Wifey has a former colleague from Guelph who has two hardshell sit-in kayaks (brand unknown) and a POS SOT Pelican kayak she got from Canuck Tire for $500 that she bought so her elderly black lab can come along (and meanwhile be completely incapable of tracking straight. Over the past few years, the friend has taken us out on Guelph Lake and we've really come to enjoy being out on the water.
Like many, I wasn't willing to deal with the storage or transport of hardshell kayaks. I also didn't want a tandem as I don't want our marriage to fail
I was debating between the Oru Inlet kayak, which is a seriously interesting design (foldable, like origami) and would be really easy to transport and maintain, and the Sea Eagle Razorlite 393, which is inflatable (100% drop stitch). I briefly looked at other drop stitch units and can't to the conclusion that the Razorlite was the best of them in terms of durability and design.
The cost between the Oru and Razorlite is similar, with the latter being pricier only because I'm lazy and wanted an electric pump. Both had to be shipped from the US and shipping, taxes, and duties hurt reeeeaaaal bad... But c'est la vie.
I decided against the Oru as some users have pointed out that a self-rescue/re-entry is nearly impossible unless you shove float bags inside both the bow and stern behind the bulkheads (which other reviewers have suggested don't stand up to much abuse, along with the velcro she other straps). The difficulty with re-entry alone was enough for me to decide on inflatables to protect wifey and her disdain for being cold and wet.
So I ordered the Razorlite 393 (2 of them) with the standard paddle (which I'll probably regret not upgrading to the carbon ones, but I figure that I can just buy better ones in Toronto if they're not good), and then hundreds on the necessary accessories (PFDs, the electric 2-stage pump, dry bags, throw ropes, neoprene grips to protect the surgeon hands, hand bilge pump, etc - Amazon has been busy and racking in my money).
Sorry to post before they arrive (I have literally everything else but the kayaks themselves 😂), but I figured why not post here in case someone knows better than I do and I can still cancel the order!
(Don't bother trying to convince me away from inflatables - keep in mind also that we lease cars (well, once our Fozzie is gone, which will be within the next 2 years) and we'd have to get new racks all the time and rush the paint too much). I can fit both kayaks in the trunk of my 3 so that's pretty amazing in terms of portability, and we're living with the in-laws while our house is still being built in Unionville -end of March ETA - so storage is a big concern.
I plan on using them until it's way too cold, so likely into late October or later - hopefully I can post some pics once they arrive.
