The Need for Folding Things like Boats
So I’ve had to go on vacation a couple times now without a boat. I almost perish. This last time I bought an inflatable beach toy and made a kayak paddle from some shingles, zipties and branches and got set to go explore a backwoods deep-spring (Florida)… and the dang thing sank out from under me. OK: so what’s the answer. I’d be happy to solve it at Kmart if possible. Is there a non-German, less than a grand solution? It needs to be stout, functional, compact, quick to set up. Nothing too fancy. But paddle-able. I noticed that there was a beach inflate kayak for sale but I went cheap—my float was $15; the kayak was $50 or so. I wasted a day. Shoulda splurged on the ‘double ended float toy’—it wasn’t ‘official’ but I bet it woulda worked. Pointers, advice, etc. I’ve ‘been there done that’ otherwise so snobbery will get you nowhere. I need a realistic solution.
The sky is not the limit. I can do homebrew as needed (like if a Kmart floater can be improved with a board floor or something). Thanks!
The answer was Sevylor Tahiti Classic. 25 lbs. Two person. Double-ended. $139. Rugged. It’s been around for a long time. Tough enough. Not a pro class of boat, but good enough for goofball work. There’s also a new cheaper version for $109 with cheaper vinyl, I think.
I feel this same way about folding bikes. I hate to bring a bike and boat on a roof rack on a big family trip to some city. I’m usually going for some planned family event, so I don’t know what it will be like. I often end up doing nothing for a long time right near some nice natural feature. With a folding bike and boat I can just drop em into the trunk when we pack and be ready for most anything. Toss in some rollerblades. Maybe a folding bow and arrows.
