Anybody try this inflatable/frame kayak?

[Alaskan Rover]

I'm looking at a West Marine catalog that has this pretty cool combination aluminum frame and inflatable kayak. Normally I shy away from West Marine products as being overpriced garbage, but this set-up looks mighty tempting....seems well-designed and decently priced at $319.00.

It is an inflatable with rigid aluminum-framed bow and stern that assemble similar to a FeatherCraft kayak. Granted, it will not slice through the water like a much less beamy carbon-fiber 17 foot sea kayak, but it seems a big improvement over the standard non-framed inflatables. It's got a 30in beam. It is very light at a total of 36 pounds.

It can also be found under the name: Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame kayak...Advanced Elements is the manufacturer.





Of course, that thing looks pretty damn ugly when compared to a REAL portable, collapsible kayak....the Feathercraft Whisper. But this beauty costs like $3000 and takes MANY minutes to properly assemble:



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