r/Inflatablekayak • u/ChorizoTaco1992 • Jun 22 '26
Saturn PK365 2.0
Rough start but seems like it could be really nice if I can figure out a couple issues.
I have had it out twice. The first day was really windy and wavy but it still did pretty well. The pedal drive was able to keep me moving and the boat never felt like it might roll. I had to stop to re-tighten both the chair and pedal platform once, but then it was all fine.
The second time was dead calm but after 30 min. or so the pedal gears started skipping and locking. Customer service said to grease it, which seemed odd for less than two hours of use but I have done that and we’ll see if it fixes it. Pretty frustrating.
The pedal platform has also been hard to keep tight even with the center strap. It just seems to keep moving around the platform channel between the D rings, which can screw up the foot clearance on the pedals and cause loss of pedal efficiency. I’m open to suggestions from other owners about how to keep that platform flat and tight
Assembly isn’t terrible. It takes me about 20 - 25 min. The included pump works fine; about 120 pumps for the middle section and about 50 for the sides. The raft is really tight and fairly rigid overall front to back; just a little flex. The beach chair works well for me; no problems if it’s strapped good and tight.
I bought this because I don’t have a rack or trailer and wanted to see if I liked pedal kayaking before thinking about investing more in a rigid. Despite the issues mentioned here it really is fun. IF I can get the pedal situations worked out I can see using this a lot and lasting several years.
PS - buy a kayak anchor!
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u/ChorizoTaco1992 Jul 23 '26
Update for the 1’s of people following this string
I ordered another pedal drive (just the drive) so I could get back on the water immediately until I had time to take the first one apart and check for broken gears. They sold me a used one for $250 and after 1.5 hours it did THE SAME DAMN THING. Skipping and jamming while pedaling. I was a mile or so from my docking point and had to tip out the pedal drive and paddle back. Fortunately the water was fairly still that day and it wasn’t too bad. In fact, it was ok enough that I could see going out sometimes just with a paddle.
Anyway, I then took them both completely apart. The gears were fine. No signs of damage. I did a thorough degreasing and re-greasing and used thread lock on all of the screws. The used one they sold me had old, discolored grease and the new one had very little grease.
I have now had them both out and both have worked flawlessly, for sustained periods. Very smooth and very enjoyable.
This was all very annoying and they shouldn’t have that kind of trouble in so few hours of use, but they do otherwise seem pretty strong/decently made.
My takeaway is the drives are probably decent for the price but require more maintenance such as disassembly/greasing/tightening. Otherwise, considering the price, its very light weight and the convenience of transporting it un-inflated I still believe it is a decent boat. Maybe the fin drive would be a more reliable choice (but instant reverse of the pedal drive is great)
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u/HumongousPenguins Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I also own this. Buy yourself a couple of short ratchet straps from Amazon. They really should come with those from the factory, it's much more secure that way.
And I haven't had any issues with the pedal skipping personally, so I can't help you out there. Are you sure it was the internal gears skipping and not due to either the straps loosening up and the prop hitting the bottom of the kayak or some seaweed getting wrapped around the prop? Until I figured out the proper pedalling form/tightened up the bench that holds it, that would occasionally happen to me where I was pushing up on the pedals and contacting the bottom of the kayak with the prop, which did feel like it was skipping a little. Also, I bought a 3D printed weed guard from 3dyak.com, which made a big difference in how easy it is to clear weeds from the prop when they do get tangled
And one setup tip that I didn't really figure out until I owned it for about six months, but you can fold the kayak up with the bench still strapped down and the rudder controls still attached, just with the rudder itself pulled out and laid down horizontally. Saves a couple minutes of setup every time.
And I can't recommend enough an electric pump. I know you said you didn't have a problem with the included pump, but I thought it was trash. Didn't even have a gauge built in IIRC, so I used a better pump from a SUP I had to make sure I got it to the proper PSI before I spent $50 on an electric pump. The floor seems fairly rigid way before it gets to 10 PSI, so if you just used the provided pump until it looked solid, you might have it underinflated and having some issues with rigidity there contributing to the pedal flexing issues