About this product
Every inflatable kayak holds air in a PVC bladder. The difference between a cheap one and a good one is what covers that bladder. On the Ventura Elite there is a coated 100 percent nylon shell over the top, and it resists UV, salt water and oil – which on the Tanzanian coast is precisely the combination that destroys an unprotected boat. The scrapes that would otherwise go straight into the air-holding layer go into a replaceable outer fabric instead.
The rest of the boat follows the same logic. The valves are Boston valves, which are the two-way kind: they inflate fast and, crucially, they do not let the air back out while you are unscrewing the pump. The seat is a moulded, adjustable unit rather than an inflatable cushion, with a storage compartment underneath. There are two removable side air chambers, so you can run the boat wide and steady or take them out and run it narrower and quicker.
It is 280 cm long and 86 cm wide with a maximum load of 130 kg, and two removable fins of different sizes come with it – the larger for open water and wind, the smaller for shallow or tight water. There is a gear pouch, a carry bag and a repair patch, and the pump is an Air Hammer double-stroke piston pump, which moves air on both the up and down stroke.
It suits anyone who expects to use a kayak often rather than twice a year: Msasani Bay, Kigamboni, Bagamoyo, Zanzibar, Mafia and the lakes. It is still a recreational kayak for sheltered water – stay inside the reef, wear a buoyancy aid, and watch the offshore wind.
Bestway Hydro-Force Ventura Elite X1 Inflatable Kayak (1-Person)