Intex Challenger Kayak, Inflatable Kayak Set with Aluminum Oars and High Output Air-Pump Intex Excursion Pro Kayak Series Intex Excursion Pro Kayak Series Oru Kayak Foldable Kayak Bay ST | Stable, Durable, Lightweight - Lake, River, and Ocean Kayaks - Intermediate - Size (Unfolded)

This listing includes:- 1 Inflatable kayak- 1 Skeg (to keep your kayak straight in the water)- 1 Set of collapsible oars- 1 Inflatable seat- 1 Inflatable green thing for the front of your kayak- 1 Repair kit- 1 Instruction manual- 1 Carry bag- 1 Pump with hose attachment – this pump is a really fast pump, by the way.- 1 Clear, plastic measuring tape which you won’t use after your first time.What else you’ll need:- PFD (Life Jacket)- Large, preferably absorbent towel for when you need to dry and wipe your kayak before you put it away.- Zip lock bag or water-proof case for your phone and other items.- Sun screen- Something to drink- Body of water with a wind speed factor of less than 12mph, to take the kayak out to.OVERVIEW:We bought two Intex Challenger K1 Kayaks and took them out for a spin the very weekend we received it. It turned into a 3-hour kayaking session because we had so much fun with it! They were $49.99 each when it was on sale, and I couldn’t help but to buy it after reading the reviews, both positive and negative. What I took away from this entire purchase was how glad I am that I took a chance on it. This is one of the best purchases I’ve made.PROS - REVIEW – Here’s the good stuff first (Pros):The QUALITY was better than I expected. Repair is also super simple, according to Youtube, but I haven’t had to do this as there were no defects in my kayaks… yet. Anyways, they are so sturdy and the material is so thick that I have no problem with my dogs jumping in and out of it, but I would still yell at them to be careful...The COLLAPSIBLE OARS are actually more than good enough for me. They were easy to assemble and didn’t clip my hands or felt loose. They actually felt perfect in the water as well. I suppose the other reviews had me worried that the oars would be terrible, and I’d have to go buy another one at Walmart, but really, they work completely fine and a lot better than anticipated. I do think that better paddles would get you places faster though.The WEIGHT was maybe 20 lbs and fits in a bag! I wouldn’t throw it over my back and bike it to the lake, but it’s so compact! I love being able to just throw it into the trunk and take the inflatable kayak to the water whenever we feel like it.PUMPING and ASSEMBLING the kayak was sooooo easy and fast AFTER the first time. Yes, it took some time to figure stuff out the first time and I even got angry at the vague instructions, BUT after that, I was literally able to pump up the main kayak in less than 2 minutes and have it out in the water in less than 5 – all with just the pump that was supplied. I thought I’d have to use an electric pump, but no need! The manual pump that it came with worked so well and so fast that I am thinking of using it for my inflatable bed for camping as well (or should I say "glamping"?).The BOSTON CAP made it convenient to pump as well, because air only goes in one way when you’re pumping, so you don’t have to rush to close the cap for fear of air escaping. With the pumping of the kayak, there are two main compartments – one for the base and the other one for the top. I actually counted the number of pumps that worked for us: 63 pumps for the base and 44 pumps for the top. It’s silly to think that it will always remain the same number though, but knowing this number helps me keep track of the rubber’s condition of my kayak.The SKEG stayed in place real well. I did have to check on it once in a while just to make sure it was still there. So far, it’s lasted. I have no problems with it at all.The INFLATABLE SEAT, like many people have said, sits quite high if you inflate the bottom as well. So we took other people’s advice and only inflated the back portion of the seat. It’s nice and comfy.The SPACE FOR THE LEGS are not bad. We’re 5’1” and 5’5”. That being said, there’s this inflatable green triangle/oblong-like thing that everyone keeps wondering about. It actually slides into the front of your kayak. At first, we thought it’s so it’s easier for short people’s legs, then I realize that 1. it lifts the front-top portion of the kayak a little bit so it kind of helps with keeping water out of front of the kayak, 2. it helps with lifting the front top so your legs don’t get squished or feels too restricted in the kayak, and 3. it actually helped a whole bunch with using it to reach the ends with my towel when I needed to completely dry the inside (not necessary, but more on this later).This inflatable kayak is awesome for CRUISING speeds. Once you get going, you really pick up that speed and get going. TRACKING was quite excellent. It always went in the direction I wanted it to go, never went off-track, and made turns effortlessly. It felt like I wore it like my own skin. We also had WINDS at a constant of about 9 or 10mph, with an occasional gust of 12-15mph. There was significant waves once in a while when boats are close by with their motors on. Our kayaks stayed on course really well through it all, with a little bit of resistance when going against the wind. At one point, we did feel like the kayak was going to flip over with the significance of some of the waves, but we didn't stick around to find out.CONS - REVIEW – Cons and Suggestions:The supplied CARRYING BAG is actually not that great. It reminds me of the recycled tote people use as grocery bags. In fact, those recycled grocery totes are probably better quality. However, with that said, the bag is still big enough and decent enough. I wouldn’t waste any money to buy a replacement bag.These inflatable kayaks do LEAN TO THE RIGHT! My goodness, I thought this was going to be a problem, but guess what? It only took 2 minutes in the water for BOTH our bodies to completely adjust itself to the slight skew of the kayak. You may notice you’ll naturally lean more to one direction. Or more likely, you’ll notice yourself holding your oars more towards one direction. For us, we both held the oars lower to the right to adjust for the balance of the kayak. It’s just so natural that there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. You’ll forget about it as soon as you start paddling. Someone also suggested letting out a little air and/or getting out and adjusting the bottom a little. I haven't tried it yet, but worth looking into. Well, for our kayaks, it just tilts very little and doesn't matter how much we inflate or deflate it or move it around, but we never really did too much to fix it; we just sort of accepted it the way it is lol. Then again, like I said, you won't notice it soon after you paddle off.We didn't flip over in the middle of the lake, but my wife did FLIP over was when she climbed into her kayak in the very first time. I wasn't watching, so I don't even know how she managed to do that. She might have sat too close to the edge as she tried to get on?? I don't know... She seemed just as stunned by it, so she couldn't really describe how it flipped over. The kayak was light enough to flip back over effortlessly. I honestly don't know if this should be a con or pro though, because imagine if you did flip over in the middle of kayaking. If you know nothing about flipping a regular kayak back over and climbing back in, you'll have to be wait to be saved by other people. Now imagine your inflatable kayak flipping over... If it's anything like a regular float at water parks, it may prove to be easy to get back on - or not, hopefully without completely filling the kayak with water... I've never really tried it and never came across the problem, but will amend the review if it happens.It was actually quite confusing to FOLD the kayak back up. If you’re like my wife, you’ll just do whatever works for you and get on with it. I’m more of a pain-in-the-a about it, so I had to do it exactly how it was unfolded. I can already tell you the difference between my kayak and my wife’s kayak is that mine will last far better than hers. I took someone else’s advice and took pictures of how it was unfolded so that I can fold it back up exactly like so. After a few tries, you won’t need the pictures anymore. The reason for folding it back the way it was folded is to 1. protect the skeg area, 2. keep the kayak compact enough to fit back into the bag that it came with, and 3. possibly to keep from creating new edges to fold which may be sharp and cause punctures along the new sharp edges/corners. If you don’t really care about all that kind of stuff, just fold it into thirds and throw it in the trunk. That works for my wife too. Lol. Now that I think about it though, I may just do what my wife does and fold it into thirds the long way and place it in the back seat/trunk. The less folding, the better it may last.PUMPING with the supplied pump is so incredibly easy and awesome, but it’s pretty embarrassing pumping with a tiny little thing and having your feet on the teeny-tiny little bases. You’ll be tempted not to place both feet on the base at first or just use your hands to pump instead because you’re so MUCH cooler than that, but you’ll quickly realize the you just want to get it over with and in the water as quickly as possible. Sooo, you’ll eventually pump the kayak with both feet on the base, hunched over with your butt all the way in the air, and pumping away frantically. I’ve seen others do it and it looks just as embarrassing as it feels. Honestly two embarrassing minutes. Every. Single. Time. If you can get past the embarrassment though, the pump is actually so damn fine, you’ll love it and want to keep it with you wherever you go. Okay, let me walk back on that pump... I meant that the pump is fast and has all the attachments you'll ever need for you kayak. So, it's also great for floats! The quality of the pump's plastic, on the other hand, is really cheap-feeling and light-weight.Edited: DRYING THE KAYAKS were no easy feat the first time around. However, I figured out the fastest and the best way to do this. It will require an absorbent, large towel per kayak, the sun, and about 10-30 minutes.1. KEEP the kayak INFLATED. Take the skeg off the kayak.2. Have the inflated kayak at a slope the long way (doesn't have to be a big slope at all) so the water inside the kayak rolls down the opposite end. If you don’t have a slope, lean it against the cool side of your car (so the metal doesn’t get so hot that it’d melt the rubber off your kayak) or a wall – the long-way. Or prop it up on one end with a duffel or something.3. Stick the towel inside the end that the water rolls down to. If your arms are not long enough, you'll need the green thing to help you, but otherwise, stuff it gently all the way to absorb the water.4. Keep it in the sun for about 5-10 minutes (release some air if your kayak starts to inflate in the heat so it doesn’t over-inflate on its own).5. Check on it – you may have to use your towel to wipe some water off.6. Take the towel out, wipe off excess water that you still see, and squeeze the towel dry.7. Flip the kayak over the long-way and do the same for the other end (repeat steps 2 to 6) for another 5-10 minutes. Make sure to stick your towel in there to catch the water BEFORE you flip it. This sounds unnecessary, but believe me, if there’s water, you’ll want to get it all out or as much as you can.8. The front side of your kayak should be dry by now, but if there’s still water, just wipe it off with the towel.9. Flip the kayak onto the back (where the skeg goes) onto a flat surface (or leaning is fine, it doesn’t matter) and dry off for another 5 or 10 minutes.10. Wipe off excess water where necessary. Use additional time if you have to, but don’t leave the kayaks out in the direct sun for too long if you don’t have to. Release some air if the kayak inflates too much in the heat.All this sounds like a lot of steps, but that’s just because I broke it down into steps. It literally takes less than 30 minutes while you’re not even paying attention and just sitting and enjoying a beer or something. It matters if you have sun or not as well. Arizona is so hot and so dry that this really completely dried off everything in about 10-20 minutes total.OTHER SUGGESTIONS:- Take pictures/a video on how the kayak is unfolded so you can fold it back up the way it was folded, if you prefer.- Practice opening and assembling this kayak just once (or more times if you have to) while you’re at home. This will make it easier when you take it out to the water and not have to figure out what goes where, so you can get a feel for what over-inflation/under-inflation/just-right-inflation feels like, and know how to fold it back up.- Keep the new kayak inflated overnight in your home when you first get it so that you can know if there’s any major leaks or a leak at all.- It goes without saying, but keep the inflatable kayak from sharp things/jagged surfaces.- Youtube how to repair a leak in your kayak. It’s super easy and takes 2 minutes to watch, and possibly 2 minutes to repair.- Bring the repair kit with you just in case.- Use the supplied air pump – really fast and really easy. No batteries!INSTRUCTION MANUAL:Initially, I thought the instructions were very vague. I was quite frustrated at first, but after I read it, identified what was what, knew where everything went, and got it inflated and deflated the first time, I realized the manual couldn’t have been any more detailed than it had to be. So, don’t give up. The instructions are ALL there. True, you may feel like you’ll want a ctrl+find though…Willow Beach, Arizona – Review:We went to Arizona’s Willow Beach Marina. If you do go there, there’s certain things you should be aware of. First of all, there’s a $20 entrance fee per vehicle (there’s an option for annual passes, $40/year). Second of all, if you don’t want to compete in the water with motorized vehicles, Sundays and Mondays are the days that are designated for non-motorized paddle boats only (which means kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards only, or whatever non-motorized water sports you bring). Third of all, check the weather, specifically for the wind factor. Anything under 12mph, you’ll be alright at the lake at Willow Beach Marina. Finally, the area is monitored, so please go to Walmart and buy yourself a $15 life jacket or they WILL cite you if they have to warn you more than once about keeping your life jacket on in the middle of the lake.

I did a lot of research and read all of the reviews for The Challenger one-man and two-man, as well as the Explorer 2-man. Watched a bunch of YouTube videos, too. My biggest concerns were weight (can I carry it myself?) and comfort (l have long legs -- my jeans are a 36" inseam).I initially decided on the Explorer 2-man since it would :(1) give me more legroom than the Challenger one-man(2) it was significantly lighter than the Challenger two man. RReviews said the Explorer was more of a "fun boat" than a proper kayak, but I decided to give it a try.When it arrived, I didn't even open the box. The box was quite large and heavy. The deadweight wouldn't be comfortable to carry, and I wondered if it would be a hassle to carry on my own. Plus I live in a small apartment so I planned to store the kayak in my trunk. This would have taken up a lot of my trunk space. So I returned it...and bought the Challenger 1-man instead. Great move.The box for the Challenger 1-man was much smaller and noticeably lighter than the Explorer 2-man. It's hard to tell that when you're just looking at numbers on a web page vs. seeing and feeling it live.I easily and quickly blew it up in my living room to test out the setup. Yay! And, since it's smaller than the two-man boat, everything (including paddle and pump) easily fits into one of those big blue or yellow (sturdy!) ikea bags. The bag it comes in is useless/flimsy. Just get a 99 cent Ikea bag.One thing to be careful about is not to over-inflate it. They make it clear that you should only use a manual pump to prevent this. You'll find a tiny (10cm?) measurement strip in the little bag of random stuff (eg. patch kit). There is also a line printed on one side of the kayak. You blow up the boat until the line on the boat matches the length of the line on this little plastic thing. But don't blow up past that length to avoid overinflating. They do mention something about if it's either very cold or very hot out that you may want to over/underinflate it to account for air expansion/contraction.The pump is easy and efficient. But it's kinda cheap (to be expected at this price point). Twice the two pieces have come apart (maybe I was a bit too aggressive in my pumping?) and it took me some time to figure out how to put it back together -- and have it work. There is a rubber ring that needs to form a seal between the two pieces to have it work. I'm not super mechanical but I figured it out. You will, too. If you have a better manual pump you may want to use it, but this has served its purpose so far (I've used it 4x).My only complaint about the boat is the legroom. Legs and my feet are very squished. No room to move around at all if you have long legs. I point my toes out (almost 90% to the left and right) and I sort of stuff between the bottom and sides of the boat. It comes with a green blow-up triangle to stuff in the front of the boat, whose purpose seems primarily to give you some height between the bottom and top of the boat so your feet will fit down there. But it's not really high/tall enough to be super effective. Another friend (who is 5" shorter than I am) had a similar issue, but because her legs are sooo much sorter, comfort really wasn't an issue for her as she would move her legs around. I didn't even use the green blow-up triangle after my first expedition, so I'd have more legroom, but it was still very, very cramped. I basically couldn't move my legs much at all once I was "in place". Not ideal for a long kayak ride. I've gone out for a couple hours, but wouldn't be able to take it for much more than that without stopping and getting out. But I do have a tip for people with long legs and/or big feet (I wear women's size 13). My second time out wore a pair of Tevas, so the top of the Tevas sort of "pushed" the top of the boat up enough that my toes themselves didn't get squished. (Wearing water shoes didn't work well at all my first time around.) My short friend wore water shoes and they worked great for her, though. Still, even with the Tevas protecting my toes, my legs could only "fit" one way in the boat and since they were really lodged in there, I couldn't move them around.The "ride" itself is great. I've been kayaking in the SF bay (not in the middle of the bay where crazy currents could pull me out past the Golden Gate bridge), but around Alameda island and in the Sausalito bay, for those familiar with the area. Ride was super smooth and handled some choppy waters just fine. I don't kayak too often, but my friend does. She actually liked this ride better than the hard kayaks. You sit right in the water. Easy to maneuver. Didn't feel like I was at risk of tipping over. It does definitely "tilt" to one side (as I had read in previous reviews) -- must be the way the two separate compartments blow up -- but it wasn't an issue at all.People have complained that the paddles are super cheap. Well, sure. But they work. I'm not going to go buy a paddle that costs as much as my boat : )I also noticed that the prices of (all the ) Intex boats varied WILDLY from day to day! In some reviews from early 2020, I read that people paid just $50 for this boat! I bought mine mid-May for $69. Two days before I bought it, it was $79. Three days later, $99. Then it went to $109. Then back down to $79. No idea what pricing software Intex was using, but it was super bizarre. Now (mid-july) it seems Intex may be out of stock and there are "new and used" options starting at $199.99. YIkes! I should have kept my 2-man explorer and sold it on eBay and made $150 : ) That boat was just $89 in early May.So, watch for a good price. And maybe contact Intex directly (they are in the US and did respond to a question I had, though it took a few days) to find out when they'll have more inventory.Would I pay $200 for this kayak? No, I'd wait for the price to go down. Would I pay $109 for it? Sure. It's a great little boat. The cramped leg space isn't ideal, but for my casual use, and the price I paid, t's fine. And worth the tradeoff of the 2-man boat legroom is worth it to me to actually be able to easily carry it around only own and store it in my car.

Bought this for meandering down our little ouze river at the bottom of the garden. Perfect for all days out, plenty of space and easily controlled. Very stable when sober.One point, don't go out in the middle of the night completely wasted with a mate and go for a paddle, You'll end up in the river soaking wet and half drowned just like we did, twice!

This kayak is currently with me on a weekend break to Scotland. The first morning I set my alarm for 6.30am, on a Saturday! What could persuade me to get out of bed before 10 on a weekend? This kayak, waiting for me in the boot of the car. I carried it easily down to the water's edge of Loch Etive, the tough bag it comes in large enough to fit in a few extra bits and pieces as well as the kayak, pump and paddle.Because it's not a tight fit in the bag, unpacking on the rocks by the water was simple. Fearing the handpump would take most of the morning, I got to work. The kayak was fully inflated in a flash, ready to go with very little actual effort. The paddle clipped together easily, with an adjustable angle on one paddle end for people who know much more about kayaking than I do.Hoisting the kayak under one arm to take it to the water's edge, it was a manageable yet comforting weight. It handled being wriggled awkwardly into admirably; being fairly wide, it feels lovely and stable. The only thing left was to paddle out and enjoy the gorgeous Scottish summer day.Right now as I type I'm waiting impatiently for the sun to come up just a little more so I can take this kayak back to the water. Loch Etive opens to the sea and has its own small colony of seals. Let's see if I can find them! Under £70 to get out onto the water wherever you go? Well worth it.

Scrivo questa recensione per chi come me era indeciso tra il challenger e l’ Explorer. Avendole provate entrambe posso raccontare la mia opinione. L’explorer rispetto al challenger è più stabile, più largo ed è completamente scoperto. Il challenger è più veloce essendo più affusolato, ciò gli permette più velocità a discapito della stabilità, anche con piccole onde comunque se non si è proprio novizio si riesce a manovrare facilmente. Io sono alto 185 e mi sono trovato più comodo per le gambe sul challenger. Altra considerazione va fatta sulle camere d’aria, l’explorer ne ha 2 a sgonfiamento rapido è una normale (molto scomoda) + una valvola per far uscire L’acqua imbarcata nel viaggio. Il challenger invece ne ha 2 a sgonfiamento rapido cosa che ho apprezzato molto, tuttavia è sprovvisto di valvola per far uscire l’acqua imbarcata il che avendo anche le punte scoperte rende più arduo il compito. Sul resto entrambi hanno gli stessi materiali.Se cercate stabilità e spazio prendete l’explorer.Se cercate velocità e comodità nel gonfiaggini/sgonfiaggio prendete il challengerSpero di esservi stato utile!

So, it's ok. We got it to see how much we liked it, before investing a bit more in a Sevylor kayak. For this purpose it is excellent. It comes with everything you need, including two sets of paddles and a pump, so you can literally be going 5 minutes after it arrives. Assuming of course that it doesn't have a hole in it. The first one to arrive did have a hole - fortunately I tested it out in the living room, so we avoided major hassle, and Amazon refunded the postage (although you do have to ship it yourself first). Happily, the second one works like a charm - we have taken it out on the sea several times (in still conditions). Here are my observations:Pros:Quick to inflateLoads of room for storage at the front and backTwo sets of paddles that fold up really smallPump feels cheap, but works really well.Tracks well with the included skeg (fin)Adjustable seat positionsCons:Single skin, which feels a little vulnerableOnly two chambers, and it feels like if the bottom one burst out on the water you might have trouble getting back.The side wall is quite fat, so you rub it when you paddleThe cargo net is rubbishThe carry bag is made of cheeseMassive pain trying to get it back into the bag when wet/sandyIn summary, I wouldn't pay over £100 for it, and I would be careful about where you use it. Goes without saying that you should wear a buoyancy aid/jacket. After a few months use on the sea it is still doing well - we hose it down and dry it after each use. Over- inflating seems to be a big issue, so watch out for that. It has given us the bug, and made us invest in a better one, and that was really why we got it, so I'm pretty pleased. The main benefit of inflatable kayaks is that it folds away fairly small, transportation is easy, and you don't need to be He-man to lift it. That said, it weights just over 20kg, and unlike other brands, doesn't have any way of carrying it on your back, so it's easier to carry with two adults.

Had this thing out on Ullswater yesterday, and it's just the job.It's lightweight, packs down really small, and it handles really rather well.I'm 6 foot, but had no trouble fitting in it.It's very stable, and there's plenty of storage up front.Paddles are more than adequate, and it even comes with one of these things in the photo.I've no idea what it is, but you can strap a tin of beer to it and tow it behind you.Overall, for £75 all-in, you can't go wrong.If you're umming and arring, just get one, you won't be disappointed.That's what I did, and I'm most pleased.