Best Kayak for Beginners: Complete Reviews With Comparisons

This next kayak is from Pelican Sport, a company known for its impressive designs and manufacturing of kayaks, canoes, and more.

Pelican Sport is a Canadian brand committed to revolutionizing the market by providing durable kayaks at great prices.

Review

Unlike the kayak from Intex, the Pelican Sport Argo 100X carries just one passenger. It is also a hard-shell kayak.

Weighing just 36 pounds, it is much lighter than you’d think, allowing you to carry it to the water’s edge with no problems.

As long as you have space for it in the back (or on top) of your truck, as well as somewhere to store it, you’ll be just fine.

This kayak has excellent stability and features a very spacious cockpit, making it much easier to get in and out of.

Getting into a sit-in kayak rather than a sit-on kayak can be a little tricky otherwise.

The seat is very comfortable with an ergo foam padded backrest and seat cushion. You also have adjustable footrests to suit your height.

You will find that it has a decent amount of storage, as well.

There’s a hatch in the front, a rear tank well, a bungee cord, and a mesh cover to safely hold your gear in place.

You get a couple of extra convenient compartments to hold bottles of water and other items.

We are very impressed with the hard-shell construction of this kayak, which will provide you with years and years of use.

It is also very comfortable, especially compared to many others we’ve come across.

Sadly, you will have to buy a kayak paddle separately, which pushes the total cost of getting onto the water up a bit.

Next, we have a kayak designed and manufactured by devout adventurers, Aquaglide.

This brand is focused on helping you get out on the water.

Its passion for watersports shines through in the premium products it produces, and this kayak is no exception.

Review

The Navarro 145 by Aguaglide is convertible to seat one or two people.

Because of this feature and many others, it is one of the most expensive options on this list.

We wanted to showcase a variety of kayaks to suit all budgets. Hopefully, the comparisons will be useful to show you what your extra money will get.

As expected, it comes packed with features, including plenty of storage (including dry storage), D-rings, a quick-release fin, a paddle keeper, and adjustable footrests.

This kayak is robust enough for rapid waters, so if whitewater kayaking is something you’re interested in, this could be the right fit for you.

This kayak is another inflatable model and, weighing just 40 pounds, is easy to get to and from the water.

It is made with supremely durable and lightweight materials, including industry-leading drop-stitched floors and a hex shell-covered pontoon.

If you’re looking for a two-person kayak suitable for all weather and water conditions, this might just be it, as you can also buy a zip-on deck if needed.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a pump or paddles, which means this pretty pricey kayak just got even pricier.

As a touring kayak, this model is also a little slimmer than others, so if you’re a complete beginner, this may not be ideal for you.

Lastly, Aquaglide also offers a one-year limited warranty with each purchase.

For the level of investment, we’re really disappointed that this kayak doesn’t come with a pump.

Oru specializes in producing high-performance folding kayaks.

Its focus is on producing the most innovative and portable kayaks in the world.

What’s impressive is that Oru promises to do this without compromising on durability or performance.

Review

Straight from the box, this origami-inspired, award-winning Oru kayak can be constructed in just under five minutes.

Oru has also designed a special carrying case for this kayak, making it easy to bike or hike around with.

Unfortunately, this carrying case is sold separately.

Although it’s portable and compact when folded, it is surprisingly robust, even exceeding the US Coast Guard recreational vessel in tests.

Whether you buy the seaworthy or inlet edition, this remains the most or second-most expensive kayak on our list.

Still, it does come with a full-year warranty as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you have some extra cash and want something extra robust and portable, this may just be it.

All in all, there’s no denying the portability of this kayak. And we’re also amazed at how sturdy and durable it is.

The only setback is that the price is too high for more budget-conscious people. You’d also need to buy the carrying case and the paddle separately.