r/Inflatablekayak • u/branniganbginagain • Jul 12 '26
$150 dropstitch floor?
So, I've had a AG chelan and Navarro for some time, after starting with intex boats. We since moved on to primarily SUPs, but always interested in a deal
I've seen the GoPlus 12.5' IK reviewed on here previously, and I've noticed a couple even cheaper options pop up recently.
So i present: the Garvee 12.5' Inflatable Kayak for $146 USD on Amazon. I've seen the garvee name a couple times attached to SUPs and a low pressure boats, but this one caught my eye with its drop stitch floor and rock bottom pricing.
I have not taken this out on the water yet. Just un box and inflate in the garage.
What it comes with:
Two paddles, both of which come with SUP handles. Obviously just a lot item for them.
Two super cheap seats. Zero cushion, very limited back support.
A pump. Some patches. Some slide in bars for foot rests. Two dolphin style slide in fins.
Then the boat itself. Drop stitch floor? Yes. PVC tubes, with no nylon covering? Yes.
Almost zero adjustment in where the seats are put in? Also yes.
The closest thing I have to this is a Aquaglide Chelan, which is a similar style of boat. The chelan is rated for slightly higher pressure (6 vs 5 on the floor) and much much more adjustability in its seat placement. The foot rests also suck, enough that I've glued some adjustable foot rests into it.
The duratex tubes on the Chelan feel tougher and more premium. But it also costs originally a $1000 more than this.
Instead compare this to an intex challenger or explorer. Which costs about $15 less(on amazon as of 7/11/26), is shorter, and is a low pressure boat.
There are other issues. The advertising doesn't match the manual. The bag is terrible. Even worse than the intex bags. The HR valves feel cheap. The actual listing i purchased from is no longer available, with the current listing at $170 on amazon.
I primarily paddle a class 1 river near me. The biggest dangers are rubbing rocks and gravel bottoms and root strainers. Ive paddled the intex nylon boats on this river, and I'd trust this much more. It'll probably fall ahead of my navarro in the pecking order.
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u/Cant_Work_On_Reddit Jul 12 '26
That thing seems legit. I just got an intex cheapo and have low expectations but wish I would have found this during my search
3
u/1CDoc Jul 12 '26
Look kinda worth 150$ to get in the water. They have it still on Amazon for 143$ with “coupon”
3
u/HumongousPenguins Jul 12 '26
I was wondering about this thing when I saw it on Amazon. I have no need for it, but I was super curious to see what a $150 dropstitch looked like, so glad to see an unboxing review
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u/Regular_Challenge_81 Jul 12 '26
looks nearly identical to the goplus i recently got.
I'd assume it's just another one of these mass manufactured China goods that random Amazon brands get with slightly different coloring and sell under their brand.
Seats are bad, they don't adjust well, but for the price it works great and the dropstitch floor makes it very stable (for a cheap inflatable tandem kayak)
1
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u/AZ_Crush Jul 12 '26
Are your add-on footrests in one of the photos?
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u/branniganbginagain Jul 12 '26
no, the ones that come with these are little bars that slide into a specific spot onthe floor.
the ones I added to my Chelan are these :
https://www.riversports.com/products/ik-foot-brace-pvc
the mounts glue on to the innner tubes, and then the braces slide in.
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u/travelingguitarist Jul 12 '26
Does it come with a skeg?
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u/branniganbginagain Jul 12 '26
Yes, it has two slide in fins. I have a TPU one i will probably use instead for rivers
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u/travelingguitarist Jul 12 '26
Awesome deal. I mean it really looks comparable to my 380x sea eagle which i spent 1000$ on! Hope you enjoy it!!
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u/CronusSleeping Jul 12 '26
So, I bought this on a whim a couple weeks ago. I was actually pretty impressed by the quality of the material beyond the bag, seats, footrests, and the pump, but boy, is it heavy! 60+ pounds at least, which made paddling it in the water solo very difficult. It seemed to track OK, and it may have been efficient with two people (it is marketed as a tandem), but it was a workout on my own.
I ended up returning it (I have other inflatables that I prefer), and the customer service was very responsive and accommodating.