I just purchased The Challenger and I am very pleased with it. It is perfect for my needs. I am a beginner Kayaker, 65 yrs. old, and needed something I could handle myself. I am pleasantly surprised. Thanks for your review.
I own the explorer: 2 after searching for 18 mos - love it as a single mama who wants to be capable of doing things all on my own, this makes getting on the water doable in under 15 min for myself or my daughter and myself - very stable and gets around as much river as I’m interested in seeing !!! Glad for the invention
I have the Intex Challenger K2, in the 2 man version. I am really impressed how stable it is and how well it tracks and handles wind. 2nd time ever taking it out, we were on a river that had ran very shallow. The kayak was bottoming out and scraping up against a lot of rocks and boulders. Zero damages. Today, 3 years later, its still afloating and working great!
This and your previous video are excellent. It's always informative to get first-hand evidence from an experienced user who has done a real comparison. I used the info in your first video to make my choice. I ended up with the Sea Eagle, even though it was not your favorite because some of its features fit my preferences better than the Intex. The info in this video wouldn't have changed my decision. However, I now am considering buying a second boat and may go for the Intex because the requirements for the second boat are slightly different than for the first because it will be used by children instead of adults. My experience illustrates the value of your thorough review: you present the evidence so the viewer can decide what is important to him. Thanks for your effort.
Another really good video. As someone looking to see how much kayaking we will actually do while traveling around in our campervan RV, we are looking at inexpensive and lightweight kayaks. Your videos are really informative and timely. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos.
Great content. It shows that you have the experience and you know of what you are talking about. If you continue posting videos like this i can see you being a top 5 youtuber for the field. Keep it up!
I have the Intex Pro model. Easy setup around 15 minutes or so. Inflation a breeze with manual pump or rechargeable Coleman pump to inflate. Coleman pump great for removing all air for packing. Worked great in the coastal waterway with a stiff breeze. Fin keeps boat going straight. Inflatable seats adjustable and pretty comfy as opposed to hard plastic seating on plastic kayaks.
Thank you. You helped me a lot. I have cancelled my Sevylor kayak order in last minute and I have bought Challenger K2. It's really cheap as it costs ca 121$ in Poland. I think I will buy Excursion Pro (circa 290$) in few years as my kid grows bigger.
Excellent reviews! I saw your first one now this one I have to watch the rest. Thanks so much for providing detailed reviews on all these kayaks. Yours are the best on the web. At least that I've seen I have not seen any better ones than these reviews.
I bought 2 intex excursion pro kayaks in the first week of Jan 2020 for $125 each from amazon. Here in Texas i don’t really need to dry them out. I store kayaks on the covered porch with a bag slightly open and it works out just fine. I hope few years of life out of these and so far no leaks and loosing air. Paddles are not that great, but that is expected at this price range. Yesterday tested 400 pounds limit with one of my friends who is on heavier side - no problems whatsoever.
Hi, Great review. i got the Intex Excursion Pro for lake fishing. I quite enjoy as my first kayak, great to fish with, easy to inflate and deflate with the pump which makes it easy to pack in the bag again. I enjoy getting out on the lakes on wind free days with it. I will upgrade to a CAT 3 later since it is something I enjoy now.
Thanks for your review. Ordered Intex challenger K2 green one for about $122 with taxes from Amazon yesterday. Hopefully I will have some fun with it in San Diego Bay.
It seems that I have done everything right. My first kayak was the Intex Challenger K1. After I discoverd the fun I could have with it on the water, I bought an Intex Excursion Pro. Now I am able to share the fun with my family. Thanks for the great review. If you are able to get your hands on some dropstitch kayaks I would love to see another review from you in that category.
Hello. Many thanks for the review. I have a Hydroforce Bestway and a Intex Explorer K2. They are very similar. The Bestway valves, although apparently more basic, are more practical (I bring a plier on the Intex to handle the big valves). The fabric of the Intex seems stronger than the one of the Bestway, but in practice, it punctures more easily when hit by a somehow sharp object. The skeg of the Bestway has a simpler and more clever design than the one of the Intex (I feel obliged to secure the skeg of the Intex with a pin). Both of them are supposed to be 2 person kayaks: that is optimistic. They are very good for one person + equipment (plenty of room). It is easier to put the seat of the Intex in the central position when paddling solo: I had to extend the belts of the Bestway seat to achieve the same position.. On both kayaks, I go in open sea up to force 2 on long coastal trips. Both kayaks stay safe at force 3 with 1 m seas, but paddling effort becomes very hard and unpleasant. On both of them I put a plywood floor, 10 mm thick, approximately 1 m long: this improves drastically the performance, without adding too much weight, and without compromising too much the storage at home. It is advisable to have a 2 way pump (inflate and deflate) to allow flattening the chambers (especially the ones with the small valves) for storage. Considering the low price of these kayaks, they are a good buy for anybody wanting to have a first experience. If not used for serious kayaking, they can be just fun beach toys for the kids.
Thanks for this. I was torn between these 2 models but as the hydro force is quite a bit cheaper where I am I think I'll go for that one. I was almost put off by his review but as you own both I would rather take your advice
@@shaunm1983 Hello. The price difference is due to: - Better quality of Intex provided paddles (but it is impossible to select precisely the relative orientation of Intex left and right paddles , for exemple, I cannot put them at right angle). - Valves on the Intex 2 main chambers look superb but are a pain to handle. I need a plier and grease to insure air tightness. The advantages of these valves is the easy deflation and the fact that they can be replaced (standard model for a lot of inflatable devices). - The Intex is provided with a very reasolnable one way pump and a bag large enough (but fragile): nothing provided with the Bestway - The Intex seats have belts that are long enough to position a seat in the midddle. For solo use, you will need to extend the belt of the Bestway seat. Enjoy your kayak!
I watched this video after buying and using the inter challenger K1. (Not good logic) but after using it on a very small lake I was happy with it. for the 8-10 times we plan to get out each year on small lakes and rivers locally I think it will be perfect. I’m just glad it seems to be the better one for it’s price range and there wasn’t anything I overlooked.
I also used to prefer hand pumps over electric pumps but today's discovery have changed my view. With an electric pump and a boston valve, you can fill up a boat 6 times faster through the deflation opening! Normally it takes me 3 minutes to inflate my raft with electric pump, but inflating it through the deflation opening took only 30 seconds!
Thanks for the video! Very helpful. I have a K2, and wanted to buy a solo for myself. I was torn between the Excursion pro and Sea eagle. I'm going with the excursion pro solo now. Hope it lives up to your review! Thanks again
Thanks for all your kayak videos. I just picked up the explorer pro and the green intex and was about to trade them in for a sea eagle until I saw this.
are you happy with your decision? This guy came out and made a video about the excursion pro and did not seem to have many great things to say about it.
@@billymasters11 I got myself one and I took it out yesterday for the first time and I was quite satisfied. It did seem to lose air but it's to be expected. Fun times, tracks quite well.
Just got my category 1 intex explorer. It's just going to be used for light use for my little guy and I for our short summers here so I'm sure it'll be fine.
Love my Intex Challenger, a K2 now that I'm too heavy for the K1 with any gear in it. I've taken both on multi-day river/lake missions here in Finland, though never too far from dry land. I'm looking at an Itiwit X500 as my next boat, but you really can't beat the bang for the buck that the Challenger offers.
Do you find that the K2 being a longer kayak tracks better or worse than the K1? How is the speed comparatively? I'm 235lbs and am looking to keep up with my brothers Oru Inlet much more expensive ($900.00) folding Kayak.
@@tonybanks9015 I can't say I've noticed much difference, I tend not to switch back and forth between them. But the tracking seems quite acceptable on both. Speed-wise, again hard to say, but in my K2 I've sometimes struggled to keep up with a far less experienced person in the K1. All sorts of possible reasons for that, including a slow leak in the K2 (which I've now found - some sand in the valve) or even just my fat butt causing the bottom to sag and adding drag. Never been up against an Oru, but I can't imagine keeping up with one will be easy in either K1 or K2. The K2 somehow feels more "sloppy", especially if I have gear in it and there are any waves, it definitely has more flex to it than the K1 (and in photos of me in the K2, I can see a pronounced dip in the middle). One thing you can do with the K2 but not the K1 is clip one of the seat straps into both buckles on the same side, making a great carry strap - wear the kayak like a giant handbag and have your hands free for carrying other gear. Depending on what you're doing and how far you have to carry the thing, that might be a plus. Like me, you're technically overweight for the K1 (100kg/220lb limit) - but I've overloaded it with camping gear before and had no trouble as long as I kept the weight down low, didn't inflate the bottom of my seat, and was sensible about waves. I also clipped the strap of my heaviest dry-bag around the grab rope at the back and towed it like a trailer to get the weight off the boat.
loved that you liked the K1!!! I commented on a video of yours before I saw this one. But next time I am in the Portland area, me and the wife would dig to join your group on a float in Portland!!!!!!!!
Hi I’m just n Australia and even cheap kayaks made out of pvc are about $1,400. There are cheap cheap ones but as I’m a dragon boating person I want a category 3. Sea eagle over $2,000.00 for a tandem razor lite. Thanks for the great work on the videos.
After a lot of research and recommendations I went with the sea eagle as my first. To me I will sacrifice a little performance for more durability and that is the feedback I’ve gotten. Thanks for the great video!
Thanks for the comparisons. Personally, I won’t touch Intex again, I think the values and material used are faulty. I’m headed now too a sea eagle 330 for my second kayak.
Very useful information. 👍 We just got a SE 330 last week and tested it in the bay. It felt ok and we might use it for a while then upgrade to something else. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos on category 3. 😻😻
I wish that you had bought the 370 Deluxe. The material is a little heavier. I started with a Sea Eagle seven years ago and bought a Hobie Revolution six years ago. I used the Sea Eagle more.
Glad your review on the Intex Excursion Pro is positive as I own one for a few years now. I made a trolling motor mount kit for this kayak with a simple PVC pipe frame and it works great.
I really enjoyed the video. I have an Intex Explorer K2 myself which I am happy with. The only issue with the video was the winners list at the end where you suddenly recommend the Intex Challenger K2 when your real world test was done in a Challenger K1.
I live about a 30 minute buss ride from the beach, so I would have to take it in a backpack or bag, inflate it, play around (not planning to win any races:) dry it a bit, pack it, ride with it in a bus, then wash it again at home and dry it. I would love if Mr. Baikoff made a video about that, and any advice or anecdotes are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I'd say you can do that with any Cat1 kayak. Are there any questions that you'd like answered based on your scenario? I say go for it. That's the ultimate accessibility barrier breakthrough! I really celebrate people who get on the water without the use of cars.
@@inneradventures Thank so much, I guess I'll rent and see if I stick to it, if I do I got my eye on the green one you mentioned is inexpensive and handles well, since is Category 1 (as per the Baikoff Kayak Taxonomy :) I can rinse at the beach and wash at home. I just want to play close to the shore, don't worry, it's a calm beach with wave breakers, pretty calm. Thanks again.
I give the video a thumbs up with one reservation. He measured the speed of each kayak but didn't share the actual speeds with us. Probably the speeds would be embarrassing and would discourage people from trying inflatable kayaks.
I hear you. What happened is it took me months to put the video together and I lost a bunch of pictures and the notes I took that day. Most of them where in the 4kmph range.
I had that Intex Excursion Pro at 12:16, and it leaked after just the third time out on the water. I don't think the issue was with it running into anything, but with storage. It's a pretty stiff material, so I think it got some small cracks in the creases when it was folded back up into it's storage bag.
I have had a Sea Eagle 370 for several months now, and I have to disagree with your assessment of Sea Eagle's deluxe seats. Both my wife and I find them to be excellent. They give very good back support, which is important for both of us. The deluxe seat has two air chambers, one for the back and one you sit on. We have experimented with the seat cushion fully inflated and fully deflated. Fully inflated, it puts you higher up in the boat. Fully deflated it provides more back support because the back cushion goes higher up the back. We both prefer it fully inflated. The back support still is very good, and we like being higher up. Also, when fully inflated, the cushion keeps your butt off the bottom of the boat and thus out of small amounts of water that may be sloshing around. When we were young, we did whitewater canoeing. That was a long time ago. Now we do only flatwater canoeing - lakes and slow rivers. We thus cannot comment on how well the seats would work on whitewater. For flat water, they work just fine. Of course, they are not as good as a rigid seat in a hard shell kayak, but for inflatable seats they are excellent. I do not own an Intex Excursion boat and so cannot compare it to the Sea Eagle. However, I do know that the Intex Excursion costs about twice as much as a Sea Eagle 370. You can get the Sea Eagle directly from Sea Eagle in the spring or early summer when they are running their regular beginning-of-season sale and get an especially good price. Of course, there probably is the usual price/quality trade-off in comparing the Sea Eagle to the Intex Excursion, which the buyer will have to evaluate for himself. However, there is no question that the Sea Eagle is an outstanding boat for the money.
Excursion Pro is pretty solid value for money. I sold my hard shell and bought an Excursion Pro about two years ago now. Already have gotten more than my money's worth as I picked it up on Amazon for like $185 or there about. I also bought an intex 12v air pump so I use that for easy inflating and deflating and just use the hand pump to top off. I did have a couple small tears around the second or third use but patched it and have not had any issues since. Yes in general you have to be careful of punctures but that is just nature of the game. If it fell apart beyond repair the next time I used it I would still be happy with the use I got out of it so far. I am careful with how much pressure I inflate to as I learned with tires off road that the higher the pressure the more prone to puncture.
Great video, like all the others. I have a two person Intex Excursion Pro and I am happy with it. It's already lasted two seasons without issue. It's very important to remember to close the draining plug hole, otherwise you will take on water (it won't sink but the ride will be unpleasant). As much as I like it for casual paddling, the tandem version is less than practical for one person. So when I go out alone, if I don't want to carry much and I'm in very protected waters very close to shore, I use a folding Tuktec kayak (not inflatable, it's a plastic sheet that folds like origami into a hull). Initially, I thought it was a bath toy and I wanted to get rid of it, since it is slow and cannot be used in any waves. But for nature watching in very flat water it's actually ok. Do you have any experience with folding kayaks and any comparison with inflatables?
INTEX explorer 2 is better. I thought too paddling and having my seat on the far end. You need to have your seat positioned in center of the kayak for one person for best performance!!! Remember it's a two person kayak but while paddling one person the seat has to be in center. You get the best performance!! And the kayak then floats straight, doesn't swerve side to side 😊
Thanks so much for doing this! I started with a hard shell kayak but it was too heavy and cumbersome to take to lake so I wanted to switch to an inflatable but wasn’t sure which would fit my needs of casual couple hours on lake each weekend.
good video mate (: I have the green challenger kayak and i love it, easy to blow up and deflate. I put some holes in mine from it scraping on the ground while transporting it and even after that It works perfectly (With patches ofc) maybe of my friends have used it as their first experience on any kind of paddled boat and each one were confident after the first few minutes. Very cheap and easy to use kayak.
Excellent video. Thank you. I have a question regarding cleaning. I have a sea eagle 370 and there is mold and black spots. I was wondering what can be used to clean the hull and deluxe seats. Thanks for the advice Also I hope you have a speedy recovery with your back
I was set to buy the Sea Eagle 330 but opted for the K1 since I found it for 90 bucks compared to 299. But if I do love kayaking, I would like to know more about category three for kayak camping, esp Sea Eagle v. Air Kayaks. Thanks. Yours is the best info out there.
hello Jack....what INFO. ON THE PADDLES can you provide? did they come with the Kayak and how much did they WEIGH?? what were the Poles made of? and the Oars.....fiberglass? etc. etc?
Most of them come with paddles. And pretty much all of them are junk. I did not even want to bother using/reviewing them since they don't deserve it IMHO.
Great video. Can you comment on the packed size and weight of all of the ones you tested? I want one to take hiking and bike riding, so weight & volume is very important
Thanks - questions. Thanks for the candid and informative reviews. In Cat I kayaks, you mention seats as a weakness (and that for heavier paddlers, a stiff and drop-stitch floor is desirable). 1) Can a better non-inflatable seat typically be retrofitted to one of these budget boats? and 2) would it be feasible to improve the floor with a rigid insert (eg. thin plywood padded with outdoor carpet)?
I've gone thru 2 inflatables now (Intel explorer and Excursion Pro) and it's a cheap made kayak meant for couple of seasons. I've patched mine like Swiss Cheese and while they stay afloat, wouldn't recommend these at all. I ended up upgrading to the much expensive Sea Eagle 380X and used it a lot this summer and it's a whole different ball game. Drop stich floors should be the norm for ALL inflatable kayaks. The paddling and tracking is SO much better and the material is top notch. I've converted mine into a fishing rig and have no issues with fishing hooks, etc on the drop stitch floor. Also, your bias towards Sea Eagle? Are you a reseller? Intex inflatables are not even NMMA certified like Sea Eagle. The excursion is not even made of real PVC (the company is using some hybrid material and doesn't disclose this, hence the cheap discounted pricing). Almost 90% of RUclips videos are promoting all Intex inflatables as the "best 2020 inflatable' so it's highly suspicious that osmeone is promoting the company via incentives, etc.
Intex just happens the be the best value brand. Kayaks is not where I make money, that's where I spend it. I said that I have no financial ties to any companies and I meant it. If you watch my main video you'll see that you and I are on the same page - use Intex to test the waters and then upgrade to a good Cat3 kayak.
True to what J. Baikoff is saying. I own 2 excursion pros since Jan 2020 and no issues whatsoever on quiet lakes here in Austin. Did not need to patch any of these yet
Great video! Wish I saw it before I buy mine from Costco. The kayak I bought is an upgrade version of Hydroforce by Bestway called Tobin kayak, I think...It's more like a Category 2. It feels solid and well made. And have fins. I actually don't have much choice because all other kayaks are sold out online. Only left is Tobin kayak made by Bestway and the one from decathlon. Decathlon is 70$ more expensive. So Tobin kayak it is. But as I left the review under your other video...Tobin kayak might have some air leak issue...
Hi great video, I love your detail and brutal honesty! I've watched all three of your reviews, all awesome! could you clarify for this video, there's something incorrect between when you introduce the kayaks (~1:04) and when you give your final grade in conclusion (13:20), there wasn't an Aquaglide 370 in the Intro (but you gave it an "OK" review?); and in the Intro there is a SeaEagle 370, but there was not final grade in the conclusion? Please double check between the Intro and Conclusion to see if you have the same boats. Also, would you rate the SeaEagle 330? Look forward to your comments, Thanks!
It kinda makes sense that the Intex Challenger K1 (1 person) is speedier then the Explorer K2 and other tested models which looks like 2 person versions. Factors like weight, size (air/water drag) etc. I imagine the Challenger K2 would perform more similar to the rest. I am concidering getting the Explorer K2, but at current price/availability I could get the Excursion Pro k2 at almost the same price..
@@inneradventures I saw your video and it was great and it gave very good information. There you talked about the third generation and did not mention a specific case.
i don't see much difference between their designs from 20 years ago and today. Close to identical. the whole name Advanced Frame is designed to sell, not reflect reality, IMHO.
I have the Sea Eagle 370. I keep it in my camper and when we camp by the beach I bring it out. Do you recommend upgrading the paddles? It’s the only paddles I’ve used so I’m not sure what the differences would be.
I bought a Sevylor Tahiti in 2002 and although it has been in use every year ever since it's still going strong. Admittedly the seats are shit, exactly as you described.
This guy alone is destroying the bad kayak companies out there,, and I just loveeee itttttt!
You did not have to do all of that.
“And I just loveeeeeee ittttttt!”
I just purchased The Challenger and I am very pleased with it. It is perfect for my needs. I am a beginner Kayaker, 65 yrs. old, and needed something I could handle myself. I am pleasantly surprised. Thanks for your review.
I own the explorer: 2 after searching for 18 mos - love it as a single mama who wants to be capable of doing things all on my own, this makes getting on the water doable in under 15 min for myself or my daughter and myself - very stable and gets around as much river as I’m interested in seeing !!! Glad for the invention
I just did the same for my little guy and I. Haven't unboxed it yet. Just got it! Excited to take it out!
I just bought the Excursion pro 2 person for the same reason, now if I can just get her off the phone long enough, lol
I like the sound of the fast forward paddling. Thanks for the very useful video.
I have the Intex Challenger K2, in the 2 man version. I am really impressed how stable it is and how well it tracks and handles wind.
2nd time ever taking it out, we were on a river that had ran very shallow. The kayak was bottoming out and scraping up against a lot of rocks and boulders. Zero damages. Today, 3 years later, its still afloating and working great!
same experience, best 90 buks spent so far )
0:36 green K1 is really short ?
@@psychiatry-is-eugenics no its standard 10feet
@@SergeyPower shoot their $150 now lol
Can tou use the k2 solo?
That was a lot of effort! I liked the noise from the sped up paddling.
Great info! I thought a was getting buzzed by a fly at 10:50 . Thanks for the video.
This and your previous video are excellent. It's always informative to get first-hand evidence from an experienced user who has done a real comparison. I used the info in your first video to make my choice. I ended up with the Sea Eagle, even though it was not your favorite because some of its features fit my preferences better than the Intex. The info in this video wouldn't have changed my decision. However, I now am considering buying a second boat and may go for the Intex because the requirements for the second boat are slightly different than for the first because it will be used by children instead of adults. My experience illustrates the value of your thorough review: you present the evidence so the viewer can decide what is important to him. Thanks for your effort.
Just got a sea eagle 370 for $150 on marketplace today, excited to take it out
Thanks for all the GREAT INFO!!! Im a longtime hardshell kayaker.I think inflatables are underrated.Thank you for your work.
Just got the Excursion, super happy with it - price and durable, very glad.
Another really good video. As someone looking to see how much kayaking we will actually do while traveling around in our campervan RV, we are looking at inexpensive and lightweight kayaks. Your videos are really informative and timely. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos.
Tom, I also live & travel in my RV & just purchased the Excursion Pro 2 person. It's 37lbs and perfect. Handles fabulous and only $312.00 on Amazon.
Great content. It shows that you have the experience and you know of what you are talking about. If you continue posting videos like this i can see you being a top 5 youtuber for the field. Keep it up!
I have the Intex Pro model. Easy setup around 15 minutes or so. Inflation a breeze with manual pump or rechargeable Coleman pump to inflate. Coleman pump great for removing all air for packing. Worked great in the coastal waterway with a stiff breeze. Fin keeps boat going straight. Inflatable seats adjustable and pretty comfy as opposed to hard plastic seating on plastic kayaks.
Wow, the best review i have heard. Very clear review. I really appreciate it. Thank you.
Thank you. You helped me a lot. I have cancelled my Sevylor kayak order in last minute and I have bought Challenger K2. It's really cheap as it costs ca 121$ in Poland. I think I will buy Excursion Pro (circa 290$) in few years as my kid grows bigger.
Excellent reviews! I saw your first one now this one I have to watch the rest. Thanks so much for providing detailed reviews on all these kayaks. Yours are the best on the web. At least that I've seen I have not seen any better ones than these reviews.
I bought 2 intex excursion pro kayaks in the first week of Jan 2020 for $125 each from amazon. Here in Texas i don’t really need to dry them out. I store kayaks on the covered porch with a bag slightly open and it works out just fine. I hope few years of life out of these and so far no leaks and loosing air. Paddles are not that great, but that is expected at this price range. Yesterday tested 400 pounds limit with one of my friends who is on heavier side - no problems whatsoever.
Thanks for doing this! After some checking, it doesn't look like the Costco HydroForce kayaks are even available anymore. Intex it is!
Hi, Great review. i got the Intex Excursion Pro for lake fishing. I quite enjoy as my first kayak, great to fish with, easy to inflate and deflate with the pump which makes it easy to pack in the bag again. I enjoy getting out on the lakes on wind free days with it. I will upgrade to a CAT 3 later since it is something I enjoy now.
Great video! Straight to the point, unaffiliated, professional experience. Thank you
lol light recreational use, play around near the shore hahahaha
When the fly started going around the camera I almost hit both my ears. :D
Thanks for your review. Ordered Intex challenger K2 green one for about $122 with taxes from Amazon yesterday. Hopefully I will have some fun with it in San Diego Bay.
Enjoy your video's Jack. Very helpful and informative 👍 keep up the good work.
It seems that I have done everything right. My first kayak was the Intex Challenger K1. After I discoverd the fun I could have with it on the water, I bought an Intex Excursion Pro. Now I am able to share the fun with my family. Thanks for the great review. If you are able to get your hands on some dropstitch kayaks I would love to see another review from you in that category.
I can only gind a two person Excursion Pro. Is yours a one person?
My other video talks about Sea Eagle Razorlite. And I might make more videos specifically about them.
Excursion Pro only exists as a tandem
I exactly have these two kayaks LOL. Glad that we are on the same page
I have the Intex Challenger K1 and glad it doesn't underperform compared to other Kayak's in it's category.
Hello. Many thanks for the review. I have a Hydroforce Bestway and a Intex Explorer K2. They are very similar. The Bestway valves, although apparently more basic, are more practical (I bring a plier on the Intex to handle the big valves). The fabric of the Intex seems stronger than the one of the Bestway, but in practice, it punctures more easily when hit by a somehow sharp object. The skeg of the Bestway has a simpler and more clever design than the one of the Intex (I feel obliged to secure the skeg of the Intex with a pin). Both of them are supposed to be 2 person kayaks: that is optimistic. They are very good for one person + equipment (plenty of room). It is easier to put the seat of the Intex in the central position when paddling solo: I had to extend the belts of the Bestway seat to achieve the same position.. On both kayaks, I go in open sea up to force 2 on long coastal trips. Both kayaks stay safe at force 3 with 1 m seas, but paddling effort becomes very hard and unpleasant. On both of them I put a plywood floor, 10 mm thick, approximately 1 m long: this improves drastically the performance, without adding too much weight, and without compromising too much the storage at home. It is advisable to have a 2 way pump (inflate and deflate) to allow flattening the chambers (especially the ones with the small valves) for storage. Considering the low price of these kayaks, they are a good buy for anybody wanting to have a first experience. If not used for serious kayaking, they can be just fun beach toys for the kids.
Thanks for this. I was torn between these 2 models but as the hydro force is quite a bit cheaper where I am I think I'll go for that one. I was almost put off by his review but as you own both I would rather take your advice
@@shaunm1983 Hello.
The price difference is due to:
- Better quality of Intex provided paddles (but it is impossible to select precisely the relative orientation of Intex left and right paddles , for exemple, I cannot put them at right angle).
- Valves on the Intex 2 main chambers look superb but are a pain to handle. I need a plier and grease to insure air tightness. The advantages of these valves is the easy deflation and the fact that they can be replaced (standard model for a lot of inflatable devices).
- The Intex is provided with a very reasolnable one way pump and a bag large enough (but fragile): nothing provided with the Bestway
- The Intex seats have belts that are long enough to position a seat in the midddle. For solo use, you will need to extend the belt of the Bestway seat.
Enjoy your kayak!
I love this guy. Hello from Seattle!
I watched this video after buying and using the inter challenger K1. (Not good logic) but after using it on a very small lake I was happy with it. for the 8-10 times we plan to get out each year on small lakes and rivers locally I think it will be perfect. I’m just glad it seems to be the better one for it’s price range and there wasn’t anything I overlooked.
I also used to prefer hand pumps over electric pumps but today's discovery have changed my view. With an electric pump and a boston valve, you can fill up a boat 6 times faster through the deflation opening! Normally it takes me 3 minutes to inflate my raft with electric pump, but inflating it through the deflation opening took only 30 seconds!
Thanks for the video! Very helpful. I have a K2, and wanted to buy a solo for myself. I was torn between the Excursion pro and Sea eagle. I'm going with the excursion pro solo now. Hope it lives up to your review! Thanks again
I made a separate review on that kayak.
Thanks for all your kayak videos. I just picked up the explorer pro and the green intex and was about to trade them in for a sea eagle until I saw this.
are you happy with your decision? This guy came out and made a video about the excursion pro and did not seem to have many great things to say about it.
@@eduardojose8172 I’m not an expert but I personally love it. Bought a hard sit on top kayak later on, the k2 pro is much better
@@billymasters11 I got myself one and I took it out yesterday for the first time and I was quite satisfied. It did seem to lose air but it's to be expected. Fun times, tracks quite well.
Great test. I have a old inflatable cheap kayak an i love! Its a Pathfinder 2 . Or Tortuga. Tnks
Just got my category 1 intex explorer. It's just going to be used for light use for my little guy and I for our short summers here so I'm sure it'll be fine.
Amazing video! Thank you so much for posting this!
I have the k2 Explorer and found the seat very comfy indeed!
Are you satisfied with the quality of the unit? Do you think you would buy again
Great info 👍 Keep up the good work. We'll be interested in more info about how to take care of the inflatable kayak.
Love my Intex Challenger, a K2 now that I'm too heavy for the K1 with any gear in it. I've taken both on multi-day river/lake missions here in Finland, though never too far from dry land. I'm looking at an Itiwit X500 as my next boat, but you really can't beat the bang for the buck that the Challenger offers.
Do you find that the K2 being a longer kayak tracks better or worse than the K1? How is the speed comparatively? I'm 235lbs and am looking to keep up with my brothers Oru Inlet much more expensive ($900.00) folding Kayak.
@@tonybanks9015 I can't say I've noticed much difference, I tend not to switch back and forth between them. But the tracking seems quite acceptable on both.
Speed-wise, again hard to say, but in my K2 I've sometimes struggled to keep up with a far less experienced person in the K1. All sorts of possible reasons for that, including a slow leak in the K2 (which I've now found - some sand in the valve) or even just my fat butt causing the bottom to sag and adding drag. Never been up against an Oru, but I can't imagine keeping up with one will be easy in either K1 or K2.
The K2 somehow feels more "sloppy", especially if I have gear in it and there are any waves, it definitely has more flex to it than the K1 (and in photos of me in the K2, I can see a pronounced dip in the middle).
One thing you can do with the K2 but not the K1 is clip one of the seat straps into both buckles on the same side, making a great carry strap - wear the kayak like a giant handbag and have your hands free for carrying other gear. Depending on what you're doing and how far you have to carry the thing, that might be a plus.
Like me, you're technically overweight for the K1 (100kg/220lb limit) - but I've overloaded it with camping gear before and had no trouble as long as I kept the weight down low, didn't inflate the bottom of my seat, and was sensible about waves. I also clipped the strap of my heaviest dry-bag around the grab rope at the back and towed it like a trailer to get the weight off the boat.
loved that you liked the K1!!! I commented on a video of yours before I saw this one. But next time I am in the Portland area, me and the wife would dig to join your group on a float in Portland!!!!!!!!
Please do!
Hi I’m just n Australia and even cheap kayaks made out of pvc are about $1,400. There are cheap cheap ones but as I’m a dragon boating person I want a category 3.
Sea eagle over $2,000.00 for a tandem razor lite. Thanks for the great work on the videos.
I'd love to see a review of some of the more expensive kayaks.
Will do
Same
Yes. Please make some videos of category 2 and 3.
After a lot of research and recommendations I went with the sea eagle as my first. To me I will sacrifice a little performance for more durability and that is the feedback I’ve gotten. Thanks for the great video!
Thanks for the comparisons. Personally, I won’t touch Intex again, I think the values and material used are faulty. I’m headed now too a sea eagle 330 for my second kayak.
Great review, thanks for the work :)
PS: That bee at 10:52 spooked me :D
I swatted my ear when that happened, took me a sec to realize it was just the video xD
Very useful information. 👍 We just got a SE 330 last week and tested it in the bay. It felt ok and we might use it for a while then upgrade to something else.
Looking forward to seeing more of your videos on category 3. 😻😻
I wish that you had bought the 370 Deluxe. The material is a little heavier. I started with a Sea Eagle seven years ago and bought a Hobie Revolution six years ago. I used the Sea Eagle more.
Leaning towards the Excursion Pro for fishing.
Intex K1 was the smaller one he liked... I bought this and it very likable, but I’m 5’9” and it is a squeeze to get in it
So helpful. Thanks for the guidance!
Glad your review on the Intex Excursion Pro is positive as I own one for a few years now. I made a trolling motor mount kit for this kayak with a simple PVC pipe frame and it works great.
Love to see a photo of your motor mount with motor on..l.
@@Cornelldsc I have a video in my channel.
I really enjoyed the video. I have an Intex Explorer K2 myself which I am happy with. The only issue with the video was the winners list at the end where you suddenly recommend the Intex Challenger K2 when your real world test was done in a Challenger K1.
Yes, that was a typo and I am sorry.
I live about a 30 minute buss ride from the beach, so I would have to take it in a backpack or bag, inflate it, play around (not planning to win any races:) dry it a bit, pack it, ride with it in a bus, then wash it again at home and dry it. I would love if Mr. Baikoff made a video about that, and any advice or anecdotes are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I'd say you can do that with any Cat1 kayak. Are there any questions that you'd like answered based on your scenario?
I say go for it. That's the ultimate accessibility barrier breakthrough! I really celebrate people who get on the water without the use of cars.
@@inneradventures Thank so much, I guess I'll rent and see if I stick to it, if I do I got my eye on the green one you mentioned is inexpensive and handles well, since is Category 1 (as per the Baikoff Kayak Taxonomy :) I can rinse at the beach and wash at home. I just want to play close to the shore, don't worry, it's a calm beach with wave breakers, pretty calm. Thanks again.
Awesome review for novices. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this!
I give the video a thumbs up with one reservation. He measured the speed of each kayak but didn't share the actual speeds with us. Probably the speeds would be embarrassing and would discourage people from trying inflatable kayaks.
I hear you. What happened is it took me months to put the video together and I lost a bunch of pictures and the notes I took that day. Most of them where in the 4kmph range.
I had that Intex Excursion Pro at 12:16, and it leaked after just the third time out on the water.
I don't think the issue was with it running into anything, but with storage. It's a pretty stiff material, so I think it got some small cracks in the creases when it was folded back up into it's storage bag.
no, you overinflated it.
very helpful ~ thanks!
I have had a Sea Eagle 370 for several months now, and I have to disagree with your assessment of Sea Eagle's deluxe seats. Both my wife and I find them to be excellent. They give very good back support, which is important for both of us. The deluxe seat has two air chambers, one for the back and one you sit on. We have experimented with the seat cushion fully inflated and fully deflated. Fully inflated, it puts you higher up in the boat. Fully deflated it provides more back support because the back cushion goes higher up the back. We both prefer it fully inflated. The back support still is very good, and we like being higher up. Also, when fully inflated, the cushion keeps your butt off the bottom of the boat and thus out of small amounts of water that may be sloshing around. When we were young, we did whitewater canoeing. That was a long time ago. Now we do only flatwater canoeing - lakes and slow rivers. We thus cannot comment on how well the seats would work on whitewater. For flat water, they work just fine. Of course, they are not as good as a rigid seat in a hard shell kayak, but for inflatable seats they are excellent.
I do not own an Intex Excursion boat and so cannot compare it to the Sea Eagle. However, I do know that the Intex Excursion costs about twice as much as a Sea Eagle 370. You can get the Sea Eagle directly from Sea Eagle in the spring or early summer when they are running their regular beginning-of-season sale and get an especially good price. Of course, there probably is the usual price/quality trade-off in comparing the Sea Eagle to the Intex Excursion, which the buyer will have to evaluate for himself. However, there is no question that the Sea Eagle is an outstanding boat for the money.
I am pleased I read this as I've just bought a 330 with the deluxe seats and I was a bit concerned after watching the video.
Thanks, this was very helpful!
Excursion Pro is pretty solid value for money. I sold my hard shell and bought an Excursion Pro about two years ago now. Already have gotten more than my money's worth as I picked it up on Amazon for like $185 or there about. I also bought an intex 12v air pump so I use that for easy inflating and deflating and just use the hand pump to top off. I did have a couple small tears around the second or third use but patched it and have not had any issues since. Yes in general you have to be careful of punctures but that is just nature of the game. If it fell apart beyond repair the next time I used it I would still be happy with the use I got out of it so far. I am careful with how much pressure I inflate to as I learned with tires off road that the higher the pressure the more prone to puncture.
Yeah, that kayaks might be the best value in general if you don't get to be unlucky one getting a defective one straight from the factory.
Very nice video. The challenger K2 is as good as the Excursion for less money. I think it would have won this comparison.
Thanks for doing this. You are awesome. Very informative .It helps us a lot.
The first kayak is hilarious!
Thanks for your videos, do you have a comparison video of your category 3 kayaks?
Great video, like all the others. I have a two person Intex Excursion Pro and I am happy with it. It's already lasted two seasons without issue. It's very important to remember to close the draining plug hole, otherwise you will take on water (it won't sink but the ride will be unpleasant). As much as I like it for casual paddling, the tandem version is less than practical for one person. So when I go out alone, if I don't want to carry much and I'm in very protected waters very close to shore, I use a folding Tuktec kayak (not inflatable, it's a plastic sheet that folds like origami into a hull). Initially, I thought it was a bath toy and I wanted to get rid of it, since it is slow and cannot be used in any waves. But for nature watching in very flat water it's actually ok. Do you have any experience with folding kayaks and any comparison with inflatables?
Great review, you helped me a lot!
INTEX explorer 2 is better. I thought too paddling and having my seat on the far end. You need to have your seat positioned in center of the kayak for one person for best performance!!! Remember it's a two person kayak but while paddling one person the seat has to be in center. You get the best performance!! And the kayak then floats straight, doesn't swerve side to side 😊
Please do a comparison of the affordable type 2 kayaks like the Aquaglide Chinook, Advanced elements lagoon and the Seyvylor Rio.
If I ever get around to it I will. Although it's unlikely since I don't own a lot of them and try to avoid them in general.
More movies about all inflatable kayak related things plz!
I use my Sea Eagle paddle with my Hobie. The Hobie paddle feels off. SEA Eagle is rated for Class 3. The 370 has a heavier material than the 330.
Great review I'll take yer word for it😎👌
Thanks so much for doing this! I started with a hard shell kayak but it was too heavy and cumbersome to take to lake so I wanted to switch to an inflatable but wasn’t sure which would fit my needs of casual couple hours on lake each weekend.
Hardshell to inflatable is a hard transition. They will feel turtle-paced.
@@inneradventures so true the inflatable puts around like a turtle.
good video mate (:
I have the green challenger kayak and i love it, easy to blow up and deflate.
I put some holes in mine from it scraping on the ground while transporting it and even after that It works perfectly (With patches ofc)
maybe of my friends have used it as their first experience on any kind of paddled boat and each one were confident after the first few minutes.
Very cheap and easy to use kayak.
Any thought on the Decathlon Itiwit ? Very informative channel ,thank you!
well priced Cat2 kayak. havent seen it in real life.
Thanks for the review. I've been trying to get the K2 and man, they are WAY more expensive than MSRP haha
COVID has jacked up the prices big time I bought 2 K2’s for $205 on Home Depot’s website in April. They are long gone now
@Spencer Dixon damn they really have gone up in price. I paid 85.dollars brand new. Intex K 2
Any of these recommended for puget sound? I'm a photographer and just trying to get on the water for orca photography
Definitely not!
nice review , I have yellow Intex
Excellent video. Thank you. I have a question regarding cleaning. I have a sea eagle 370 and there is mold and black spots. I was wondering what can be used to clean the hull and deluxe seats. Thanks for the advice
Also I hope you have a speedy recovery with your back
Thank you. I'd use distilled vinegar in a spray bottle to clean mold. But not sure if there are better solutions to that.
J Baikoff thanks , I appreciate it
Great video. You should also make one for the Category 3 kayaks.
That's the plan!
Hurry lol
I was set to buy the Sea Eagle 330 but opted for the K1 since I found it for 90 bucks compared to 299. But if I do love kayaking, I would like to know more about category three for kayak camping, esp Sea Eagle v. Air Kayaks. Thanks. Yours is the best info out there.
Good review of inflatable canoes.
What you consider blackfoot 130 vs fastrack 385fx ? Mostly lakes and calm water fishing touri g..and like to be able to try whitewater...
hello Jack....what INFO. ON THE PADDLES can you provide? did they come with the Kayak and how much did they WEIGH?? what were the Poles made of? and the Oars.....fiberglass? etc. etc?
Most of them come with paddles. And pretty much all of them are junk. I did not even want to bother using/reviewing them since they don't deserve it IMHO.
Great video. Can you comment on the packed size and weight of all of the ones you tested? I want one to take hiking and bike riding, so weight & volume is very important
Most of these are pretty light and small, but still it'll be a challenge to transport it on a bicycle.
@@inneradventures what are the typical dimensions?
A big backpack will carry one
Thanks - questions. Thanks for the candid and informative reviews. In Cat I kayaks, you mention seats as a weakness (and that for heavier paddlers, a stiff and drop-stitch floor is desirable). 1) Can a better non-inflatable seat typically be retrofitted to one of these budget boats? and 2) would it be feasible to improve the floor with a rigid insert (eg. thin plywood padded with outdoor carpet)?
1. Seats in most cases are totally possible and pretty easy. 2. Floor I imagine would be quite akward and annoying, probably not worth the benefit.
I've gone thru 2 inflatables now (Intel explorer and Excursion Pro) and it's a cheap made kayak meant for couple of seasons. I've patched mine like Swiss Cheese and while they stay afloat, wouldn't recommend these at all. I ended up upgrading to the much expensive Sea Eagle 380X and used it a lot this summer and it's a whole different ball game. Drop stich floors should be the norm for ALL inflatable kayaks. The paddling and tracking is SO much better and the material is top notch. I've converted mine into a fishing rig and have no issues with fishing hooks, etc on the drop stitch floor.
Also, your bias towards Sea Eagle? Are you a reseller? Intex inflatables are not even NMMA certified like Sea Eagle. The excursion is not even made of real PVC (the company is using some hybrid material and doesn't disclose this, hence the cheap discounted pricing). Almost 90% of RUclips videos are promoting all Intex inflatables as the "best 2020 inflatable' so it's highly suspicious that osmeone is promoting the company via incentives, etc.
Intex just happens the be the best value brand. Kayaks is not where I make money, that's where I spend it. I said that I have no financial ties to any companies and I meant it. If you watch my main video you'll see that you and I are on the same page - use Intex to test the waters and then upgrade to a good Cat3 kayak.
True to what J. Baikoff is saying. I own 2 excursion pros since Jan 2020 and no issues whatsoever on quiet lakes here in Austin. Did not need to patch any of these yet
Great video! Wish I saw it before I buy mine from Costco. The kayak I bought is an upgrade version of Hydroforce by Bestway called Tobin kayak, I think...It's more like a Category 2. It feels solid and well made. And have fins. I actually don't have much choice because all other kayaks are sold out online. Only left is Tobin kayak made by Bestway and the one from decathlon. Decathlon is 70$ more expensive. So Tobin kayak it is.
But as I left the review under your other video...Tobin kayak might have some air leak issue...
Yeah, I saw that kayak in action and was a bit underwhelmed by it. But it's not horrible.
@@inneradventures would you mind elaborating? I bought one and wondering if I should return it? Still in the package...
Thanks for the reviews -- Kayak Newby
Are these good for using them on lake?
Thought of green Intex. Didn't want to pay for orange excursion. Got the yellow Intex - duh...
@j baikoff Why no mention of Innova / Gumotex?
We don't have a lot of them here. Plus I don't think they are cheap enough to be in this video.
You mentioned paddles a few times, I'd love to see some paddle reviews.
Me too!
His paddle probably costs more than at least a couple of those kayaks
Hi great video, I love your detail and brutal honesty! I've watched all three of your reviews, all awesome! could you clarify for this video, there's something incorrect between when you introduce the kayaks (~1:04) and when you give your final grade in conclusion (13:20), there wasn't an Aquaglide 370 in the Intro (but you gave it an "OK" review?); and in the Intro there is a SeaEagle 370, but there was not final grade in the conclusion? Please double check between the Intro and Conclusion to see if you have the same boats. Also, would you rate the SeaEagle 330? Look forward to your comments, Thanks!
I made a mistake, it's Sea Eagle 370 all along. 330 is very similar to it
Thank you for the test.
Thanks man. The Intex Excursion is sold out everywhere - must be your review!? Intex should send you some free repair patches for your efforts.
No there are lots of other videos that rank the Excursion Pro number 1.
And Covid. We’re discovering the outdoors!
It kinda makes sense that the Intex Challenger K1 (1 person) is speedier then the Explorer K2 and other tested models which looks like 2 person versions. Factors like weight, size (air/water drag) etc.
I imagine the Challenger K2 would perform more similar to the rest.
I am concidering getting the Explorer K2, but at current price/availability I could get the Excursion Pro k2 at almost the same price..
Yes, I think you are right. I was thinking that higher hull speed would give bigger kayaks an advantage, but I was wrong.
do you have a review of AdvancedFrame? thanks
That would be Advanced Elements. i talk about them in a number of videos
@@inneradventures I saw your video and it was great and it gave very good information. There you talked about the third generation and did not mention a specific case.
i don't see much difference between their designs from 20 years ago and today. Close to identical. the whole name Advanced Frame is designed to sell, not reflect reality, IMHO.
Luv the videos, how can lazy drifters rig a kayak sail? Adv Elements kinda has one
Take a flat bed sheet, tie it to two halves of your paddles - downwind sail! :-) (it's partly a joke, but I've successfully done it a few times.)
I have the Sea Eagle 370. I keep it in my camper and when we camp by the beach I bring it out. Do you recommend upgrading the paddles? It’s the only paddles I’ve used so I’m not sure what the differences would be.
Sea Eagle tilt/lean to one side, the top bladder did noting to staying afloat.
Are you saying that's your experience or is that what you observed in my video?
@@inneradventures From your video. "noting was supposed to be "nothing."
I feel like we are resonating at different brainwaves. I am having real hard time interpreting your words.
LOL, don't worry. It's nothing that will end the world.
I bought a Sevylor Tahiti in 2002 and although it has been in use every year ever since it's still going strong. Admittedly the seats are shit, exactly as you described.