Pros:

1. Easy to transport! Just put it in your car or take it with you in a train or air plane, and take it with you wherever you want. There is no question about the substantial reduction in storage space and weight compared to a hard-shell kayak or canoe.

2. The Price. As you will see on this site, inflatable kayaks or canoes are amazingly affordable, usually beating the corresponding hard-shell variants.

3. They are ideal for beginners. In fact, the learning curve is so short that you can start paddling from scratch and learn it by doing.

4. They are practically unsinkable. All quality canoes and kayaks listed on this site have a lot of separate air chambers – so in case one of them deflates there is no risk if dropping. In addition the materials used in these high quality canoes and kayaks, e.g. high heavy duty PVC or polyester/nylon sandwich fabric, is very resistant making a deflating of such an air chamber very improbable.

5. They are beautiful for children, as there are no sharp edges.

6. Comfort level: Due to their natural air cushioning, the seats are usually very comfortable even for sensitive people. Some users experience it “like a couch on the water”.

7. There is a great variability of inflatables for every need, no matter if 1-/ 2-person kayak, canoe or 10-person raft. You find inflatable boats for white water, open sea or just the quiet lake; they are suited for adventurers and athletes as well as for your whole family including kids and dogs.

8. Inflatable canoes & kayaks are FUN!

Having fun in an inflatable canoe!

Cons:

1. Inflatable canoes & kayaks are a bit slower than hard-shell ones. This is true in general, but some inflatables are yet able to beat hard-shells.

2. Maneuverability: There is a rumor that hard-shell boats have a better tracking. This is only partly true, as some of the inflatable boats have special construction elements to make up for this deficiency, and thus can really compete with hard-shell canoes or kayaks.

3. Time for inflating and deflating: This was a fact in the past and is maybe still for low quality inflatable boats. But today the whole assembly and disassembly period is often reduced to less than 10 minutes, thus sometimes shorter than the time needed to secure a hard-shell on a car roof or trailer.

Happy paddling in your inflatable kayak or inflatable canoe.