Everyone's Travel Club Innova fleet: ready for Spring

4/10/2011

Did a little spring cleaning to the inflatable Innova fleet. What great kayaks. I added a specially-made-for-boat vinyl spf spray to them a few weeks ago. This is a good idea, I do it annually. It protects the boats from sun damage and makes them nice and slick (faster in the water). I noticed a few scrapes to the outer fabric, very small, I'll probably repair them with the patch kits (that come with the kayaks) soon.

The current fleet consists of two Innova Safaris, and one Innova Helios II. They are all lightweight and pack small into backpacks. I've taken them on planes (in the overhead and checked), up mountains, on road-trips, in waves, and around town (in the trunk or by bus). Maybe the sun could just come out one of these Northwest weekends so I can kick off the season!

~Paul ETC

5 Comments

Debbie Morris

7/13/2015 08:27:15 am

Can you tell me which boat you like to paddle best? I am torn between a Helio I or Helio II or Safari. I will mainly use it for cruising around ocean bays or lakes. I am afraid to do whitewater rapids in a kayak. I prefer a tandem that is easy and fun to ride solo, but since I will mainly ride solo I might just get an Innova solo kayak, lightweight, to serve a purpose of taking on travels off cruise ships, airplanes, etc... Any suggestions?

Paul link

7/13/2015 12:57:17 pm

Debbie,

It's sometimes a tough balance between portability and performance...

Helios 2 - great boat, kinda heavy for a solo traveler to lug around. Nice if you're on big adventures (gear goes in front, solo paddler in back)

Helios 1 - Lighter, and if you don't have big feet (I'm men's 13), or too long of legs (not a problem for me at 5'11), or too much gear, a good boat. Lots of covered decks to stow gear our of the elements.

Safari - A really cool boat, but no covered storage. If you're heavier, 200 lbs +, you may take on a little water due to it's self-bailing holes. The holes work well in splashy water - it goes out. With this said, this boat has traveled on epic adventures all around the world.

Twists - Super light - great for travel, probably wouldn't take on serious adventures.

The newer Swing 1 - A nice compromise on price, weight, stability, covered storage. A little trickier to get into, however, more beam equals more stability in general. The metal bars - slightly pesky but strengthen the boats to make them easier to paddle...

Paul link

7/13/2015 01:06:24 pm

Debbie, Another thing to think about, is gear. When my wife and I travel with our Helios 2 we end up taking three bags:

My carry-on - We put the kayak in here. Weight doesn't matter, and it just fits (it is a double after all).

My wife's carry-on - Our clothes for the trip, other little stuff.

A large checked bag - 2 PFDs, 2 4-part paddles, the air pump, an extra emergency air pump, the optional rudder, little safety gear, shoes, bathroom stuff, etc. This usually weighs in just under 50 lbs.

Now, as a single traveler, you'll have less weight - PFD, paddle - so you'll have more room. But it's a little tricky weight-wise to fit the kayak (whichever you choose) and all of the gear in 1 checked bag (size-wise it fits, but it goes over the usual 50 lb checked bag limit...). The way we look at it though, the fees are still waaay cheaper than renting a kayak at our destination. Plus, you can paddle when and where you want (but be safe).

~Paul

Debbie

7/13/2015 01:43:23 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice Paul. I guess a solo would be my best bet for travel, but now it is choosing between Helio, Safari, and the new Twist with the lightweight Nirilin, but I have only seen it under Gumotex site overseas. The Twist might be more like a toy compared to the Safari, but I have no way of comparing them. I am not 200 pounds, so don't know about water and the Safari. Is it more for whitewater rapids then paddling around coastal shores or lakes? Don't you get wet in a Helio too? Do you have to put in extra cushions to keep your bottom from getting wet in all of them? I could see that being more of an issue in cold water. I can see the plus of covered storage on the Helio, but I guess I could just use a drybag in the Safari or Twist. I am 5' 8" so hopefully I would be comfortable in all types. Do you find one type more comfortable than others to paddle? If I was paddling for a couple hours would any of those be better than others? Obviously the lightest and most compact would be the Twist, but I just don't know if it would compare at all to the other two in terms of maneuverability for paddling a couple hours. What do you think?

Debbie

7/13/2015 01:58:21 pm

Sorry about that one big paragraph. I sent it from my phpone without editing it first. Anyway, I meant to type Ntrilin when talking about a new Twist LN (Lightweight Nitrilin fabric) I saw on a Gumotex site. It will be an upgrade in material, but a more lightweight version of the material on the Helio or Safari.

Everyone's Travel Club Innova fleet: ready for Spring

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