Purhcased December 2001. Have had to replace belt 3 times in one year! Manufacturer claims there is a design flaw in carpet belt -- edge binding unravels. Newton flat tires assistance

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Now we have three of these kayaks and all of the floor panels have burst their internal seams and are relatively useless to us. Big design flaw. commercial truck suspension repair

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They worked well for a while, then both kayaks experienced letting go of the seams in the inflated floor panel so that one sits on a huge baffle. | Jordan Lot Clearing

Nothing as of now.

I just need to write you and tell you my one person inflatable Stern kayak has been the best car kayak ever..I bought it 23 years ago and have used almost every summer sine..In fact the last 8 years there has been room for my Portuguese water dog to kayak in there with me ..we have had wonderful times together kayaking in lagoons, lakes and even lake Michigan. I have to say my kayak has held up so well that I am still amazed. Thanks so much for making such a wonderfully built kayak..let me know if you want some interesting pictures with my Sterns kayak.

We bought two Stearns one-person kayaks for use on our sailboat when we were cruising. They worked well for a while, then both kayaks experienced letting go of the seams in the inflated floor panel, so that one sits on a huge baffle. We replaced these floor panels, and finally resorted to purchasing a Stearns Spree when we could no longer find replacement flooring. Now we have three of these kayaks and all of the floor panels have burst their internal seams and are relatively useless to us. Big design flaw.

Received this boat for my birthday 5 years ago. Since then I have taken this boat out on white water and ocean. It handles very well in both conditions. This boat is very stable even when my fellow boater tried many times to tip my boat over (with no success). In high winds it does tend to get pushed around a bit, but not by much. I absolutely love this boat and subsequently bought one for a friend for their birthday!

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sit on top plastic kayak, ocean kayak

The Stearns 1K116 is a great boat! It paddles well, tracks straight because of its skeg & bow strake, even in moderate wind & wave conditions. It is very well designed & built & withstands collisions with rocks (in whitewater). I have 3 of them but the older two (7 yrs old) have just started to develop cracks in numerous areas on the PVC bottom. Stearns (now owned by Coleman) customer service tells me that it is UV damage & advises me to use a UV spray to protect it. Unfortunately, none of their literature mentions this problem. Until this damage occurred I would have given this boat the highest rating, but believe that the manufacturer should have warned me about UV damage resulting in irrepairable, unusable boats.

I write this review to correct misconceptions spread by st96x6zh, which
I am sure is done on purpose....maybe a hard shell shop owner or sales person? . The misconceptions by this person are noted below:
1) Inflatables cannot deemed a real kayak. - There is no legal stipulation anywhere, whether through the dictionary, CCGS, USCG, IMO or any other maritime related organization that defines a “real kayak” as being non-inflatable

2) “They are a storage nightmare” While it is true that SOME inflatable kayaks are hard to get into their original bag, but we are only talking about inches and with a reverse pump more than compensates for this. My AE Expedition occupies only a third of the original bag. Imagine a 13ft kayak that holds 450lbs with passenger and gear can fit in a sack 24inch x 16 x 12 – “you need to lay the kayak out and try to air it out” Whether it is inflatable or hardshel, no water should be left in unit when storing it. Also consider that I do not own a car and use transit for all my travels. I can travel on bus with my Kayak, but to date I have yet to see anyone take their 14 foot hardshell on a city bus.

3) “they are as heavy as a real kayak” So laughable I don’t even know where to begin. You can get Innova sunny + high quality paddle & pump for under 40 pounds and oh yeah fits easily in a bag no longer than 21 x 15 x 9in and a 400lb weight rating “won’t be backpacking through any woods with it.” And you will be with a 14ft hardshell? Look at the various smaller kayaks from Innova, Stearns, Advanced Elements. Easily transported for moderate distances

4) “They are also not anymore “buoyant”……. kayaks have storage chambers that seal and become water proof, making them just as “buoyant” as any inflatable”
They are a lot more buoyant than hardshels of similar size. As for air tight chambers – The USCG with NMMA standards factors in air tight compartments and their relation to waterline in their stability calculation. However let’s assume you are right. – Most water tight compartments on kayaks are mainly, if not completely above the waterline. The only scenario you really reap the full buoyancy of these compartments is when the kayak nearly submerged with water inside the kayak – A potential life threatening situation. Imagine being inside a submarine and you inflate a zodiac rated for 2000lbs inside of it – Have you increased the buoyancy of the submarine? Absolutely not so why will the buoyancy increase in a kayak

5) “They are much, much, much slower” by this statement you are implying they only have a fraction of the speed – Not true. Inflatable’s are comparable in speed to hardshells of similar size rated for similar bodies of waters. However lower quality inflatable’s will not perform as well, but we are talking about perhaps a 30% speed reduction and again a lower quality product

Sorry, but I had to call you out on your BS. I doubt you have any real knowledge of kayaking (inflatable or hardshell), otherwise why else would make such false statements. Think before posting such verbal diarrhea as it adds nothing to those who are interested in this kayak.

Personally who cares if you get an inflatable or hardshell. We are out on the water in a place we love to escape the everyday stresses – it’s not a popularity contest.

Customer Service

Not used so can't comment

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Innova sunny & solar, AE expedition and advance frame and many other inflatables

I had a field day selecting an inflatable kayak, last winter.
This was untill I stumbled on to Saturn Inflatable Kayaks . I must say I was a sceptic at first. But they totaly won me over. I bought the Kaboat.
This is an invention that Saturn introduced some years back. It is an inbreed between a Kayak and Boat - KaBoat. In short, this inflatable kayak allows me to go up the river with a motor or I can paddle it like a regular kayak. I love kayaking. But whenever I got too far and too tired paddling, I thanked the people from Saturn for this invention.

Customer Service

Overall their service is great. Although their site says they are open till 5pm, I was able to get sales help as late as 8 pm and on weekends. Their shipping was pretty quick too.

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I could only compare to seaegle I owned a few years back. I can not even compare these two, because this one is of much better quality and has more functions. Its also a better price than most other inflatable kayaks. By the way, I think the KaBoat can completely redefine the use on inflatable boats as dinghies.

I bought a Stearns IK-116 from K's at a half-price sale about 15 years ago. This model has been discontinued. I bought the Spree about 3 or 4 years ago on the net for $299. The company made some changes that they like to refer to as "improvements". I've used them on lakes and rivers. I prefer the older boat & I am ready to purchase the Cordova.
I live on the Mississippi River and kayak almost every weekend (except for Winter) My main concern is comfort and the Stearns inflatables are extremely comfortable. I have napped in my kayak on the water many times (not in the Miss) I am in a local band and most of the band members have kayaks so I have tried a few types of hardshells. They are more responsive and faster, but speed has not been a concern. They only weigh 28 lbs inflated so you can carry the boat, paddle life jacket, etc. for some distance.