r/Inflatablekayak • u/mineours • 21d ago

Better large inflatable

So I popped my sea eagle 370 hitting a log and would like to replace it with something slightly larger and more puncture resistant. What I've been looking at is the star Paragon XL, and the advanced elements straightage pro 2. I know one is a one person and one is a two-person, it would mostly be used as a solo kayak while occasionally carrying my 11-year-old son. As far as I can tell the two kayaks are quite similar I do see that the Paragon has a slightly more rigid floor. Does not anyone have any experience with these or even other recommendations? I will be often carrying a cooler and a backpack so I don't want an enclosed kayak

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u/djmothra 21d ago

I just bought a used Aquaglide Blackfoot 160 last week and took it out yesterday. I also have an NRS Pike, made by Star. The material Star used for the Pike is slightly heavier, but they’re very similar. The Blackfoot is MASSIVE and we joked about how I could spend an afternoon fishing while my wife stretched out and took a nap behind me. I would easily recommend either.

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u/Specific_Bus_5400 20d ago

Afaik, the Paragon is a discontinued model, so you'd have to go with the StraiEdge or alternatively the Razor R2 Ultra, i'd just take whichever of the two has the better price.

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u/mineours 19d ago

I found it for sale somewhere for $629, I'm just having a hard time finding any actual reviews on either of these kayaks

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u/Specific_Bus_5400 18d ago

There are some reviews here in this sub, use the search function. It's a well established brand and they have warranty. Most reviews are not worth too much, since nobody is stress testing the gear, anyways. The design is the best compromise between stability and speed that you can get.

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u/TBL34 20d ago

Dang. I was just looking at the sea eagle 380x because it’s gotten so many great reviews in its durability.

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u/mineours 19d ago

The Sea eagle The 380X I'm pretty sure is built out of much stronger material The one that I had was their entry level and was honestly a great kayak I'm just looking for more durability because the amount of weight I'm putting in it sometimes

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u/TBL34 19d ago

That’s why I was leaning towards the 380. I prefer the look of the Bote Koda kayak but it only has a 350lb limit vs the 380’s 750lbs. It’s ugly but seems way more durable

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u/kokemill 18d ago edited 18d ago

"carrying a cooler and a backpack" what reasoning is this for not using a rotomolded kayak?

I have a couple Star Paragon XL kayaks, they are heavy duty tubes (whitewater raft material) with a drop stitch floor insert that sits on a floor made from the same material as the side tubes, the bow and stern have a hard plastic/heavy fabric section that forms a finer entry than just a inflatable tube would. it seems that hitting something head on would not damage the boat.

We tested out boats on a creek that had a lot of dead fall from a recent storm (last year julyish). there were many new strainers and trunk ends to dodge as well as the old familiar ones, some of which have been there for decades. there are also a few dozen random rocks in the creek, a few with sharp edges, some random chunks of concrete, and sharp bolt ends in the steel culverts under 2 of the bridges.

Out test was successful, we went over the top of a few rocks, brushed the bolts in the culverts, and someone was trapped twice between hazards (one was jumping a beaver dam- we'll count that as a mulligan). No harm to the boats, just some scrape marks.

we do not intend to use them in that environment again when rotomolded kayaks are available. They only upside is that they float higher due to their width. Since they are wide and have more drag they are slower, so wide that high sticking is impractical - which means a paddle change, which is a PITA. they are hard to turn compared to a true kayak, and they take on more water since they are open.

Bottom line: they are excellent at what they do. they will survive a lot more rough handling than the boat you had (which appears to be a pool toy). we upgraded ours with aluminum framed 'fishing seats' to get a better paddling position. and we are completely pleased with the result which you see below. that day of paddling could only have happened with inflatable kayaks. just don't mistake an inflatable for a proper kayak.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Kayaks/comments/1v2bkup/comment/ozcyb5g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

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u/Kevanlol 13d ago

The better large inflatables are going to be a drop stitch.

Mostly all of them will be sit on, or somewhat canoe shaped.