bil je tudi sea kayaker magazine 2005 readers choice kot best inflatable kayak
BEST INFLATABLE KAYAK
The Helios by Innova
The Helios by InnovaThe Czech-built Helios 380 can carry two adults comfortably, and yet folded up into a dry-bag/backpack, it’s the size of a medium-size suitcase and weighs under 40 pounds. Inflated, it’s 12.5 feet long and 30 inches wide. It has inflatable decks that provide a modest amount of covered storage and that serve as backrests for the two cockpits. You can paddle it solo from the aft cockpit with a bit of weight stowed in the bow to keep the boat closer to its proper trim.
The rudder bolts onto a flexible flange, and though it’s not needed so much for steering—the 380 is quite maneuverable—it improves the 380’s tracking. The rubber-coated skin will hold up to some rough treatment on a rocky beach. The manual that comes with the 380 makes no extravagant claims about its abilities—it’s designed for “still or gently flowing waters”—but inflatable-kayak advocate Audrey Sutherland has cruised thousands of miles of rugged coastlines in even smaller inflatable kayaks. The key is in choosing the right time to travel.
For many paddlers, however, the goal is to get out on a calm day to relax and enjoy the view from the water. The 380’s easy portability and quick set-up time make it well suited for quick getaways on bodies of water you might miss if you didn’t have a boat you could leave in the trunk of your car or carry aboard a bus or an airplane.
Helios 380EX $799
Innova Kayaks
360-707-2855
info@innovakayak.com
www.innovakayak.com