Hi Jake,
I was in the same boat as you (no pun intended). The folders are getting heavier (my, how quickly the years roll by), but some of the developments in inflatable technology in the last two decades seem to have brought IK beyond the pool toys that I knew before. While I have had a couple of roll-up dinghies, with either slat or flat plywood floors over the years, I need different things from a kayak. On a whim, I bought an inflatable SUP a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, I found that I just don’t care to stand up paddle. I gifted the board setup to a good friend, and she uses it often, taking it with her on flights around the country as checked baggage.
So with that positive experience with drop-stitch tech, I started researching high pressure doubles that would fit my 2+ person family, be lighter than my folders, and setup quicker without trying to set speed records like the videos online.

I found that
http://www.airkayaks.com carries a wide variety of IK and has detailed, though somewhat overly positive, reviews of their products. I know that they are in the business of selling boats and therefore won’t focus on any negative aspects of a design, but with a little critical thought process, you can glean some good info from their written and video reviews.
I narrowed my choices to 3 boats: the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame Convertible Elite, the Innova/Gumotex Thaya, and the Aquaglide Chelan HB Tandem XL. With none of these boats available in my area for test paddles, I had to rely on just my analysis of online information from AirKayaks and other online sources.
I think that the AE Convertible Elite may be the closest to a traditional touring kayak and might have the best performance, the seats look good, real foot pegs and rudder are available, the deck has pretty good coverage even when “open”, and the optional spray decks appear to be the most seaworthy. But the boat didn’t have the space to comfortably bring my 3yo daughter along, as well as being the heaviest boat of my 3 choices.
The Thaya looks like a good boat, was the lightest of my selections, and looks like it packs and transports well. The boat has relatively fixed paddling positions and fair looking seats. No foot rests or additional spray decks are available at this time. It is 2 feet shorter than the Chelan.
As you know from previous posts, I ended up with the AquaGlide Chelan HB XL. The longest of the 3, I’m of the school that length directly affects performance, and in this case, provides needed extra room. The infinitely adjustable seating positions, with a “jump seat” provided that should work well until my daughter can start really paddling, were a positive feature. The main seats appear to have good support and the foot rest are rudimentary, but better than nothing. The tracking fin looks to be the most substantial and I expect that it will should help with the paddling efficiency. The least expensive of my choices, I bought a package with pump, paddles, dolly, and both spray decks. The decks seem to be just ok, and not really needed for my intended usage, but I figured that it’s better (and cheaper) to get them now, in case I want them later, and it should make a better package if the boat survives to re-sale.
So that was my selection process and I’ll post more about how the Chelan is meeting my expectations as I get time on the water.