Oru Kayak Foldable Kayak - Stable, Durable, Lightweight - Lake and River Kayaks - Beginner, Intermediate

This is an ingenious invention which opens up a world of opportunities for the intrepid water based explorer! It is however a very lightweight vessel made from relatively fragile material which folds into the size of a suitcase, so its performance unsurprisingly comes with compromises compared to a hard shell kayak. I have the Coast XT which I've used on a couple of short sea trips off Lanzarote, one of which required a 1 hour hike there and back to a remote beach - try doing that with a hardshell! It handled nicely in calm water but felt a little unsteady in some wind and chop. That's not to say I don't think it couldn't handle rougher waters but i certainly wouldn't consider it without plenty of prior experience and robust emergency plans in place. Any risk of contact with rocks or shallow coral reefs should be avoided at all costs, and bear in mind there are no sealed bulkheads so the full length of the boat can flood. The inevitable compromises aside, I'm very pleased with my purchase and cant wait for a proper expedition - Norway here I come!

Bonne glisse sur l’eau et bonne qualité de produit , le pagayage est un peu différent mais facilement adaptable

We like everything about this kayak. We purchased 2 kayaks one for my wife and one for me. Unfortunately, after using the kayaks only 12 times. on calm lakes one has developed a small (maybe 1pint) leak.It’s no deal breaker I think a little squirt of silicone in the right area should fix the leak. The leak is coming from a manufactured fold/ pleat that runs down the hull forming the shape of the cockpit.The other kayak has no leaks. Would I purchase again and would I recommend these kayaks, yes, yes, yes!!! We love the design, portability and tracking. I am an experienced sea kayaker having kayaked 3/4 of the way around the big island of Hawaii in a 20ft sea kayak. Please, I informed the reader of my leak but let me state again, if portability is your thing, then theses kayaks score 10out of 10ONE YEAR LATER: PLEASE PLEASE READ!!!BUYER BEWARE NEAR LOSE OF MY LIFE !!!As per above I am a very experienced sea kayaker.The above review still stands, this review written approx. a year later explains the downfalls in the design and near loss of my life!While solo kayaking on Lake Chapala, Mexico I was 3-4 miles offshore in calm near perfect conditions I dropped my iPhone in the water, my natural reaction was too lean to save the iPhone. this resulted in the kayak rolling and basically sinking! Yes, I have Oru float bags bow and stern, theses were not adequate to keep the kayak afloat. It floated (inverted)approximately 3 inches below the water.Floating with the help from my life jacket next to an inverted kayak full of a guess 30-40 gallons of water! I managed to flip the kayak right side up, still approximately 2 inches below the surface, no big deal (I thought) I carry a large bilge pump, this turned out to be useless! how does one pump a kayak full of water that is floating 1-2 inches below the surface......impossible! After an hour of futile attempts pumping water out of the submerged kayak, I had to give up and attempt the harrowing 3-mile swim to shore. It was now coming on dark, I put my headband flashlight on and started to swim. After about a mile swimming I managed to flag down a passing commercial fishing boat, He was going slow curiously trying to figure out what this tiny light bobbing up and down in the water was. They pulled me on board, we went back to rescue the kayak. In the process of pulling the water loaded kayak on deck the sliders popped off and the kayak opened up spilling the contents. This included all of my safety equipment plus my expensive $700 Garmin Montana 700 GPS with the satellite SOS system. OK, I lost a lot of expensive safety Equpment, but I did not lose my life!!!I truly believe this could have ended in the loss of my life had it not been for the lucky encounter with the fishing boat. I am an athletic experienced long-distance kayaker, but I am also 75 years young.I hope the seller after reading this review updates the description of this kayak. This is not a sea kayak, I still believe this is a great (portability and light weight) kayak but in its present state an extremely dangerous kayak.The seller should supply some kind of buoyancy bags with the sale of the kayak, also the slider is not adequate my suggestion would be to include cross strapping to keep the siders on. I feel lucky to be alive, BUYER BE FORWARNED.................

This is my second Oru kayak — I came back for a tandem because I love my first one (an Oru Bay) so much and wanted to add to the fleet. This goes together pretty quickly (the first setup always takes more time—do it at home so you can go through step by step. I will say that assembled the Haven definitely feels more robust given its size and the rigid crossbar. I’ve used it in “single” mode as well. It tracks nicely and doesn’t feel too heavy or unwieldy. With only one person’s weight in it it does catch a breeze on a windy day. Ultimately I love Oru’s products and the Haven TT is another winner.

I had an inflatable before buying this and the Oru is a huge upgrade. Its hull has chines, so you don't have to use a skeg to keep it tracking properly, which can be a problem in the shallow water I often paddle in. I'm usually paddling on rivers or on the Intracostal or other milder waters, so I'm not too concerned about waves, but it does well in moderate chop. I bought the inflatable bouys that Oru sells on their website to put into the bow and stern, which will keep the kayak afloat in case of disaster, but I haven't yet worried that I would capsize. It has plenty of room for my gear, and I find the seat very supportive, and no more or less comfortable than any other kayak seat I've used. If you are unable to sit with your torso at a right angle to your legs for any length of time you probably won't be comfortable in this kayak (or really any kayak without a raised seat).I am a petite 65 year-old woman and I have no trouble carrying it or setting it up. It takes me under 10 minutes to set up and about half that to fold it back up. It is pretty effortless and I find it much easier to put away than the inflatable.What I like best about this kayak is the freedom it gives me to take my kayak anywhere with little effort and no assistance.

This is actually pretty slick. The tandem is a bit larger than we expected folded but performed very well