“I’m so glad I did a lot of research into inflatables before choosing this brand. It’s the lightest, strongest and easiest to inflate. It’s super roomy too and we are both 6 foot tall and large framed. We have done both sea and lake trips with great success. I highly recommend this product. The seats are super comfy too and give you some added height enabling easier paddle strokes.”
“For what they are these inflatable kayaks are very good quality. It's hard to replicate the experience you'd get in a normal kayak so don't go in thinking that you will.
The main negatives about this kayak is the size - I wish it came in a smaller 2 person version - this one is extremely long so that makes it quite hard to pack up. When you do pack it up into the carry bag it's bulky and quite heavy - by the time you get all the stuff packed it would be more like 30kg.
We bought this to use on holidays when we can't take our normal kayaks on top of the van - so we thought this would be good to carry in the luggage cage, unfortunately, due to the weight and size, it's too difficult to lift it up there.
The carry bag could be a bit stiffer as well, once you have the things in there the handles are too floppy and it's hard to drag. The bag is very big and I would have liked to see the dimensions published on the website before buying it.
We bought the optional rudder system but there are no written instructions on how to install that - eventually found a video about how to attach the pedals but nothing about the rudder and how you're meant to attach the rope to it to lift it. The rope on both the rudder and pedals is pretty cheap and nasty and has a lot of stretch in it. Haven't managed to set it all up very well yet, maybe having it super tight will help steering.
The paddles are really bad - heavy and virtually useless - we use the basic paddles we got with our normal kayaks, they're basic but 100% improvement on the ones supplied - I didn't want to spend another $200 per paddle to get better ones!
On the positive side - the delivery and customer service from Baysport was good (though I am still waiting to hear back from a query about the rudder from well over a week ago).
The kayak construction itself is good, no fear of ripping or puncturing easily and it's quite stable.
My advice would be that, unless you're just going to throw this in the back of your car and you have kids and a lot of gear to put in the kayak, consider the KXone 4.1m kayak for two people I think it would be much more manageable.”
“The folks at Bay Sports are truly knowledgeable and very very responsive. They patiently replied to all enquiries I had before and after the purchase.
The Air Glide is a jewel. Amazing quality, they didn't cut any corners, all is properly built.
We've been enjoying it thoroughly.
If there is any downside is that you must be Houdini to put it back in the carry bag. I am sure with some practice I'll manage one day.
All else is AAA”
“As an experienced sea kayaker who got rid of his kayaks because of space and weight restrictions, this unit was purchased as something to muck around on when camping near lakes (specifically, a trip to Myall Lakes) and transport / store more easily than a "proper" kayak.
I was more than pleasantly surprised at the capabilities she exhibited. (She was given the name "Floaty McFloatface" by my better half, so I'll refer to her as FMF from here on in.) My wife and I spent hours not only "mucking around" but multi-hour paddles on various lakes in the system, both in the sheltered areas and paddling across open water.
It was in open water that FMF displayed the one vice she appears to have - the skeg does a fantastic job of keeping the stern straight, but cross winds move the bow easily. As we were set up with the heavier and stronger paddler in the rear, we tended to be blown off course quite easily - my suggestion in anything other than zephyr conditions is that the stronger paddler goes to the forward position - when we tried that, we were better able to keep a straight track.
I purchased some upgrades on the package, both highly worthwhile - the electric pump and the upgraded carbon shafted paddles. The paddles that come with the standard package are adequate at best, and the hand pump made me feel like the old man that I am. (The electric pump has the added advantage - and this is an attribute I had not thought of until I used it - of being able to suck the air from FMF when the time came to pack up. It is both faster than waiting for the air to come out, and enables the airless carcass to be more easily packed into the storage bag. I can't seem to get all the air out of inflatables by lying or jumping on them, and it is much less dignified than letting the pump do the work!)
The one thing I will consider changing is the foot strap. Because it is a strap and not a rigid bar, I found my feet slipping towards each other, meeting at the mid point, and becoming uncomfortable very quickly as the shins rubbed together. Besides, only 1 strap was supplied, so only 1 paddler braced. I would think it a relatively easy fix to have 2 loops, 1 on each side of the hull, so your feet can be braced individually. Having said all that, I had no issues not using the bracing strap, and my wife didn't even notice she didn't have one.
I have not tried single handed use, but in calm conditions, I don't suppose there would be any problems - other than re-adjusting the seat, as the anchor points are differently placed when the seat is in the middle. (One of the things that makes it a quick set up is the seats are set up once, then clipped in and out without changing the rake or placement. Maybe if you are going to go single handed, you muck around with your partner's seat, and let them fix it when you go back to doubles - and complain they are taking too much time to set up?)
I won't be paddling to King Island in FMF. On the other hand, I will be chucking her in the car every time we travel, because we can - how many times have you camped beside a bay, a lake, or a languid river without the means to explore because it was too complicated to bring a rigid kayak?
As another Richard B said - a great purchase.”
“Light enough for the kids and wife to carry. Take 2 adults and 2 kids (5 & 8 yrs). Stable and fun to paddle. Quick to inflate and deflate, the electric pump makes it much easier to get the last part of air out which in turn makes it much easier to pack away into the bag provided. Great purchase.”
“Hi folks there at Bay Sports,
We're enjoying the 473 very much.
I've been a canoe freak from an early age; building a canvas skinned canoe with dad's help when I was twelve.
The reason the Air Glide 473 inflatable appealed to me was it's light weight and portability. Tasmania is on our agenda in the near future and the many lakes and rivers there will suit the boat perfectly.”
