Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Inflatable canoe or kayak for hunting.

Do any of you use inflatable kayaks or canoes for hunting? It looks like AIRE make good, although pricey products. Saturn is a company out of Korea, I think, and they have a couple of models that are priced quite well, as does SeaEscape, but the latter has only 10" tubes. What other options do you suggest?

I'd mainly use it on lakes and fairly calm rivers, and would like something that is easy to paddle and suitable for two people.

Thanks.

Another Option...

Pak Boat

The saturn rafts are quality inflatables. I wish I had discovered them when I was in Alaska. My wife bought one this winter (I'm more of a traditional mad river canoe guy) and we used it a few times already this year and like it. She uses it in lakes with a trolling motor and it does well. I hope to take it down a few streams/rivers with just the oars. Its definetly the quality of the zodiacs I used to run in Prince William Sound but for much less $. Ours is a 14' Kaboat.

I'm more of a Canoe guy myself, I even been know to add a little horse power to mine in the form of a 10 hp Johnson Outboard. My thing would be the leaks and holes from use at the most inconvenient time. How durable are they these days?

The leaks Ive had in much used Zodiacs were slow. Meaning in a week long hunt, I might have to add air 2 times or so. All the inflatable areas are chambered, so even in a catrosophic tear your odds of sinking are slight. Still not fun to be sitting in the drink. I always carry a patch kit and try not to drag it over rocks when landing, etc.

I've had several Bombard and Zodiac made inflatables (same company) and have not had problems with leaks/punctures. They are actually pretty tough. But that is one of the reasons I want a decent quality inflatable kayak/canoe - I don't want it to spring a leak from being looked at sideways. Also one of the things I like about them is load carrying capacity and stability with a heavy load.

I have never hunted out of one as I live in Colorado and the water here is sparse compared to your locale.
I have a Aire Lynx II that paddles big and small water all the same. I have run some class IV rapids in it and it is fun, have paddled it in calm water and it tracks well.
It will hold two folks with plenty of room and some room for storage/cooler, etc.
If you are in CO, you are welcome to give it a shot and paddle it around.

Thanks for the offer JonS. Unfortunately I have no plans to be in your neck of the woods any time soon.

I drew a sheep tag last year on the Salmon river and used my Kayak for my hunt.

The ferocious fires down there pretty much sealed my fate for my sheep (glassing was all but impossible) but I did take a mule deer late in the season. A young 4X4 buck but fine eater.
Paddling down the crazy Salmon with a muley stuffed into my kayak was an exciting thing, I got a few simulated high-fives from drivers on the road.

I have two inflatables....top quality Innova helios...and would consider renting them out cheaply this Fall to interested guys.
They just sit in the storage shed anyway.

SOAR Pioneer or Pristine Ventures X-stream. Motorized: Alaska Jet Ranger with 25/18 jet lower unit

http://www.yostwerks.com/index.html

Folding Kayaks are a viable option.

I used a Folbot for forty years and it is a GREAT boat for remote river and lake hunting. Now that I am disabled I gave it to a dad who wanted to take his 16 year old daughter hunting down the Susquehanna River here in Pennsylvania. I'm hoping that his grand-kids are still carrying quarterted deer down river to an assembly point as I did for almost a half-century.

They are NOT cheap, but they actually will last a ifetime - or more!

Terry

bluesman - I am all gimped up so I need a soft side to sit on when I am getting into the boat - read: inflatable.

Lots of good tips on stuff though.