Folding Kayaks Forum

Innova has just announced the new Swing inflatables due this spring.
Not sure what to make of them... with that extreme beam, they look like an updated version of Advance Elements.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1050405021 ... pring2012#

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No kidding, those were my initial thoughts, too. It's one fat boy, covered deck, not a really defined hull.....Advanced Elements in my eyes.

I'd still stick with the Safari because of it's self-bailing properties and it's far easier to recover form a capsize in an open kayak than one with a closed deck. This is especially true of inflatables that ride higher above the water.

Yea, I was a bit disappointed when I saw it. But I guess their marketing strategy is to compete with AE, so they came out with a similar piggish design.

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I should add that this is in no way a negative comment towards AE; it's an observation and only that. It's just my observation that something similar exists and that would be from AE.

Granted, I've played in an AE briefly and I've owned an Innova, so I'm probably biased without knowing it. But for my purposes, an open decked self-bailer is more what I would be interested in if I were to get another inflatable.

In my mind I was hoping Innova's new model would be a replacement to their discontinued Seaker.
The Seaker was probably the closest design to a closed cockpit touring inflatable. AE's AirFusion is another.

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I actually have two Swings, the single and the double, in my den right now. Will probably take them paddling this week if the weather allows. I will say this so far, they are very lightweight.

I was looking at the Swing 1 specs... Compared to the Safari, the Swing is about 6" longer, 5" wider and 2lbs lighter.
Keep us posted.

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Just to point out that the US and European Swings are made from different material. The US ones are all Hevealon (Teflon-coated LitePack) but the Euro ones only use Hevealon for the zip-up decks, with the rest being made from light Nitrilon. Not sure what, if any, impact that has on how they handle.

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Barum Albatros
Gumotex Safari
Gumotex Sunny
Gumotex Scout

Hi
I was hoping that you might like to write a review on the Innova Swing 1 and 2?
Perhaps you already have and I can't find it?
Thanks

Swing info:

Paddlesheep's blog http://paddlesheep.blogspot.co.uk/searc ... -results=1

Video of a one man swing and a solo paddled two man swing being taken down some whitewater http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIpXltY ... NIA/videos (note that this is the Euro spec Gumotex Swing made from the full nitrilon, not the US hevealon Innova Swing but I'd imagine that performance is pretty similar).

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Barum Albatros
Gumotex Safari
Gumotex Sunny
Gumotex Scout