Inflatable kayaks

Kayak

— a variety of inflatable boats, similar in design to traditional kayaks (kayaks) — narrow and long rowing boats without oarlocks. In classic kayaks, paddlers sit one behind the other, and two-bladed oars are used for propulsion. However, among the inflatable models there are other design options — for example, relatively wide vessels in which each rower works from only one side with a single-blade oar (like a canoe), as well as watercraft with a built-in transom and the possibility of installing a motor.

The advantages of inflatable kayaks over traditional rigid ones are light weight, compactness during transportation, large buoyancy reserve and high carrying capacity. Among the shortcomings, one can note the difficulty in managing in strong winds (due to shallow draft and high windage), a relatively small capacity and (in some models) insufficient directional stability, which must be corrected by ballast.