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

• Great Way to Start Kayaking

  
  By A1VMF77TPZSXKV on 2006-03-29
  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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• Cheap fun!

  
  By AYVDD924CHR1 on 2006-06-05
  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.
  
  

• Good stable kayak for your money

  
  By ALTQLM0O4YNCN on 2006-08-24
  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!
  
  

• great toy

  
  By A1LAOW8VEBZ0E8 on 2006-09-22
  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!
  
  
  

• This is not a joke or toy. This is an actual kayak. I love it

  
  By A3HX8FNMEP00XA on 2006-10-18
  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.
  
  
• Fun and Easy!
  By AJMNUWFYAZBX9 on 2007-05-19
  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.
  
  
• Great Value!
  By A180NU0ZRP6BG5 on 2006-08-14
  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!
  
  
• Worst customer service ever.
  By A2HG31FYGTK5QB on 2006-08-08
  A coupler on one paddle broke the first day. No biggie, I figured I'd just call Coleman. Here is what happened:
  
  1) A man at Coleman's telephone customer service department said they don't stock couplers, they would check their warehouse, and if they had one, I'd get one. If they were out of stock, I would go on a waiting list, with NO time estimate. Could it take weeks to get the needed part for my brand new boat. "Yes."
  
  2) I asked if they would let me know the status after they checked the warehouse. He said NO, it was not their policy to telephone or email to do so.
  
  3) I asked to speak to a supervisor. I was on hold for about five minutes, and he came back saying they found one "in someone's desk" and they would send it to me.
  
  4. The envelope with the coupler was postmarked FOUR days after our conversation.
  
  5. NO, it was not the right part, even though I used the exact terminology from the instruction manual.
  
  Sending the wrong part was a mistake I suppose anyone could make. But any of the other customer service sins are unforgiveable; they don't stock critical parts, they put you on a waitng list of indeterminate length, they refuse a courtesy email or phone call to update status, and they take four days to take a critically needed small part out of a desk and give it to their mailroom. All of this, for a customer with a brand new boat.
  
  As far as the kayak itself is concerned, I expected it to be very slow when I ordered it, and I was right. A course that takes me 12 minutes with a plastic sit on top kayak takes 19 minutes with this one. It's probably not suitable for paddling with others in standard kayaks, because you would have to be 60% faster and have 60% more endurance than your companions to keep up.
  
  And of course if you need a part, you could be out of commission for weeks, according to Coleman's customer service department.
  
  
• great product
  By AGOUD2M3BRLYW on 2007-03-08
  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.
  
  
  
• Exceeds Expectations & tons of fun!!!
  By A7Z16NYGWR65E on 2007-07-05
  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!!!
  
  
• Best portable/storable kayak
  By A20FTZMYPUWVBU on 2006-08-21
  Extremely sturdy and durable. Held the air with two people. Paddles were wonderful. Great fun had by all. Easy to pump w/ an electric pump.
  
  
• Highly Recommended
  By AL158ULXWXE8X on 2006-08-14
  This is really a very good value for money. We got the kayak this weekend and we went kayaking in a neaby lake. It was pure enjoyment. The kayak is easy to inflate..takes 10-20 mins to inflate. The paddles are good and sturdy.Its excellent recreational accessory.We have used it just onnce and we were happy..Let's see how it perfoems in the long run. The only drwback is that its a bit bulky. But if you want it to be sturdy I guess 30 pounds is reasonable. This is highly recommended for beginners. You might like to switch to permanent one after using this for some years.
  
  
• Outdoor fun
  By A29WTA6M1HH7PZ on 2005-09-25
  Our family loves this thing. We have 2 kids, 6 and 10, and they ask to go. We live just a few minutes from 2 small lakes, so it's perfect. We are not expert kayakers, just wanted a fun way to get out, and get some excercize. It has beed easy to inflate and deflate. I highly recommend it.
  MK
  
  
• Sturdy and useable
  By A3IA9IOQRFXWLH on 2007-01-04
  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.
  
  
  
• Picture doesn't do it justice.
  By A1MJ11AHSLJZ8B on 2006-08-05
  First of all, the pictures of this 2 person Coleman kayak that's here and everywhere else on the web does not accurately portray the size of this inflatable kayak. In the photos, the rear seating area looks as if it takes up only 1/3 of the total length. However, to my surprise upon opening, it's really more like half the length! The kayak is much larger than it looks or as advertised. The width is 36 inches and not 30. Plenty wide and comfortable and I'm 6ft 200lbs.
  
  Inflating this monster took about 30 minutes. I use 2 pumps; a Coleman quickpump that came with their air mattress and an 8in foot pump that came with an inflatable raft. The quickpump works to a certain point and then I have to use the manual pump to get rid of most of the wrinkles.
  
  My wife and I have tried this kayak in our pool and at a local lake and it works nicely. Since we're new to kayaking and boating in general, we don't have anything to reference it's performance to. However, I had an idea of how it should perform and wasn't disappointed. Tip: if you're new to using paddles or kayaking, work-out your shoulders for a week before going! Small dumbells work great in a paddling motion.
  
  We're going to Catalina Island next week and I'll let you all know how this inflatable kayak handle's the east-facing coves of Avalon. Can't wait!
  
  So far, it's been a WELL spent $90 bucks! Thanks Amazon.
  
  
• Great Boat, Crap Paddles
  By A2R2FEL51LG2AW on 2007-08-04
  This is a great boat. In its deflated form, it can fit under a modestly high bed or in a closet. With a pump, it inflates in about 5 minutes. It isn't too heavy (though might be a bit much for a child). It won't go fast, but goes faster than you might think. On calm water, it is surprising easy to power and maneuver. The going gets rough with even a little bit of current.
  
  The paddles come in sections that you screw together. They are adequate for calm water. Buyer Beware for stronger current. I was recently paddling against a minor current in Biscayne Bay and one of the plastic pieces where you place your hands snapped in two. Fortunately the person in front wasn't too heavy as I had to use their paddle to get back.
  
  In summery: great convenient boat, but don't depend on the paddles
  
  
• Amazing Value and Seaworthy Vessel
  By A75B8K1V4AP99 on 2006-12-13
  I was amazed how rugged and sturdy the boat was. She is a seaworthy vessel that I would definitely take out to the ocean. I think I'm going to name her, but I'm having trouble coming up with a good name. Probably something like "Carrier of the Seamen!"
  
  
• Love it!
  By AFCUFRL25ELVA on 2007-05-28
  If you are thinking about buying this, go ahead! Just got ours this weekend and had fun with it on our pond. It rows very well with one or two people in it. It is more comfortable than the hard plastic kayak I recently used. The quality is very good. The plastic is pretty thick and seems durable.It was easy to blow up. My husband used his shop vac for this and it was ready to go in just a few minutes. Not sure how it will do in situations with current and waves, but it worked very well in calm water.
  
  
• A great deal for a lot of FUN!
  By A218QU04U6RXGC on 2008-01-07
  My husband and I both dive and enjoy living in Hawaii for that reason as well as the other aquatic activities.We have wanted to get into kayaking for a while but due to limited storage and the lack of an SUV like vechicle we have put it off. Them I thought of te inflatables. They don't handle as well as rigid kayaks but are wider and more stable (although a stiff wind turns it into a sail. Best advise is to stay at winds of under 18 knots/ 2o mph )and can't really be used in anything but calm to a little bit of wave activity which is a drawback if you really want to ocean kayak but this has been the best 100 dollars we ever spent! for bays such as Kaneohe bay and calm bodies of water as in a protected reef or stream/quiet river this kayak is awesome.It is such fun! I would advise getting better paddles and the rechargeable pump. Its is comfortable, tough and can be folded and carried in a trunk or backseat and inflates in minutes( 5). the back and armrests are comfortable as is the legroom and ride. Both of us are tall and the kayak is rated to carry up to 600 lbs. We aren't close to that but it is important if you carry gear along as well as the very shallow draft allows you to launch in a foot of water or so. We love it and go kayaking whenever possible now.This has got me hooked and I just can't say enough good things about it! We love it!
  
  
• Good for the price
  By A3VQLHBHU2OFB9 on 2008-05-28
  This kayak was a good entry into the sport for a novice like me. It's a good value for the price. If I had it to do over again, I might buy 2 one-person inflatables instead; my paddling partner and I haven't managed to coordinate very well so far.
  
  I have the following complaints:
  1) It doesn't have handles in the back or on the sides. This makes it more awkward than it needs to be to carry with two people.
  2) The fins are too flexible. No matter how I roll it, they always seem to come out bent. This makes the boat difficult to paddle in a straight line.
  3) The paddles fall out of the side clips when you're carrying the boat.
  
  The Coleman Rechargeable Pump and the ProSpirit 34" Duffel both worked well with this product.
  
  
• fun family kayak at a low price
  By on 2004-07-16
  great fun on the river.... i took this out with my family worked great and is strong... quality was also great for the price!
  
  
• Great Buy
  By A2W0MNWS3BTC86 on 2007-05-31
  This is a great kayak. Very stable and sturdy. Comes with paddles and is very easy to inflate and de-flate. I'm 5'1 and my husband is 6' and we both fit in this kayak comfortably. This could be sea worthy. 5 stars.....
  
  
• inflatable kayak
  By A3I2TEPWAW3P1M on 2006-07-22
  I received the kayak in a timely manner and it was what was advertised. No complaints.The company was reputable.
  
  
• Great value!
  By AZ8FW60C1I02C on 2007-05-31
  They steer well and go a decent speed. We are able to get on the water within 5-10 minutes and can break them down in the same amount of time. It is a lot of fun and quite sturdy.
  
  
• generally great, some problems with the paddles
  By ADW58ZF0POOA0 on 2007-06-27
  In general, I love this product. It's great to be able to fit a kayak in the trunk of my compact car. (I actually have both this one and one of the one-person kayaks, so I can bring two friends to go kayaking and still have space in the car for a picnic lunch.) The kayak is quick and easy to inflate, and the Coleman Rechargeable Quick Pump served me well for an entire summer before I even had to recharge it once. The double-seal valves are very clever. The one time I was stupid and punctured the kayak on a piece of rough metal in my trunk, the hole was easily repaired with a bicylce tire patch kit, good as new.
  
  
  
  A number of friends have enjoyed using my kayaks and decided to buy their own. One of them got a non-Coleman, and it took much longer to set up. (And I had to loan him my Coleman Quick Pump when his hand pump wasn't doing the job.)
  
  
  
  The reason this gets 4 stars and not 5 is the paddles. I find them somewhat difficult to assemble (the metal rods don't always want to slide into the plastic joints,) and I bought my mom a kayak as a present, and she had the same problem. Also, one of the plastic pieces on one of the paddles snapped in half the last time I went kayaking, so I'm looking to buy a somewhat burlier replacement paddle.
  
  
• good but not for serious paddlers
  By AG4FG359YM1E6 on 2007-09-13
  Good for family recreational use. If you want to be a little more serious about paddling, this might not be good choice.
  
  
• Better than expected
  By A101BOECUT4QS4 on 2007-06-26
  We bought 1 2-man and 2 singles recently. We take them out on the lake and they work great. They fold up small enough to carry them around in a tote bag. The quality is better than I expected. Especially for the price. The 2-man is easier to steer/paddle than the singles.
  
  
• A great buy
  By AJX54X1QHH755 on 2007-06-27
  This inflated easily with the Coleman inflator. If you use a standard car & bike type air pump you will spend 5 times as long. We went to the local Wal-mart and spent $20 w/tax and it was done in 3-5 minutes. The kayak did everything we expected and handled easily in shallow areas around sandbars. It seems very durable but we found it didn't do well on a barnacle encrusted dock. A small 1/8 inch cut from the edge of a barnacle was easily patched. It has been lots of fun for lazy Sundays on the inland side of Siesta Key. For the price it exceeded our expectations.
  
  
• Highly recommended
  By A2T1F2CXBMBXQL on 2007-07-06
  I took this out today and the entire family had a blast.
  Sure other people in plastic kayaks kind of thumbed their noses at us using this inflatable vs their fiberglass beasts but this was absolutely pure convenience. The rechargeable Coleman pump recommended by others here is very helpful. I think I was ready to go in <8 minutes. On the water, this did feel slower than a normal kayak but we were doing this to relax, not race and this more than did the job. The cove we launched this at was on the rocky side and I was afraid I might tear a hole underneath but it seems to have held up since we paddled around for 4 hours without any incident despite landing many times.
  Downside are the oars. I expected to get wet, not soaked when paddling. A bit more length or better designed couplers would work wonders. Next time I'm bringing some tape to lessen the drip.
  What can I say, well worth the money.
  
  
• Great for beginners!
  By A23959LYUVSTBB on 2007-10-19
  A good way to get started. Very durable, easy to use, and portable. No roof rack needed here! All that said, we have used it a dozen or so times and are ready for a hard kayak. It is getting cooler and you really cannot help but get wet when using this one. Great for warm weather though!
  
  

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