I beleive the explorer is probably a great utility boat , but as a row boat is it any fun to row? I presently have a rowing canoe(sportspal) and I really like to go out on my local lake and just row, sometimes I get in a zone and get so into it.I would love to have the same feeling in a 10 pound boat. Does the explorer have any glide at all ? Is the explorer just an A to B boat or is it also fun to row? Also feathercraft makes the Baylee inflateable rowing dingy, can anyone compare the two? Thanks
Fun? I guess that would depend on your definition of “fun”, weather conditions, and location. Sunny, 60 degrees, middle of Alaska, slight tailwind, wildlife on the shore, etc… and I’ll row mine all day having fun. Take one of those away, and the fun-meter goes down. It does not glide like a canoe or kayak, you can’t really take a break and maintain progress for long. Headwinds can be problematic. But for relatively short distances, its not bad.
Thanks johnz1967 for your reply. I think you answered my question clearly. By fun, I meant getting in a rowing groove kind of fun but I guess you need glide for that. Anyhow, I still like the boat I just have to decide between paddling
(Alpaca) or rowing (explorer)
Glad I could help a little. I have both a couple ‘explorers’ and a skirted ‘llama’ so if there’s anything I can answer about their pros/cons let me know. It all comes down to that real estate creed “location, location, location”; where you are boating, what kind of water, and mode for getting to the put in/take out. Oh, and whether you have a dog that likes to go with…
Thanks again. I have tons of questions but I am trying to read all the threads on this forum to answer some of them. Last week I didnt even know what a packraft was. I was searching for a 10 pound canoe and came across this site. Originaly I wanted something That I could easily take to my local lake and go swimming with. I love the thought of a 5 pound boat but do I really want to do white water? Its defenitately an interesting thought. Actually I do have a question if someone cares to answer. What are the inflation times of the Explorer, Alpacka and Scout? I have read any where from 2 minutes to 15 minutes. I think that a scout would be much quicker to inflate then an Alpaca or an Explorer, wouldnt it? I think the scout could make a great swim boat
For someone who is quite practiced with the inflation bag, it only takes about 4 “poofs” to get the scout mostly full… probably 1 minute. I’d guess double or tripple that for an explorer. Then you have to top it off by breath, which will take another couple minutes.
It takes practice to do it quickly, but more importantly inflation time is usually not an issue. It might be in a race, or if you had to deflate and inflate many times in a day. For example, when walking up a braided river where we had a paddle crossing every half hour or so, we just left the boats inflated.
When traveling with trekking gear, we figure on a bit less than half an hour to convert from walking to paddling. This includes unpacking the boat, inflating it, topping it off and maybe tempering it, putting together the paddle, rearranging clothes to deal less exertion, securely strapping the pack on the bow, and launching.
My guess is that the 2 minute time you heard was just doing a fast inflation, while the 15 minutes included some other steps and maybe a snack…
There isn’t enough difference in the inflation times to matter in the big scheme of things, unless racing wouldn’t use that as a reason to choose one boat over another. After you get a technique practiced (and I’ve seen a few different ways to use the inflation bag), call it around five minutes +/-, with one or two adjustments once the air inside cools down to water temps, minute each. There’s ways to inflate with compressors, but I don’t know if that really saves on anything (obviously not an option if you’re not near a car).
They are by no means the perfect boat for every situation, but they really open up options not available to heavier craft, both in access to areas and water not otherwise possible, and in transportation options (hiking/biking in, floating out), especially allowing for travel without a double car shuttle.
Thanks for Replies. They are helpful.