Intex Explorer K2 Specifications

Price: $150 (USD)
Length: 10’ 3”
Width: 36”
Weight: 37 LBS (16 KG)
Capacity: 400 LBS (181 KG)
Best Use: Calm water

The Intex Explorer K2 comes with:

• Two paddles
• Two seats
• A pump
• A repair patch 
• A bag

A Gateway Kayak

The Intex Explorer K2 has a whopping 28,000 positive reviews on Amazon and an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. That is a surprisingly good rating for this kayak. 

It is probably rated so highly because this is a gateway kayak. It is a very affordable kayak and comes with everything you need to get on the water. So it is the perfect way to test the waters. It lets people try out and see if they enjoy being on the water before spending on a more expensive kayak. 

But people’s expectations are low for a kayak this cheap. They often want it just to float on the water at the beach or on the lake. It is not quite as simple as a pool toy, but more like a beach toy. And it does its job as a beach toy. It puts smiles on people’s faces and gets them out on the water. But, as a kayak, it stinks!

When I say this, I’m not saying you shouldn’t love the kayak for its purpose. However, in this review, I am comparing it as a kayak and comparing it to other available kayaks, ones of a comparable price and more expensive ones. So let’s get started.

Portability

Every element of the Intex Explorer K2, including paddles, can fold down and fit easily into its carry bag. It is a highly portable kayak and comes in one of the smallest packages you can buy. So it gets high marks for portability. 

The Intex Explorer K2 is easy to inflate. It has five main chambers: a floor, two side tubes, and two end skirts. There are also two seats. It is quick and easy to put together but does feel very soft. 

Stability

The Intex Explorer K2 is a very stable kayak. You can feel very confident in this kayak. Stability is probably one of the main selling points of this kayak. So it gets high marks for its stability. 

Comfort

The Explorer K2 is an incredibly soft kayak, which makes it hard not to feel comfortable. There is space to sit cross-legged or in any comfortable position. So in that sense, it is comfortable. 

The seat, however, is soft but has no actual support. When you lean on it, it just collapses on itself. That means you cannot lean back because there is no back support. 

Because the Intex Explorer K2 is so soft, the boat sags in the middle where my weight is. When my butt sinks, my feet end up higher than my butt, which is an incredibly uncomfortable position. The most comfortable kayaks are the exact opposite and have raised seats. 

The other comfort issue is that there is a quarter-inch seam that sticks up on the side of the kayak. Whenever you take a stroke your thumb hits the seam. This is incredibly annoying and is not something I have ever encountered in another kayak. 

So the Intex Explorer K2 is not a comfortable kayak to paddle because you end up having to sit in a crunched position, with legs raised and no back support. It is more useful as a lounge boat, where you kick back and relax rather than actually paddle. 

Performance

The Intex Explorer K2 is so soft that it acts like an amoeba in the water, which kills all your speed. As a rule, the stiffer and closer to a hard shell your kayak is, the better it cuts through the water. 

The Intex Explorer K2 does not cut through the water. There is no V in the bow so it moves aggressively from side to side. This means that you lose so much of the power from your forward stroke to the boat flopping around. The removable fin helps it go straight to some extent, but this is still by far the slowest kayak that I have ever paddled. 

So it gets low marks for performance. On the flip side, it is a very maneuverable kayak. You can almost do a 360-degree turn with one stroke. This is kind of cool but doesn’t help you move anywhere! 

Value

I have already touched on this earlier, but $150 (USD) for the entire Intex Explorer K2 package is as cheap as it gets. It is amazing value for what you get. But you do have to understand the limitations of what you are getting. 

The Intex Explorer K2 is not a kayak that is designed for paddling and going on kayaking trips. But it is great fun for having an on-the-water experience and getting a taste of whether kayaking is for you. If it is, you are very quickly going to want to upgrade your kayak. 

If you don’t want to spend the money then do not try a better, higher-performing kayak. Once you have tried a kayak with a few extra features and a better hull shape you will really notice the difference. 

For me, the paddle that comes with the Intex Explorer K2 is very representative of what the kayak is. The paddle is aluminum and very bendable and flexible. When you pull on the blade in the water you lose power because the blade literally folds in half. This shows you the quality of this kayak. It is made for you to be on the water and not to paddle. 

Who is The Intex Explorer K2 For?

Very simply, this kayak is for people who are looking to test the water with kayaking. Are they comfortable going out on the water? Do they like the feeling of being on the water? Does paddling hurt their shoulders? It is an incredibly cheap way to test out whether kayaking is something they want to continue doing. 

It is also for people who only want to get out on the water and float. They might want to enjoy an evening, or an hour or two, splash around with friends and family.

It is sold as a K2, but the capacity on the website and the side of the kayak say different things. On the side of the kayak itself, it says that the capacity for two people is 330 LBS, and with gear, it is 400 LBS. This means it only really has the capacity for two small adults or an adult and child. Size and capacity wise it is more of an adult and child kayak or a single kayak. 

So all in all I love, but also kind of hate the Intex Explorer K2! 

Kayak: Intex Explorer K2
PFD:   NRS Odyssey PFD (Touring and Rec)
Clothing:  NRS Short Sleeved Guide Shirt
Sunglasses: Wiley X

The post The Intex Explorer K2: Not a Good Kayak appeared first on Hazeadventure.

The NRS Pike Specifications

• Retail Price: $1400 (USD)
• Length: 12’ 8”
• Width: 38”
• Weight: 48 lbs
• Capacity: 375 lbs
• Best Use: Kayak fishing and recreational paddling

Features of the NRS Pike Fishing Kayak

The features of the NRS Pike inflatable fishing kayak include:

• Protective EVA foam deck pad
• A rigid bow keel
• Adjustable foot pegs
• A frame seat
• Daisy chain rigging on the bow and stern
• A fish measuring board
• A removable fin
• Five YakAttack accessory mounts
• A carry bag, pump, and repair kit
• A three-year warranty

How Easily Does the NRS Pike Inflate?

The NRS Pike is very easy to inflate. It has three non-drop stitch chambers along the sides which you need to pump to 3 psi. When fully pumped these do not feel flimsy at all.

The floor of the kayak is drop stitch and needs to be pumped up to 8 psi. This means that once fully inflated it is firm and rigid, allowing the whole kayak to perform more like a hard shell kayak. All in all, when fully inflated the kayak is hard, rigid, and not at all flimsy.

How Well Does the NRS Pump Work?

What I especially liked about assembling the NRS Pike is the pump that it came with. This was the NRS 2 HP Pump, one I’d never used before. This pump has two switches depending on which pump mode you want to use. The first mode lets you fill the kayak quickly, pumping lots of air into it at once.

When it gets harder and tighter to pump you can just flick a switch on the pump and switch it into the pressure boosting mode. This makes it easier to pump the kayak fully up to the high pressure it needs. This pump really takes the strain off of inflating an inflatable kayak.

I would always advocate using an electric pump, especially if you are regularly using an inflatable kayak. There are so many excellent options available nowadays, including battery-operated pumps so you don’t even need a vehicle. These really take the effort out of pumping up an inflatable kayak. But if you are looking for manual pumps then the NRS 2 HP Pump is an excellent option.

Who is the NRS Pike or Pike Pro for?

The NRS Pike is intended as an inflatable fishing kayak. However, the only features that differentiate this from a recreational kayak are the five YakAttack accessory mounts and the fish measuring board. The YakAttack mounts allow you to attach fishing gear to the kayak making it a fishing kayak machine. But, beyond that, this works well as a recreational kayak too!

If you are looking for a more kitted-out version of the NRS Pike, then you can purchase the NRS Pike Pro. This comes with paddles and five different Yakattack accessories to attach to the mounts on the kayak. These accessories are:

• YakAttack RotoGrip Paddle Holder
• YakAttack MultiMount Cupholder
• YakAttack MightyMount Switch
• YakAttack BlackPak Kayak Fishing Crate
• YakAttack Omega Pro Rod Holder with Track Mounted LockNLoad Mounting System

How Well Does the NRS Pike Perform?

I tested the NRS Pike out for an hour to see how it actually performed in action.

Portability

The NRS Pike weighs 48 lbs, which is not particularly heavy or light, but compared to a hard shell fishing kayak the same size, it is considerably lighter. You can definitely feel the weight whilst carrying the bag with everything in it, but it is still very portable. It is quick and easy to assemble. So overall, this boat gets high marks when talking about its portability.

Comfort

The whole idea of an elevated, framed seat in an inflatable kayak is amazing. I love it! The framed seat conforms to almost any butt shape and is nice and wide to fit a variety of differently-sized people. The back support on the seat is excellent, and the fact that the seat is elevated helps to keep you nice and dry.

The NRS Pike also has footpegs, something I love. The foot pegs in this boat are a good size and are high enough for you to rest the balls of your feet on them and get good support. This keeps your legs supported and allows you to push off of something while paddling. So not only do they make the kayak more comfortable, but they also enhance your paddling performance.

Stability

This kayak is rock solid. Standing up in it was a breeze. I don’t even know if you could flip the kayak if you tried. You are more likely to fall out of the kayak than flip it. It really is that stable!

Performance

Inflatable kayaks and performance don’t typically go together. Most inflatable kayaks are flat at the bottom meaning that they do not cut a path through the water. This means that the bow is not held in place and moves back and forth with every stroke you take. This lowers the performance of the kayak.

To counter this problem, the NRS Pike has a hard bow keel at the front of the boat. And this works well. It cuts through the water and holds a line much better than other inflatable kayaks. However, while this is a significant step up from other inflatable kayaks that do not have this, it still does not compare to hard shell kayaks.

The other thing about this kayak is that there is not a lot of rocker. It is quite flat. This was very noticeable when kayaking in the waves because they would very easily break over the bow. But the shape is what keeps the boat tracking in a straighter line compared to more banana-shaped inflatable kayaks.

All in all, for an inflatable kayak, this boat gives a solid performance.

The Features

This kayak does not have lots of features, but there are some worth talking about.

The daisy chain rigging on the kayak allows you to customize the tie-downs as well as add stuff to the boat. This is a simple but convenient feature to have on a kayak.

The YakAttack accessory mounts are a very nice feature. They have been placed in intelligent spots around the kayak so that they do not get in the way of paddling. This means you can use the mounts while paddling the boat.

The EVA pads stop you from slipping when you stand up but also provide protection for the kayak.

Is the NRS Pike Kayak Worth it?

Fishing kayaks range in price between about $800 to $5000 (USD). So this boat, which costs around $1400 (USD), while not cheap or entry-level, is not the extreme either. In fact, it is pretty much bang on what I would expect to pay for a portable, inflatable fishing kayak of this nature.

There are a number of features on the NRS Pike that add premium costs to the boat. For example, you will pay premium prices for a drop stitch floor. But it is the drop stitch floor that allows this kayak to travel through the water more like a hard shell kayak. You will also expect to pay more for a framed seat or for YakAttack mounts, but you are also getting value from these features.

The NRS Pike and Pike Pro are really well made inflatable fishing kayaks. NRS has been making boats for whitewater for years, and any boat that can handle being dragged over rocks and paddled down high-speed rapids, can handle fish hooks and fishing gear, provided you are a little careful. I would have total confidence fishing in this kayak. It is built tough and durable.

Overall, this inflatable fishing kayak has solid value for kayak anglers or recreational kayakers. This is perfect for anyone who wants an inflatable, calm-weather boat that will track well through the water. You pay a slight premium, but you will get premium features and a long-lasting, durable kayak.

PFDs/Life Jackets:  NRS Zen PFD
Kayak: NRS Pike (and Pro)
Dry Suit:  NRS Axiom Dry Suit

The post NRS Pike – Inflatable Kayak Review appeared first on Hazeadventure.