> There are some terrific inflatable kayaks out there that actually paddle > very well. The rigid frame and skin style was a big improvement for > inflatables and beats the heck out of the old folding boats for durability. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by the "old folding boats", but my Feathercraft K-lights are about 10 years old and still going strong. We use the heck out of ours since kayaking is what lead us into power boating. They stay assembled all season and ride on the flybridge. In fact I am about to put mine back together and back on the boat for another season of fun. They are more complex than an inflatable, to be sure, but there is no comparison in the paddling ability (at least compared to inflatables that I tried years ago.) If you don't need a kayak style, Feathercraft now makes a superlight inflatable row boat called the BayLee that rows extremely well and is probably comparable to an inflatable kayak -- except that it carries two (or three very intimate) people. It has a rowing frame and a keel that seem to make a difference. I'm pretty picky about rowing and was quite impressed when I first tried it, and remain so after using it. It weighs about 14 pounds so it is very easy to sling around. We have had ours for a season and it seems durable. The fun part is that it is light and small enough to put in a (large) pack. We haul ours up trails and have rowed on some remote lakes in BC that are almost never paddled on. With paddles and inflator it weighs more than #14 but is still a managable load. Unlike their kayaks it is extremely simple and quick to set up; it takes me an honest 15 minutes at most with their manual inflator. We ordered extra handles (at no charge!) for ours to make it easier to tie down and haul around. Kayaking caveat: Always carry a radio and wear a life jacket and consider wearing a wetsuit or drysuit if you are paddling around in remote areas in the North. A small amount of wind and current can easily overcome the paddling ability of an inexperienced paddler, especially in a sub-optimal kayak. It is possible to flip sit-on-tops and inflatables. This is not a theoretical issue... George Rankin Silk Road No connection, just a long term happy customer.