Bestway Hydro-Force Ventura Kayak Set for 2 People with Combination Paddle, 330 x 94 x 48 cm

I'd been looking at a number of inflatable kayaks for some time; I have an inflatable dinghy and outboard which I use with my small yacht. However, this is cumbersome for occasional use, as I don't keep it inflated all of the time, and it is too big to take around in the motorhome. I therefore wanted something that could be used for both, exploring rivers and creeks with my wife or granddaughter.I'd initially been looking at the Sevylor Adventurer, as I liked the idea of a protective nylon outer hull. However, you need to spend another £50 to £70 on pump, paddles etc., on top of the £200 cost of the kayak. That's when I came across the Bestway offering. Looking at the reviews and images, there didn't seem to be a great deal of difference between this and the Sevylor (apart from this being not only cheaper, but also "ready to go", with pump and paddles (I already have lifejackets and bouyancy aids). In addition, Stour Valley Spas had a brilliant offer, which was £172 including express delivery.I went ahead, and have not been disappointed. The package arrived in excellent condition, less than 48 hours after I placed the order. On opening it all up, the instructions are a little sparse, but there's really no complexity involved, just working out the mini Boston valves and seat placing.From opening the box to first time ready to was probably 25 minutes, as you need to familiarise yourself with it. However, this gets much quicker. It doesn't come with a manometer to check pressure, but has a scale and ruler to ensure you don't over-inflate.The seats are flexible but firm padded board-type affairs, with integrated pockets in the seat backs. They are easy to adjust for fore and aft and rake, and support is excellent.While some other boats have detachable skegs, this comes with two fixed stability fins. Horses for courses; you don't need to clip on a (losable?) skeg, but when inflated it doesn't sit level on the ground, and you probably wouldn't want to load it too much until it was afloat.I haven't spent too much time on the water yet, but first impressions (quick-flowing tidal water at Reedham Ferry in Norfolk) suggests it will be directionally stable, and not too much risk of rolling. Clearly, though, you'd want to be cautious about going too far from land in rough conditions. But then that's a given, and no different from my dinghy.Deflating is fairly easy, although the floor needs one to hold the valve (it's not a Boston), but the pump can be reversed to assist. To get it into the smallest space, you need to make the lengthwise folds first, and (as with many inflatables) it doesn't necessarily want to stay folded. However, I use webbing straps, and a large nylon sailing drawstring gash bag that keeps it all in place (it doesn't come with its own stowage bag).Overall I'm delighted with it, and I'm sure we'll have great fun getting to places that the dinghy wouldn't allow (albeit using muscle power rather than four stroke!).

Fairly sturdy and folds up smallish. Would have been nice to have a fitted bag for it included and the paddles are a bit naff but all in all pretty solid and have used it a lot on rivers and canals so it's been fine. It's fits pretty well in a blue IKEA bag. It has warped on shape quite a bit by the side air holes so not sure how much longer it will last but still going for now. No other kayaks to compare it to but it seems reasonable compared to the market. Think I'll go a hard sea kayak next

Arrived almost on time with good response from seller when prompted. Very pleased with the quality of this Kayak, super easy to inflate and the pump is very efficient.So far only used once and on my own which is fine as the seats are simple to use and move about. So far really pleased with this purchase.

Great sturdy kayak, tough vinyl, everything needed to get kayaking!

We bought our one of these for just under £200 in September 2014, we only had the chance to use it once during 2014, where it seemed to operate ok. Skip forward to the warm weather in June 2015 and we decided to take the boat out again to cool off a bit at the local river. The first inflation chamber filled up ok, but when inflating the second it had just got to the stage where the boat was feeling firm when there was the sound of rushing air and the side chamber rapidly deflated. I unzipped the outer cover to find that the inflatable membrane had a 2 inch split along its seam, imagine if this had happened whilst in the middle of a lake or out on the sea. Neither the seller nor the manufacturer have shown the slightest interest in responding to me so it seems they have washed their hands of this awful product. I had already bought some Sevylor convertible paddles to replace the rubbish ones supplied with this item, its a pity I didn't spend the extra money and buy a Sevylor boat in the first place, from what I hear they have an excellent support network in the UK and sell spares all their boats.