Pak Boat Line
We’ve enjoyed kayaking for some time owning a number of Eddyline and Prijon kayaks, and I’ve built plywood and
woodstrip kayaks. With our company’s compact theme, we wanted to find high quality packable kayaks that would
compliment our trailers. I focused on affordable cost and performance reasonably close to hard-shell kayaks.
My research and testing lead me to PakBoat, a skin on tubular aluminum frame, with inflatable flotation/tensioning tubes along the side style kayak. They are very light, have great paddling performance and pack into a small duffle bag for easy transport and storage. I tossed one in the trunk of my Miata to go paddling a few times.
My first Pakboat was a 12’ Puffin. One of the first things I noticed was its weight, or I should say lack of it. At 25 lbs, it’s half the weight of a regular kayak and a breeze to carry. On the water it’s very stable, I find it great for photography and taking someone out who is new to kayaking. In flat to mild conditions it tracks nicely. Going downwind in 1-2’ rollers, it weathercocks some but requires little effort to maintain straight progress. Additionally, it has very little flex in situations such as crossing boat wakes or in rollers. One “unnamed” brand I tried, literally conformed to every little ripple in the water, I couldn’t wait to get back to shore.
I was so impressed after a few paddles, that we now have their kayaks available to our Compact Camping Concepts customers.
My research and testing lead me to PakBoat, a skin on tubular aluminum frame, with inflatable flotation/tensioning tubes along the side style kayak. They are very light, have great paddling performance and pack into a small duffle bag for easy transport and storage. I tossed one in the trunk of my Miata to go paddling a few times.
My first Pakboat was a 12’ Puffin. One of the first things I noticed was its weight, or I should say lack of it. At 25 lbs, it’s half the weight of a regular kayak and a breeze to carry. On the water it’s very stable, I find it great for photography and taking someone out who is new to kayaking. In flat to mild conditions it tracks nicely. Going downwind in 1-2’ rollers, it weathercocks some but requires little effort to maintain straight progress. Additionally, it has very little flex in situations such as crossing boat wakes or in rollers. One “unnamed” brand I tried, literally conformed to every little ripple in the water, I couldn’t wait to get back to shore.
I was so impressed after a few paddles, that we now have their kayaks available to our Compact Camping Concepts customers.
| Model* | Length | Width | Depth | Weight | Capacity | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puffin Sport** | 10.5' | 29" | 10" | 19 lbs. | 250 lbs. | $675 |
| Puffin 12 | 12' | 28" | 13" | 25 lbs. | 280 lbs. | $890 |
| Puffin Swift | 14' | 23" | 13" | 30 lbs. | 280 lbs. | |
| Puffin II** | 14' | 29" | 11" | 30 lbs. | 400 lbs. | $980 |
Description |
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Puffin Sport The smallest and lightest member of the Puffin family has the wide-open space of an open boat. It is ideal for fishing and for people who don't want the cockpit of a standard kayak. At only 19 pounds, the Puffin Sport is incredibly light and can easily be carried to remote fishing ponds. Once there, it assembles into a high-performance boat that is a joy to paddle. |
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Puffin 12' This boat performs well and is very stable under a wide range of conditions. Since the deck is separate from the hull, this kayak is easy to assemble. Bags can easily be loaded and unloaded and you can use the boat without the deck if you need more open space. There is an optional spray skirt to protect you from the elements. With its compact size and weight, the Puffin Kayak can travel anywhere. |
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Puffin II A boat that is perfect to take a companion along. Like its smaller siblings, the Puffin II is incredibly light for its size, easy to assemble, and it packs small enough to go with you anywhere. If you are going by yourself, the Puffin II is easily converted into a solo boat with room for a week long camping trip! |
| We have all the accessories, PakCanoes products and will soon have the new performance line of kayaks for our customers. View the PakBoat 2008 pdf (2.2 MB) catalog. Or view PakBoat's website. For ordering or additional information please contact us at 503-390-3152 or by email. | |
