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Which Sevylor Should I Buy?

Which Sevylor Should I Buy?

Which Sevylor To BuyThree of our Taunton Leisure staff were given the opportunity to take our new inflatable Sevylor kayaks for a test float.

I was delighted to undertake this "onerous" chore because ever since my husband heard Taunton Leisure were selling inflatable kayaks he has been wanting us to get one. So this was the ideal chance for me to decide which one would be best for us.

                               
It was the hottest day of the week as we headed off to the beautiful Symonds Yat hidden away on the banks of the River Wye.

 

It was a strange feeling driving along knowing we had two kayaks squirreled away in the boot along with paddles and buoyancy aids and there was still plenty of room for a rather large "paddlers" lunch.

We arrived and casually laid the two deflated boats out on the grass.

           Sevylor canoes in back of car
        unpacking our Sevylor canoes
  Sevylor Rio Canyon - deflated
               Sevylor Kayak Inflation Diagram

I was delighted that there was a simple diagrammatic instruction note printed on the inside of the kayaks for the older person, such as myself  who finds they can't remember a thing these days (especially what they did with instructions!) The diagram showed clearly which panel to inflate first and the correct pressures.

                       Sevylor dual action pump
                Sevylor pressure guage included
Checking the inflation of the kayak

We used the Sevylor dual action hand pump, which has all the different valve fittings needed, and easily pumped up the bases of the two boats followed by the sides and then the seats. It was so quick and easy to inflate that we over inflated every time and were pleased to be able to check with the supplied pressure gauge that we had just the right amount of air in each bit.

                     Sevylor Rio Colorado and Rio Canyon

In ten minutes we were ready to get on the water and paddle to the next county.      It would have taken just about a minute to achieve this because the river divides Herefordshire and Gloucestershire but I spent quite a few minutes wandering around aimlessly with each kayak in turn delighting in the fact that I could carry them so easily on my own.

                     Paddling our Sevylor on the River Wye
We decided to head up stream to start with just to see what the boats were like and after a quick check on what "I am paddling on the left side and you should be paddling on the right!" actually meant we were off.   There was a stiff breeze and a fairly fast flowing current to combat but we made happy progress especially when we remembered that we were actually being paid to have so much fun.

Early on I have to confess to upsetting the tranquillity of the valley when Paul decided to just see if he could stand up in the boat whilst we paddled. We were wobbling wildly and I squealed so much that he said he would save that particular test until later. Luckily he forgot!

Paddling our Sevylor Canyon Two Person

We all tried out the different boats and finished off with our most experienced paddler, Paul, trying both boats down some rapids.

The Rio Canyon on the rapids

At last we got him to stop and headed off back to the car.

                     Upstream
Tony suggested we headed upstream via a shallow side channel where we could pull the boats in ankle depth water. Of course it turned out the water was not quite so shallow and we arrived back at the car with the boys complaining that their "middle regions were rather cold." I think that's what they said!

The boats were easy to carry with their sturdy carry handles, and deflated with the help of the reverse pump and were back in the car pretty quickly. They would need to be cleaned and dried off when we got back. Ready for the next trial. I will be recommending more testing as soon as possible!

                               Packing up the Sevylor canoes in their bag
                   2 Sevylor canoes and more in the boot

"So?" was the first word I heard on getting home. This single word was as it turned out, was supposed to gain a confirmation from me as to which kayak we would be using on the next fishing adventure in Cornwall.

"Well,"I am a woman, and of course incapable of a straightforward answer, so I explained, "They were both good."

"The canvas protective covering over the inflatable boat panels make them more robust than I expected.." I told him all about our day.

                     Rio Canyon Two Person

I couldn't get away from the fact that I preferred the look of the Canyon, I love the  North American Indian canoes and this looked to me the most like these open boats.   We sat lower in this kayak and it felt comfortable and stable.  The bottom of the boat is the inflatable mat / lilo and overall didn't seem as rigid as the Colorado.

                               Cut through Sevylor Rio Colorado Canoe
There was no getting away from the fact that the Colorado was sturdier (the double hull has its inflatable panel covered with canvas) and I thought too that the wider shape made it more stable.   Paul said he felt it was more manoeuvrable in the faster flowing water.

In the end I decided that the two seater version of the Colorado was best for us.

"At last, a decision!" my husband exclaimed.

Sevylor Rio Colorado

"..., but the Canyon would do just as well and its cheaper!" I added. 

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