After stupidly inflating our first onto ground littered with sharp rocks a leak quickly became apparent on the water when we were surrounded by air bubbles. We have two inflatable kayaks, one of which has a large hole in the bottom. Having forgotten to fit the skeg a number of times, i can tell you the tracking on the water is drastically reduced. The final job to fit the included fin, this locks into place on the underside of the kayak below the rear persons seat. The paddles are relatively easy to assemble by connecting the 5 sections (per paddle) together with sprung press studs. This position curves the backrest and makes for a more comfortable experience. The mounting points for the back strap are in front of the natural position of the seat. The seats secure into the kayak via bottom mounted Velcro strips and a back strap to side release buckle combination. The above items are controlled via oral inflation valves and don’t need a great deal of air to fill. Once you have the main hull sections inflated you now spend 5-10 minutes inflating the 2 seats (comprising of 2 air chambers each) and optionally the front seat foot rest. On each chamber there is a 10cm reference line, inflate each until the length matches the included ruler. Intex get around including a pressure gauge by including a transparent 10cm ruler to offer up to the air chambers equivalent scale. As with any inflatable kayak, the correct pressure is critical for not only water speed and manoeuvrability but longevity of your boats pressure retention material. As such we recommend using the included pump with care. Both the handle stem and feet either side of the pumps air chamber seem like they will be susceptible to plastic fatigue over time and will eventually snap. The pump produces an acceptably high output pressure meaning both sections can be fully inflated within 10 minutes. Rapid deflation can be achieved by simply unscrewing the valve from the air port(as the air now bypasses the valve). They are a capped one way valve (to ensure air doesn’t escape when you stop pumping or detach the air line) screwed into a larger diameter air port (open hole). Q: What is a Boston Valve? A: Boston valves are used on the vast majority of inflatable boats. The floor section essentially adds extra lift, stability and comfort whilst in the water. The side wall chamber does the heavy lifting when it comes to buoyancy. The chambers are divided into floor and side wall sections. The kayak is constructed from 2 air chambers controlled via standard Boston valves.
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