Inflatable kayaks?

[Dwhitt1981]

Has anyone ever used one? I know some guys that use the one person pontoons.

[Firedog]

Dwhitt1981, Inflatables are very forgiving in whitewater. Very stable for the newbie. they are just as expensive as a kayak though. If your just starting out and want to do something a little more exciting than flat water paddling and are not sure about what to try. Go do the Hiwassee river at Reliance TN. You can rent an inflatable (Ducky) for 1 or 2 people. The next step go to the Nantahala. As I said they are very stable and forgiving but less maneuverable and a little harder to paddle. This way you can try one out before spending the bucks. Carl W.

[Dwhitt1981]

Well I'll be fishing on the Guntersville lake mostly but I may be doing some creeks also.

[Magic City Matt]

If you are just fishing get a sit-on-top. Lot's of them can be bought in stripped down versions that can be outfitted for fishing as you go.
Lesley and I took a double ducky down the Nanty last year. It's crazy fun.. Since then we have had a few lesson in deck boats and find them much easier to maneuver but harder to exit in case of an emergency. I would say if you are willing to get lessons on how to do a wet exit from a kayak go ahead and get a real one. If you just want to get out there on the water I think I would skip past the inflatable option and get a sit-on-top of some sort. The dagger torrent is a great sit-on-top for getting use to the way a whitewater kayak moves. It's still not as quick as a deck boat but a great start and is good up to some class III water. You can rent them from many of the river outfitters and try before you buy.
The day after our run in the double ducky we took lessons from one of the myriad of Olympians they keep on hand up there at NOC. The lessons were expensive but in the end worth every penny.

M

[Firedog]

Check out these SOT's. I have a Tarpon 120, it is awesome for fishing & paddling easy moving water. If I had it to go over again, I would have bought the Ride. It is a little longer and has a little more stability. Either one youcan stand up in and cast. Both have dry storage and drain holes. These are great boats.
Here's the link:

http://www.wildernesssyst...ory/index/products/angler

Carl W.