Lightweight Kayaks
Freedom! Lightweight kayaks give you paddling independence. This means kayaking when you want, where you want and with whomever you choose.
Check out our range of quality lightweight kayaks:
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CompareAdvancedFrame Sport Elite Kayak with Pump
Original price was: $1,697.00.$1,247.00Current price is: $1,247.00. -
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AdvancedFrame Elite Kayak with Pump
Original price was: $1,847.00.$1,397.00Current price is: $1,397.00. -
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AdvancedFrame Ultralite Kayak with Pump
Original price was: $1,697.00.$1,297.00Current price is: $1,297.00. -
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Air Glide Hybrid 285 Inflatable Kayak with Pump and Paddle
Original price was: $1,579.00.$1,279.00Current price is: $1,279.00. -
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Air Glide Hybrid 385 Inflatable Kayak with Pump and Paddle
Original price was: $1,779.00.$1,479.00Current price is: $1,479.00. -
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Kokopelli Platte Inflatable Kayak with Pump and Paddle
Original price was: $1,699.00.$1,529.00Current price is: $1,529.00. -
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Kokopelli Platte Plus Inflatable Kayak with Pump and Paddle
Original price was: $1,899.00.$1,709.00Current price is: $1,709.00. -
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Oru Kayak Bay ST
Original price was: $2,199.00.$1,867.00Current price is: $1,867.00. This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
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Comparing our Lightweight Kayaks
| Product Info |
 AdvancedFrame Sport Elite Kayak with Pump |
 AdvancedFrame Elite Kayak with Pump |
 StraitEdge2 Pro Kayak |
 AdvancedFrame Kayak |
 AdvancedFrame Sport Kayak |
 AdvancedFrame Ultralite Kayak with Pump |
 Air Glide Hybrid 285 Inflatable Kayak with Pump and Paddle |
 Kokopelli Platte Inflatable Kayak with Pump and Paddle |
 Kokopelli Platte Plus Inflatable Kayak with Pump and Paddle |
 Aqua Marina Halve Kayak with Pump |
 Oru Kayak Bay STSelect options
This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
|
 Oru Kayak Coast XT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 13.3 kg | 16.3 kg | 18.6 kg | 16.3 kg | 11.8 kg | 8 kg | 12 kg | 10.8 kg | 14.1 kg | 8.8 kg | 11.8 kg | 14.5 kg |
| Solo or Tandem | Solo | Solo | Tandem | Solo | Solo | Solo | Solo | Solo | Tandem | Solo, Tandem | Solo | Solo |
| length | 10’5″ (3.18m) | 10’5″ (3.18m) | 13′ (3.96m) | 10’5″ (3.18m) | 10’5″ (3.18m) | 10’5″ (3.18m) | 2.85m | 10’2″ (3.2m) | 12’3″ (3.7m) | 13′ (3.96m) | 12’3″ (3.7m) | 16’2″ (4.9m) |
| width | 81cm | 81cm | 90cm | 81cm | 81cm | 81cm | 85cm | 86cm | 86cm | 98 cm | 64cm | 64cm |
| Stability | Stable | Stable | Stable | Stable | Stable | Stable | Stable | Stable | Stable | Stable | Unstable | Unstable |
| Sit-on-top or Sit-in | Sit-in | Sit-in | Sit-on-top | Sit-in | Sit-in | Sit-in | Sit-on-top | Sit-on-top | Sit-on-top | Sit-on-top | Sit-in | Sit-in |
| Packed Dimensions | 76cm x 43cm x 20cm | 76cm x 43cm x 25cm | 97cm x 53cm x 33cm | 76cm x 43cm x 25cm | 76cm x 43cm x 20cm | 79cm x 46cm x 15cm | 96cm x 55cm x 44cm | 53cm x 40cm x 25cm | 56cm x 40cm x 33cm | 48cm x 65cm x 35cm | 84cm x 36cm x 74cm | 84cm x 36cm x 74cm |
| Maximum Capacity | 113 kg | 136 kg | 227 kg | 136 kg | 113 kg | 107 kg | 180 kg | 150 kg | 195 kg | 180 kg | 136 kg | 181 kg |
| Recommended Max. Paddler Weight (individual) | 100 kg | 110 kg | 110 kg | 90 kg | 80 kg | 80 kg | 110 kg | 150 kg | 150 kg | 100 kg | 136 kg | 181 kg |
| Recommended Max. Paddler Height | 6’2″ (1.88m) | 6’2″ (1.88m) | Unlimited | 6’2″ (1.88m) | 6’2″ (1.88m) | 6′ (1.83m) | 6’2″ (1.88m) | 6’4″ (1.93m) | 6’4″ (1.93m) | 6’2″ (1.88m), Unlimited | 6’3″ (1.9m) | 6’4″ (1.93m) |
| Recommended for Coastal / Open Water | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Max Whitewater Class | Class 2 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 2 | Class 2 | Class 2 | Class 1 | Class 1 | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 1 | Class 1 |
| Self-bailing | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Compatible with Spray Skirt | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with ePropulsion Vaquita Propeller | Yes – via ratchet straps | Yes – via ratchet straps | Yes – via ratchet straps | Yes – via ratchet straps | Yes – via ratchet straps | Yes – via ratchet straps | Yes – via SUP fin box | Yes – via SUP fin box | Yes – via SUP fin box | Yes – via SUP fin box | Yes – via ratchet straps | Yes – via ratchet straps |
| Maximum Trip Length | Full Day | Multi-Day | Multi-Day | Half day | Half day | 1-2 Hours | 1-2 Hours | 1-2 Hours | 1-2 Hours | 1-2 Hours | Multi-Day | Multi-Day |
| Suitable for Taking Small Children | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Suitable for Dogs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, with drop-stitch floor added | Yes, with drop-stitch floor added | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Suitable for Fishing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, with drop-stitch floor added | Yes, with drop-stitch floor added | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Rod Holders | None | None | Included | None | None | None | None | Included | Included | None | None | None |
| Backpack straps | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Can ship to new zealand | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Set-up Time | 5.5 minutes | 6 minutes | 7-10 minutes | 5 minutes | 4 minutes | 6 minutes | 5 minutes | 7.5 minutes | 9 minutes | 8 minutes | 10 minutes | 13 minutes |
| Warranty Period | 3 years from purchase date | 3 years from purchase date | 3 years from purchase date | 3 years from purchase date | 3 years from purchase date | 3 years from purchase | 3 years from purchase | Lifetime | Lifetime | 12 months from purchase | 3 years from purchase date | 3 years from purchase date |
| Sku | AE1017-OE-P | AE1012-OG-E-P | AE3027-Y | AE1012-R | AE1017-O | AE3022-G-P | AIRGLIDEHYBRID285 | 23-20500-04 | 23-20501-04 | HA-398 | OKY102-ST | OKY203-ORA-XT |
| Price | Original price was: $1,697.00.$1,247.00Current price is: $1,247.00. | Original price was: $1,847.00.$1,397.00Current price is: $1,397.00. | Original price was: $2,497.00.$1,897.00Current price is: $1,897.00. | Original price was: $1,497.00.$997.00Current price is: $997.00. | Original price was: $1,347.00.$897.00Current price is: $897.00. | Original price was: $1,697.00.$1,297.00Current price is: $1,297.00. | Original price was: $1,579.00.$1,279.00Current price is: $1,279.00. | Original price was: $1,699.00.$1,529.00Current price is: $1,529.00. | Original price was: $1,899.00.$1,709.00Current price is: $1,709.00. | $1,199.00 | Original price was: $2,199.00.$1,867.00Current price is: $1,867.00. | Original price was: $2,899.00.$2,467.00Current price is: $2,467.00. |
| Kayak brand | Advanced Elements | Advanced Elements | Advanced Elements | Advanced Elements | Advanced Elements | Advanced Elements | Bay Sports | Kokopelli | Kokopelli | Aqua Marina | Oru Kayak | Oru Kayak |
| Add to cart | Add to cart | Add to cart | Add to cart | Add to cart | Add to cart | Add to cart | Add to cart | Add to cart | Add to cart | Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page | Add to cart |
How to Choose a Lightweight Kayak
Is lighter always better?
But… there are other factors that are affected by the kayak’s weight.
Performance
The AdvancedFrame Ultralite Kayak is only 8kgs – an ultra lightweight kayak.
The AdvancedFrame Sport Kayak is a very similar looking kayak, but it’s 11.5kgs.
For reasons that are beyond my understanding of physics, being heavier means the AdvancedFrame Sport is able to maintain better rigidity. So the AdvancedFrame Sport Kayak paddles faster and goes a bit straighter than the AdvancedFrame Ultralite Kayak.
That relationship between weight and performance generally rings true across our range of kayaks.
The AirFusion EVO is an exception – it’s only 14.5kgs but it goes very fast and quite straight in the water because it has an aluminium rib frame structure to give it rigidity.
But generally speaking, the heavier kayak is, the better it’s going to actually perform in terms of maintaining rigidity, tracking a bit straighter, going a bit faster.
Capacity
So if you’re 100kg plus and you’re taking a 20kg dog and you’re going overnight camping, you need something like the AdvancedFrame Expedition Elite Kayak with its 200kg plus capacity. But… this kayak is 19kg – it’s not a lightweight kayak!
It might be lighter than most hard shells but it’s not a lightweight inflatable kayak.
If you want something with the durability and the rigidity and the capacity the Expedition Elite is what you need to get – something that’s a bit heavier.
Convertible Tandem Kayaks vs Solo Kayaks
A lot of people ask about the performance of the AdvancedFrame Convertible Elite Kayak when paddling solo and their idea is “I’ll get a tandem kayak and I can paddle it solo when it’s just me, and then if I want to bring a friend, I’ll have a tandem kayak.”
The truth is that the performance of the kayak solo is great. It’s heavier, so it takes more effort to get the momentum going, but once it’s going, the glide is lovely.
That’s not the issue. The question is, do you really want to set up a 24kg kayak and carry it down to the water by yourself when you’re going solo? It’s not impossible and we have lots of customers that do it but think about whether that’s right for you.
My suggestion is always get a solo if you are going to be paddling on your own sometimes.
If you want to go kayaking with people you can join a kayaking group or get someone else to hire a kayak or borrow a kayak (or even better come back to me and buy one) and that’s how you can make it a social activity, but still something easy and enjoyable for you.
“Buying my fabulous inflatable kayak has given me freedom and independence, no more stressing about moving ,loading, carrying or waiting for someone to help me. As a disabled person independence is very important to me. Everything you said about the inflatable sports kayak is true it’s portable ,light, tough and sits very securely on the water. I keep my kayak in my car, I can be on the water in minutes. I highly recommend this kayak.
I love my kayak.”
– Amanda
