I, and aparently from the Amazon reviews a lot of other people, do not want to own or rent a hard kayak.
- they're heavy, and bulky which is not fun or easy for transporting in a car, let alone carrying down to a river or lake
- they're expensive (by my standards the used ones are expensive also)
- renting repeatedly costs more than this inflatable kayak even if you have to replace or patch this kayak every year, and you only get an hour at a time or you have to pay more. (There was a wait list at one of the lakes I was at so if I had been renting, I would only get an hour anyways!)
- many people (myself included) have nowhere to store a big, heavier, hard kayak, nor any desire to store something that big and bulky which will only be used a few times a year
- this inflatable kayak, if cared for well, is good quality and should last a long time. One reviewer said he'd left it hanging over a fence for a year or two outside and when he decided to kayak again and it was fine.
- because I want mine to last I was very careful in the shallow parts (like getting into it) where there were rocks and I was careful about where I laid it. I also did a very thorough job drying the kayak, not just relying on the sun but I crawled inside with two dry washcloths and went to town. I don't want to deal with mildew, water damage, or thin the material in any way. I was also careful to read the instructions thoroughly and to not overinflate the kayak, which can cause it to rupture/split
- like I said in my post, many (positive) reviewers were happy they could take their dog out in it and could see that they didn't have to worry about the dog nails scratching the material
Seems to me there is a definite, frugal audience for this kayak. There are a lot of positive reviews, a lot of "exceeded expectations" and talk about how it lasted over downed tree branches without a scratch, dog nails, through a storm outside hanging on a fence, etc. There are also negative reviews - occasionally someone got a lemon or complaints about the skeg falling off (mine was hard to get off, very secure), complaints about the ore (I was fine with mine, didn't even know what the issue was), leans to the right (someone posted that but I didn't have that issue or notice it), the lasted less than expected, or whathaveyou.
Personally, I'm with the many positive reviewers. I'm not a damn professional kayaker and I don't need to tackle rapids to have fun on a lake or river. Under $70 for fun on the lake a few times a year. No way would I even want to get a hard kayak I would have to drag around. Judging from my experience and the quality I felt and saw, I think this kayak should last a long time, many years.
Also, renting can be damn pricey. I went to Maine on a trip and paddleboarding and kayaking at the campsite was $5 an hour. Sweet! Here in California - $50! Also I've seen $25 but either way - that only gets you an hour. I got to kayak as long as I wanted and it wasn't any big hassle because it was easy to carry. I didn't need a trailer or a big van or to get a hard kayak onto the roof of the car or any kind of nonsense like that. Also, it fits under my bed along with a ton of other stuff I have down there.
I personally think it's a great Mustachian deal. Maybe those who have more to spend and don't mind lugging around a heavy kayak could do with a used hard kayak, but I don't think I'll ever bother with them unless maybe I had my own pier or something.
Now, for another great find...Bike News!
Incidentally, I came back to post that I came across another good deal on a vintage French Aquila bike for $20 at an estate sale! I'm super pleased with it. It needs some work but I think it'll be a fun project and then I can use it as my regular bike when I convert my current bike to an ebike.
EDITS: fixed some typos and added a sentence
