13' Fishing Inflatable Kayaks FK396

16 months ago I purchased three kayaks - 2 FK396 and 1 SK470. Soon thereafter they were put to use. My wife and I, several of our friends, and grandchildren have paddled the boats on the Great Lakes, inland lakes and rivers in Michigan, and the Intercoastal as well as rivers on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I know we have 150+ miles and many hours of paddling the boats with no problems and lots of fun times.\r\n\r\nWe transport the kayaks long distances deflated and in the zippered heavy duty storage bags which came with the boats. They fit easily in the box of my pickup truck with the kayak seats, life jackets. paddles and 110 and 12 volt air pumps included. At destination RV parks, we inflate the kayaks (mainly with the 110v pump) in about 15 minutes and carry them to the water or put the on a rack built for the pickup and drive short distances to launch sites. Generally we keep the boats inflated at our campsite for anywhere from 2 days to a month and use them frequently. When its time to travel again, deflation and packing the boats back into the bags takes about 30 minutes.\r\n\r\nOccasionally we top off the air pressure in the boats with the provided hand pumps if they remain inflated for over a week, but generally the boats retain air pressure well unless there are wide swings in the outside air temperature. We get lots of questions about the boats from other kayakers. The main point that is always emphasized is how stable our boats are on the water compared with hardsided kayaks. No one who has paddled our boats has ever come close to tipping one of them over.\r\n\r\nWe look forward to many more years of adventure and fun using the boats. Thanks again for a great/durable product at a reasonable price.

I wanted to write a quick letter describing my experience with the FK396 fishing inflatable kayak that I purchased last June. We have been using an inflatable kayak for the last four years. We purchased a Sea Eagle 330 to take with us in our fifth wheel trailer as we traveled full time around the country for approximately three years. Although the Sea Eagle did a satisfactory job most of the time, we found it wanting in several areas. I like to fish in everything from small rivers and ponds to large lakes and even inshore ocean bays. I was looking for a heavy duty inflatable that I could easily mount fishing accessories to and even possibly a trolling motor. My search took me to the boatstogo.com website where I found just what I was looking for. I must admit I was extremely skeptical when I saw the low price on what seemed to be a very high quality boat. I had seen similar boats advertised for at least twice the price but the specifications and the reviews I read convinced me to give the FK396 a try. \r\n\r\nWe received our kayak in June of 2010 and I set about rigging it with a fish finder and pole holders and I made a dolly to transport it. All this was made extremely easy due to the many attachment points ( D-rings) and the aluminum platforms (seats) front and back. I was pleasantly surprised by how heavy duty this boat is and the high quality of construction as compared to my Sea Eagle and I was anxious to get it in the water.\r\nIn July of 2010 we left on an extended trip to the northwest. Our first chance to use our new boat was in the Bend/Sunriver, OR area. We kayaked down many miles of the Deschutes River as well as the Little Deschutes and put the boat in several of the local lakes. The first thing I noticed was that this kayak is built like a tank. It is extremely stable for a kayak. I am over 250 pounds and I can stand up in the boat without fear of capsizing. The wide stance of the boat gives a great sense of security and the boat tracks very nicely downstream. I turned the boat around and paddled upstream for about a quarter mile just to see how it paddled against the current. Although it is not as fast as my smaller Sea Eagle, I found I really didn’t give up very much in speed for the extra size and stability of this boat. I met a river guide on the Deschutes River who examined the boat and said it was easily as well built as the boats he uses on guided trips on up to class three or four whitewater.\r\n\r\nAfter three weeks in Bend, OR we moved on to Couer d Alene, ID where we spent a month using the boat almost every day on most of the local lakes and rivers. We used the FK396 on clam water, rough water, upstream and downstream and caught many fish out of this boat. After a summers worth of heavy use I am still very pleased with my purchase and I am apparently not the only one. I am constantly being stopped by fellow RV’ers who, like myself, is looking for a good, strong fishing platform that is still easily portable. The strength and durability of this boat is very apparent. I had this boat inflated for three weeks in Oregon and a month in Idaho and I never had to add air. Compare this to my Sea Eagle that needs to be topped off literally every time you use it. While using my Sea Eagle, I have gotten several punctures from sharp fish hooks over the years. This last summer I struck the FK396 with the same type lures that had caused punctures in my Sea Eagle and I saw no damage at all to my FK396. My next step is to mount a trolling motor and that project is currently underway. I can’t wait to try it out this spring.

I am all the way in East Africa, and I am crazy about fishing. I did bought the boat via a mutual friend from the US after I did saw his boat. Throughout my life I did have lots of deferent boats, but man this is a nice boat. I am using the boat in Kenya great lakes like Lake Victoria. I intend to use it also at the coast for fishing on the reefs.