Aquaglide Chinook Xp Tandem Xl Inflatable Kayak Reviews

A solid kayak for adventure or leisure, equally long as yous don't heed its weight and the challenge of putting information technology away

Price: $700 List

Pros: Adjustable for many sizes, durable, stable, plenty of storage and tie-ons

Cons: Fabric retains water, collects sand/debris, ridiculously hard to pack upwardly, extremely heavy

Manufacturer: Aquaglide

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The Aquaglide is a tandem arts and crafts made of 600D polyester with a Duratex hull. It fits 2+ people and features fishing rod holders and a self-bailing scupper hole.

Operation Comparison

Total of dogs and people, the Aquaglide (right) was smooth on the water. Pictured hither side by side to the Sea Eagle 330.

Credit: Kats Kitagawa

Handling

As 1 of the longest kayaks we tested, we are quite pleased with how the Aquaglide handles on the water. This boat is 14'seven" long and 3'2" broad, and rides with a depression profile in the h2o making it 1 of the nigh stable boats in the cohort. With a pointed, piercing bow and a long skeg to boot, the Aquaglide tracks well through the water and in cooperation with your paddle buddy, it's rather maneuverable! At that place's enough of room for two paddlers not to feel like you're paddle-fencing in the boat. And with the extra infinite - and footling bonus seat pad! - yous tin can even fit a pocket-size 3rd person to ride forth and sing songs, crack jokes, or be your tour guide.

The Aquaglide also features fully adjustable pes braces - a characteristic not constitute in almost inflatable kayaks. This allows yous to accomplish proper kayak paddling course, dig in and firmly brace to requite you the maximum back up for strong strokes - crucial if you're paddling against the air current or demand to be able to maximize the power of your strokes. Additionally, a handy scupper hole in the bow of the gunkhole drains water while you paddle, helping y'all avert sitting in a floating bathtub.

A pointed bow helps the Aquaglide Columbia cut through the h2o pretty well.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Every bit with nearly fabric-covered inflatable kayaks, what you gain in the durability of the boat you typically sacrifice with a fiddling bit of speed and a slight increase in drag caused past the cloth, despite a plasticized undercarriage. That said, we don't feel that this vessel is peculiarly challenging to paddle because its size, so the drag effect is likely minimal. It's a chip of a bummer that the Columbia doesn't come up with any paddles (or a pump), just that does let you to featherbed the potential headache of using included paddles that you lot find out halfway through your journey are ineffective or break. Pair the Aquaglide with paddles y'all already know yous like - just remember that it will add to the overall weight and amount of things you'll be conveying downwardly the beach or bank. Lack of paddles aside, we are pleased with how well the Aquaglide performs on the h2o.

Comfort

One of the near comfortable inflatable kayaks we tested, the Aquaglide Columbia is a boat that we continue coming back to as a solid selection for longer adventures. Unlike the cramped feeling yous can get from sitting in other kayaks, the Aquaglide has tons of room to spread out if yous want or pack a whole bunch of stuff along with you if you'd rather go that route! And with the highest weight chapters of all the kayaks nosotros tested, at 600 lbs, you lot tin can bring a LOT of gear with you! The seats are very comfortable and extremely adjustable - both in the angle you lot prefer to sit down and exactly where you'd similar to sit within the boat.

Actual padding on the seats (rather than inflatable seats) helps go on your bum comfy on longer adventures.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Having the foot braces also adds to the overall comfort of your paddling experience. Even if you don't employ them to dig into your stroke, they too provide a comfortable angle to keep your knees while you enjoy your time gliding over the water. There are tons of tie-downs, pockets, and convenient loops all around this boat to suit whatsoever adventure you're having that 24-hour interval. With and so much flexibility and then many features, we felt that we could ride in high comfort on just about any take chances!

We honestly can't find much nosotros don't like about the comfort of this kayak. Perhaps the only major concern nosotros have is that the seats may become flattened over time as they get blimp (and we hateful stuffed) back into the storage purse that's non quite big enough to concord everything this kayak is. It certainly made the plastic fishing rod holders on the dorsum of the seats a bit less round and more oval-shaped… But really, at the stop of the day, we think this kayak is pretty plush and a delight to ride in.

Ease of Ready

Clearly, you're going to need a lot of space to set this gigantic boat. Non only does the boat itself take up a lot of space, but many accessories volition eventually all fit into the boat, complicating the setup. The directions included with the boat are relatively straightforward (though the one nosotros received came with directions from a slightly different model of Aquaglide kayak). Inflation is quite simple, with just three compartments to inflate. The seats don't require aggrandizement and simply velcro and prune into place once you're fully inflated. Deflation is also a snap, or rather a twist, as the valves open up completely to let the air out quickly and easily while you fold your kayak for storage.

After we tracked down a pump to use for the Aquaglide (since it comes with none), we had no problems getting it inflated. However, the directions enquire yous to fill up the kayak to a specific pressure level (measured in PSI) however include no gauge to figure out what pressure level the chambers are at during the procedure. Information technology seems that you can by and large figure out how full to fill each chamber past pressing on them and gauging their firmness, but nosotros experience that asking for a specific amount of pressure level without having a way to measure out that is a significant downfall. This was a mutual problem with several of the other inflatable kayaks.

With just three (admitting big) chambers to fill, this "tandem" was shockingly quick to get on the water!

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The worst parts of setting up this kayak are taking it back apart. The fabric isn't waterproof and stays wet, needing hours to dry to avert calculation actress weight while you carry it back to your automobile, and extra stink as it sits in your garage for months. Non only did nosotros have a hard time drying out the fabric hull, only we also found that it collects sand easily and at an alarming rate. Even completely dry, we had a tough time removing all the sand from this boat. This again adds weight and makes it even harder to fold upwards and fit back into the storage sack information technology came in. Speaking of which, the stuff sack for the Aquaglide is comically pocket-size for the number of things you're expected to fit in it. Sand also worked its manner into the threads of the valves which we had to clean each time before putting information technology together to avoid air leakage. Setting up the Aquaglide is like shooting fish in a barrel - taking it dorsum downwardly is the battle we despised fighting.

If you tin observe a replacement purse to haul this disassembled kayak in, we highly recommend switching it out. The small size of the included sack of this model oft made breakdown quite aggravating.

Portability

To no i's surprise, the Aquaglide Columbia is not very portable. Weighing over 43 lbs before adding a pump or paddles or annihilation else you may want to bring paddling, this kayak is not 1 y'all'd be happy carrying a mile to the embankment from your parking spot. Once information technology'southward set, there are convenient bow and stern handles that make carrying this brute much less bad-mannered of a job. If yous have the space to set next to your car and tin can throw everything you demand for your circuit inside the kayak and strap the paddles on the gunnels, information technology becomes a much easier - or at least more than comfortable - piece of gear to lug around.

If y'all don't have space to set up next to your car, schlepping this gargantuan craft to your launch point in its bag with an uncomfortable duffle-manner deport is a task. The drawstring doesn't hands stay shut (nosotros tied it every time), the handles are relatively narrow for how heavy the packet is, and in that location'due south no good fashion to swing the bag upwardly onto your shoulder or back to avoid the hefty arm curls involved with any duffle carry. The bag is also massive. Later many months of using this gunkhole and perfecting the folding style to take up as little infinite as possible, the total kit was 34 in long, 21 in broad and 17 in thick. This certainly adds to the challenge of conveying it anywhere or fitting it in the back of a small vehicle or on an upper shelf in your garage. The power to fit a tandem kayak in the dorsum of your Ford Focus or behind your vacuum cleaner in the closet, though, certainly makes this boat easier to store than a traditional hardshell kayak.

Young kids will probably have quite the struggle carrying this monster of a watercraft!

Credit: Maggie Brandenburg

Durability

Covered by 600D polyester cloth, the Aquaglide Columbia XP Tandem XL instantly gives off the impression of durability and longevity. It easily withstood having several enthusiastic 50+lb dogs hopping back and forth on it in the water and jumping off the edge and clambering back in. Even the plastic tie-ons and loops feel quite solid and nosotros never questioned their ability to hold the myriad of gear and ropes nosotros tied onto them. Aquaglide also includes a repair kit with several big patches and glue to set up your craft, should annihilation go wrong.

Big dogs, little dogs, the Aquaglide handled them all in stride!

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The to the lowest degree durable part of this boat is the storage sack it comes in, or and then we thought. It feels cheaply made of thin material, and having to jam everything back into it with fauna force doesn't make u.s.a. feel like we are helping information technology accept a long life. However, as nosotros paddled and played in this boat throughout several months, the floor valve actually began to leak. The seal between the valve and the boat itself had ruptured, and a constant stream of air was easily heard until the floor deflated in just a few minutes and not fun or like shooting fish in a barrel to paddle at all. Merely as a 'manufacturing error,' Aquaglide was happy to supersede the boat nether warranty so we could get dorsum to paddling this otherwise wonderful kayak.

Bring the dogs with you on your next chance in the Aquaglide!

Credit: Kats Kitagawa

Value

While this "tandem" kayak certainly isn't cheap, we think it brings a pretty practiced and disarming suite of traits to entice families, dog owners, and touring enthusiasts alike. If you lot're looking to buy a boat y'all enjoy paddling around, don't have to hear the kids complain about (well, non as much at least), and desire to keep around for a few years, the Columbia XP is a really solid choice and worth what yous pay.

Become your complete prepare upwards from Aquaglide or piece together the boat you want with the accessories you already have!

Credit: Maggie Brandenburg

Conclusion

The Aquaglide Columbia XP Tandem XL is a giant kayak that can be adapted to suit a broad diversity of needs, activities, and paddling styles. It's stable, comfy, and handles well in the water, putting it right up there with hardshell kayaks but with the bonus of being able to roll it up and stuff it in a closet when you're non using information technology. Knowing that you're going to exist lugging around a large, heavy watercraft and but committing to the discomfort that entails, we think y'all'll be pleased with how this vessel enhances your kayaking experiences for years to come.

Prepare for fun, captain!

Credit: Kats Kitagawa

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Source: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/paddling/inflatable-kayak/aquaglide-columbia-xp-tandem-xl

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