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Choosing an Aquaglide Inflatable Kayak: Deschutes Tandem vs Columbia Tandem

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This year, Aquaglide – a division of North Sports – launched their inflatable kayak line with a series of 13 models. Two of the high-end models – the Deschutes Tandem and the Columbia Tandem – are high-pressure versions that can be ulitized by 2+ paddlers.
We often get questions – which one should I choose?

The Columbia Tandem (photo above) is a 15 ft touring model with a sleek silhouette and long waterline, while the Deschutes Tandem (photo below) is a 12 ft recreational model built for comfort and stability. While they have many similarities, there are just as many differences. Ultimately your choice comes down to a personal preference, but here are some things to think about.

Both kayaks are made from the same materials, use the same valves and have the same 6-12 PSI high-pressure floor with 2 PSI side chambers. Both come with two ProFormance seats, fishing rod holders, spray decks, deck lacing, molded rubber handles, multiple d-rings, neoprene knuckleguards, velcro paddle holders, drain plugs, a third jumper seat, removable fin, foot braces and the same backpack. Both the Deschutes Tandem and Columbia Tandem have a carrying capacity of 600 lbs, and utilize velcro floor strips and multiple d-rings to create infinite seating positions for one or two paddlers while still leaving room enough for gear, a child or furry friend.

At 12 feet in length with a weight of 42 lbs in the pack, the Deschutes Tandem is lighterweight and shorter – easier to carry around solo in windy weather. The wider beam is slightly more stable, but it’s not as quite as nimble. It paddles well, with less glide. This is a great choice with people concerned about kayak size and weight, who don’t plan on long days of touring, who want an open design and aren’t concerned about colders waters or wind, who want to have some fun on the water, or maybe a day of fishing, without sacrificing versatility – it can be paddled by one or two, yet still has room for gear or a third smaller being. And it costs slightly less.
The Columbia Tandem is 3 feet longer and weighs 7 lbs more (15 feet and 49 lbs). The long waterline makes it a great choice for extended (and short) range touring. It paddles well and has great glide.  There is plenty of room for gear or a third smaller being, yet is versatile enough to be paddled by one. While it sports an open design – making it easy to get in and out of – Aquaglide will be introducing single and double spray decks, allowing one to be in a more enclosed cockpit and utilize spray skirts.

We put the Columbia and Deschutes Tandems

Original Source: AirKayaks >>

Guide to Choosing Your 2014 Red Air Inflatable Paddle Board

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We can tell the summer months have finally reached the northern hemisphere – everyone is inquiring about standup paddle boards. With all the models, sizes, thicknesses and activity types, how does one choose the best board?
After speaking with John Hibbard of Red Paddle Company, and Andrew Meakin of Coastal Sports, we’ve updated our previous post on Choosing your Red Air Paddle Board – now for the 2014 models. The table (below) will hopefully take away some of the guesswork and confusing options when looking at the Red Air ISUPs.

For 2014, Red Paddle Company offers 13 models ranging in size from 9 ft 2 inches to 14 ft. 0 inches. This includes the introduction of 4 new models, the installation of two prototype models, and a revamped look on the current seven models.
Well-known for their ruggedness throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand, each of the Red Air boards utilize high pressure drop-stitch technology – allowing them to be inflated from 15-25PSI – and feature quadruple rail construction, double layering, thick traction pads and fins. Each board comes with the Red Air EZee or EZee HP pump, allowing one to inflate a paddle board to 20 PSI and higher in less than 10 minutes.
All 2014 Red Air ISUPs now come with an extensively updated backpack featuring integrated wheels, making it easier to thread through airport lobbies, while still comfortable enough to pack into the remote country. An optional backpack can be fitted to the front of the pack or used separately for laptop, work or a day at the beach.
How do you use this table? First, ascertain your size from the list:

Big & Tall – 210+ lbs and 6’1″ plus inches in height
Average – 140-200 lbs, 5’7″ to 6’0″ inches in height
Small – Under 140 lbs, Under 5’7″ inches in height
Child – Under 100 lbs, under 5’0 inches in height

Then decide the type of paddling you want to do (paddling situations):

Touring – Ocean, waves, long paddles, camping
Recreational – Lakes, sloughs, slower rivers, coastal, calm
Whitewater – Downriver whitewater activities
Surfing
Fishing
Racing

Determine what attributes are important (or not!) to you – do you want versatility or storage capacity? Stability or speed?
Rank your experience level, realizing that the more you get out on the water, the better you will get. More experienced paddlers can get away with smaller boards. Last of all, will this be used by various members of the family? Do you want the ability to bring along a child, dog or gear? Might two people be on this together?

Multi Paddlers/Family: Two small adults, Adult and child or dog.
Beginner
Intermediate/Medium
Advanced Paddler

Follow the color key to decide what board is good for varying sizes and activities:

Blue – The board is great!
Green – The board is good.
Yellow –

Original Source: AirKayaks >>

Product Review: Airis HardTop Stubby 9 Inflatable Standup Paddle Board (ISUP) from Walker Bay

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We continue with our write-ups on the new Airis HardTop series of inflatable paddle boards from Walker Bay – the Hardtop Tour 12.5, Hardtop SUV 11 and Hardtop Stubby 9.
The Hardtop hybrid design combines Walker Bay’s patented 6-inch thick AirWeb construction with RigiDeck non-skid fiberglass steps. While each of the three models features bungee attachment points for storing gear, the Hardtop SUV and Stubby also include seat attachments points, allowing sit-down paddling with purchase of an optional backrest.

Our first review was on the Airis SUV 11, so this time we selected the Stubby 9 – a 10-PSI minimalist – as the simplicity and light-weight were appealing. Please note, some of the information from previous Airis reviews will be repeated here.
Getting Started with the Airis Stubby 9 ISUP
The box as received weighs 29 lbs, measuring 28 x 20 x14 inches.

Inside is the updated Airis backpack, a duffel bag with adjustable shoulder straps, drawstring top and mesh side panel. Also included in the box is a repair kit, dual-action hand-pump, gauge and instructions. The HardTop Stubby 9 can be folded up to easily fit inside the backpack, along with the pump. Folded measurements are 28 x 10 x 19 inches.
The ISUP in the backpack with pump weighs 25 lbs – the body alone is 22 lbs.
Airis Stubby 9 Inflatable SUP Setup/Inflatation
Setup for the Airis Stubby 9 is remarkably simple as there is basically one piece.

First step – unpack and unfold the board.

The Airis Stubby 9 features one main inflation chamber utilizing a military valve – this is located on the side rail towards the stern. The military-style plunger valve is simple to use – with your finger, twist the plunger slightly to the “up” position to inflate (air goes in but doesn’t come back out) and “down” to deflate (air comes out).

Put the pressure gauge on the included double action pump, locking it in between the pump itself and the hose. (Please note: there is an inflate and a deflate side to the pump/hose attachment.) The pump comes with a military valve adaptor which locks onto the valve with a slight twist.

All the new Airis kayaks and SUPS come with an updated pump, which we term a “dual action” pump – a single action/double action hand pump. This is defaulted to the “double action” which means the air is pushed in on the up and the down stroke. When obtaining higher pressures (towards the 3 and 4 PSI range) it becomes increasingly tougher to pump. With a simple “twist of the knob” the pump becomes a single action pump – pushing air in on the down stroke only, making it easier to reach the higher ranges.

Start pumping. After a couple of minutes

Original Source: AirKayaks >>

Product Review: Columbia Tandem HB Inflatable Kayak from Aquaglide – for 1-3 paddlers.

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We continue with our series on the new Aquaglide line of inflatable kayaks. Our first two reviews focused on the Chinook price-point line – the Chinook Two and the Chinook Tandem inflatable kayaks.
Our third review moved into the flagship Columbia line of high pressure inflatables, beginning with the Columbia One HB – a high-pressure touring model for one paddler. The Columbia line also consists of the Columbia 2 HB (for one to two paddlers) and the Columbia Tandem (for 1 to 3 paddlers).

Our current review focuses on the Columbia Tandem HB, a 15 foot long inflatable kayak designed for one or two paddlers – with extra space for gear, child or pet. (Please note: some of the information will be repeated from other writeups.)
Getting Started with the Aquaglide Columbia HB Tandem:

We unpacked the box and laid out the pieces – inflatable kayak, backpack, instructions, repair kit, foot braces, tracking fin, two standard seats and a jumper seat.

Initial measurements showed the kayak body weighs approximately 40 lbs, with a backpack size of roughly 27 x 22 x 18 inches, while the kayak with seats, fin and braces – all in the backpack – weighs 49 lbs. Boxed up, the dimensions are 33 x 30 x 15 inches with a shipping weight of 60 lbs.
(AirKayaks Side note #1: When initially removing the kayak from the carrying case, take a good look at how the kayak is folded This is probably the most overlooked step and it is VERY helpful when trying to get the kayak back into the bag.)
The included instructions are adequate and include diagrams with inflation details.

Set up is straight-forward and simple  – unpack, unfold, inflate.
There are two inflation chambers utilizing Boston valves – the two side chambers – while the high-pressure floor features a military valve. There are three more small chambers with twistlock valves, for the seat bases. The floor is pumped up first.

The military-style plunger valve is simple to use – with your finger, twist the plunger slightly to the “up” position to inflate (air goes in but doesn’t come back out) and “down” to deflate (air comes out).

The Columbia Tandem HB floor requires a miltary valve adaptor, which does not come with most standard pumps. Here is where we came to our first issue – no military valve adaptor was included. We were aware of this from our previous writeup on the Columbia One, and pulled one out of our parts box. (AirKayaks note #2: We spoke with AquaGlide. The first couple of shipments did not include the adaptor, but subsequent shipments will. We did obtain a number of fittings that we will be including with the first shipments.)
Lock the adaptor onto the military valve with

Original Source: AirKayaks >>