the blue by time we ordered it. We also bought he Sevylor foot pump and a repair kit (one comes with the canoe as well). It took about 25-30 minutes to set up the first time we put it in the water. We have it down to 15ish after a couple of trips. My main gripe is the same as others have mentioned - the valves for the floor and seat are a pain! Boston valves would've made it so much nicer. We inflate the floor first, then the seats, then the two main chambers (slightly pulling out while inflating). This makes it easier, but it can still be a little frustrating. Deflating is fairly quick, again slowed down by the floor/seat valves. We usually fold the canoe up and throw it in the back of my SUV...once home, we let it dry on the back deck or over saw horses or a step ladder. Usually letting it sit out overnight is sufficient.

While it is a canoe, I won't say it handles like one...and we actually like that. We had no problems moving downstream or getting over to a shoreline quickly if needed. However there are very few instances when both paddlers need to be on the same side. It's definitely hard to keep it in a straight line, even with the skeg. It's also not as fast as a regular canoe, but feels a lot more stable.

We've used the skeg twice and I haven't personally noticed that big of a difference. One of the times was on a large lake with a ton of powered boats and fairly large wakes. I imagine the skeg helped there, but haven't been back out on the lake w/o the skeg. Canoeing rivers are often too shallow for a skeg...a bit of advice: Take a small drill bit and drill a hole through the skeg. Then tie a piece of rope through the hole and use a carabiner to attach it to the boat. This will make sure it does not get lost if it hits a rock and becomes detached.

Overall I really recommend this canoe if space or muscles are an issue. We like it b/c we can take my SUV to the takeout area and still transport the canoe to the drop off area in my wife's car. I would probably give this a 4.5 based on the valves, however they've gotten easier the more times we use the canoe. It's hard to stay completely dry, however we've never had more than a few drops of water, usually from a bad backstroke from an oar. There isn't a lot of room for storage...we haven't had a cooler on the boat yet, however if you check out pictures on the internet, you see some pretty creative ways to store items on the boat.

You can find a lot more info by searching for the boat on Youtube...several videos of it in action.

EDIT: One last note...we took our two dogs out with us with no problems. The biggest concern was our Brittany rocking the boat a little while climbing up the side. The boat was still super stable, however I was a little worried she would jump in (in October...a little too chilly for that) so there was a little more rocking b/c of it.

I purchased this Canoe for a trip to Cape Cod and also tested it in one of our local lakes in New Jersey before the Cape Cod vacation. Inflating the canoe was very fast with the Sevylor foot pump i purchased with the canoe and setting up the seats was a breeze. My wife and I took turns taking the kids out. The Canoe easily and comfortably accommodates two adults or an adult with 2 kids. Using a kayak oar was much better then two people using canoe oars especially with the kids in the Canoe. People at the lake that noticed our Canoe all wanted information about it. Deflation and storage was very easy also. My wife and I are very happy with the purchase. We also have a rigid Canoe and Kayak but the convenience of this inflatable is unparalleled. I highly recommend this product. The quality and performance are outstanding.

My wife and I bought The Seyvlor Colorado Conoe. This is the best $275 i have use in years. Some of the reviews talk about the boats tracking not being very good. For lake use, we installed the undermount fin (that comes with the boat) and we had no tracking issues at all. Before we bought this boat we had a chance to use a friends first. He had single ore paddles. My wife and I bought adjustable double kayak paddles. The paddles made a huge diffence. This boat is easy to inflate and deflate and is very easy to transport. We have done some class 3 rapids with no issues. It has taken numerous hits from large rocks and sharp dead trees. The boat is bullet proof from what i can tell. Thanks for reading my review.

like all the other reviews i love this boat. i can take it in my jeep anywhere but i also use it as a dinghy for my 30 center console. i live on the west coast of florida and a lot of the beaches are closed to motorized traffic for swim zones. i can anchor out, inflate the boat and paddle to some of my favorite beach bars.but the thing i like the most is when on a river the inflatable boat is way quieter than a traditional canoe making it great for getting up close to wild life.

Very good quality and good price. I have inflated it and tested the setup but have not yet had it in the water. I will try to come back later and update this review once I get the chance to actually use it. (2009)

OK. It is now May of 2011. I have had this inflatable in use many times. I have loaned it to friends. It has slid over MANY rocks and fallen trees and not a single leak! I take my Yorkie pet with me and he is all over the thing. It is very durable! Set-up isn't bad. Obviously it takes more time to inflate and prep for the water than a hardshell but a hardshell won't roll up and fit into your trunk! The biggest thing is when you are out in open water with an inflatable and the wind is strong. Most inflatables catch way more wind than hardshell kayaks. Not a problem in small rivers and streams but makes life more difficult on large rivers and lakes. One cool thing about this too is that when you pull it up on land, you can take the seats out and lay in it like a couch or bed! Put your sleeping bag in there and you are ready to sleep.

Warning - factory defect. If you buy this fill it up and test it immediately, even if it is winter. Mine came with a leak under the seat, no way to fix.
Coleman, who now own Sevylor makes you pay the shipping to return.
I love Amazon, but this is one item you are better off buying local.