“The reason that my brother and I bought the Airglide kayaks was because of their portability. We did not want to be hoisting heavy hard shell kayaks onto the roofs of our cars.
They are relatively easy to set up and take about 15 minutes from car to water.
The cheap plastic paddles are probably ok for messing around and paddling very short distances, but if you want to actually use the kayak for exercise or to paddle any distance, you will need to invest in a decent fibreglass or (preferably for lightness), carbon fibre shafted paddle.
The roller bag is okay but does tend to be a little awkward lifting in and out of the car, and the canvas is a little flimsy.
One of the first things we did was to change out the roller foot rest for a set of plastic foot pegs (see photo - approximately $25 on eBay ). They make it easier to paddle the kayak and give you a better position.
The seat takes a little bit of messing about to get it adjusted but is relatively comfortable.
I am of average height and build, and I found the bagged kayak a little heavy and awkward to get into my SUV, but I can do it on my own, with care.
On the whole the kayak is quite nice to paddle in calm or light wind conditions.
It doesn’t seem to retain much water like so many other types of inflatable kayaks and dries out fairly quickly without any musty smell.
As stated before, it’s best attribute is it’s portability, and if you are after a reasonably light boat for leisurely river paddling the Airglide is a good choice.”
“After exhaustive research I purchased my first kayak, an inflatable Airglide 385, along with a range of associated equipment from Bay Sports online and collected it all from their Sydney warehouse last week. Their website is full of extremely useful information, which after reading provides the confidence to buy from them online.
After unpacking the kayak and inflating it at home before my first on water outing I was impressed by the quality and can say that everything I purchased was exactly what I expected to receive.
On my first on water outing the kayak was inflated in 5 minutes using my electric automatic pump and I was on the water in no time. The kayak is easy to paddle and moves well through the water. The only minor issue I experienced was the seat base which tended to slide forward but after some minor adjustment back on shore the problem was resolved.
Pack up at the end of the outing was easy and quick by following the instructions on the Bay Sports website.
It is only early days but I am very happy to recommend Bay Sports and this particular model to those seeking a single seat inflatable kayak. As a long term user of inflatable boat tenders the drop stitch construction is a must for those looking to buy an inflatable kayak.”
“I found this easier than expected to handle overall.
As a solo traveller, I am able to prepare the inflatable 385 for the paddling, lock all extra gadgets into my parked car and carry this to & from the water with ease.”
“After some initial problems with the freight company I finally got to float my air glide 385 in the water. Setup was super easy and I was able to carry it down to the water one handed. While it tracks a little differently from my hardshell it was a pleasure to get back on the water.”
“I received my kayak, the Air Glide 385.
Very sturdy and good on the water and can carry a lot of gear.
I ordered the Rudder kit as well but when I tried to fit the foot rudder pedals the right side wouldn’t fit whilst inflated and the the screw on this side at the back had to be punched through first. It wasn’t a good fit.
However I did get it sorted but have yet to try the system out. Think I will try as just foot rests first because wasn’t happy with the original foot rest and the yak glides trough the water well.
Why I am only rating as 3 is the customer service is not good. I tried to call and left a message for a call back but no one called and thence raised an issue through the website but again no action.
The sked safety lock also when missing as it wasn’t attached securely and one of the straps on the bag broke.
Other than that it does paddle well”
