Kayak £39.99 Lidl. Bargain or waste of space?

Yes but yours might be a bit of a let down

 

This is the sort of thing I had in mind https://www.intotheblue.co.uk/water-sports/kayaking/

 

It looks a bit inflatable air bed to me. I suspect it will fold in two when you sit in it. I have a Decathlon two seater though and it is great! Green to match the van obvs!

 

I've had one for a few years, it's fine. I've paddled across Derwentwater in the Lakes in it, and also messed around in the Solent in it, as well as many other places.

 

As a scuba diver I take safety very seriously

If i buy an inflatable kayak I will ensure I go out fully equipped with mask, snorkel, bcd, regulators and a full tank

 

And it all packs up, including the paddle, into a bag you could fit in an airline locker, so doesn't take up much space.
If I remember rightly it didn't come with a pump though, so I got a proper kayak pump from decathlon for something daft like a tenner.

 

One of my most amusing trips in it, involved embarking from the not very good river bank of the (fast flowing) river flowing into Wastwater (Wasdale, Lakes), firstly chucking my 8yr old in, then I leapt in, then we washed down at superspeed into the lake then paddled around Wastwater , the deepest lake in Britain or something.
We're both not dead.

 

Mate....if someone found sweets from their childhood that they've not seen since.....you'd be the one talking about trips to the dentist and fillings...

 

Thanks Lidl - you'll be keeping the RNLI busy all summer........

 

For inland stuff I thought there some kind of license/insurance? No idea who polices it mind

 

On rivers and canals you need to be licensed, but I'd bet most who buy this won't.

 

Being safe doesn’t have to mean taking the enjoyment out, so, taking into account the wealth of tlb advice and concerns, I have risk assessed this for @paulcalf

Safety measures to implement;

Wear one of these at all times



And only use the kayak in one of these

 

Oh yes, perhaps smash (very very gently) a plastic bottle of fizzy pop against it, then pretend your are her Lizziness and say “I name this bargain basement kayak Calf II. Gord bless ‘er, and all what sail in ‘er!”

 

I can see a new round of emailing lidl coming on.

Any specific suggestions?

How about

Would using the kayak be more dangerous than driving a 1970s vw camper?

Or is it more dangerous to eat 300+ raw quorn sausages or to use this kayak on the wye (without any training)?

 

You could try B&Q or Screwfix style enquiries:
"Do I have to inflate this?"
"Which motor would you recommend?"
"Which size trailer do I need?"
"Are puncture repair patches included?"
"Which is the front?"

 

Looks great. I’d go for it.

It would really shift with a 250hp Mercury on the back of it

 

We have an inflatable kayak from decathlon (it was £200) and had some fun in it before one of the bladders spontaneously burst. I may have overinflated though in a bid to stiffen it up. I don't see a problem with buying a cheap one for fun, but buy life vests and a decent pump too.

The other considerations are
1. You have to pump it up = effort
2. You have to deflate it and pack it away=effort
3. You have to dry it before packing it, or it will go mouldy. = Time and good weather
4. If you take it out on the sea and get water in it from waves, or kids climbing in and out, it's flipping heavy, and an absolute Illegitimate child to get out of the water.
5. You are guaranteed to slice your hands on the detachable fins every time you use it
6. Get any sand in said fin runners, and you can't get them in/out without hitting them with a rock

Having said all that, we took it for a week's holiday at the beach, and left it pumped up for the week, and it made the holiday


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