The Banana Boat: A review of the Intex Explorer K2 Kayak

I'm not sure where the superstition came from, but apparently bananas are bad luck while fishing. Try to bring a banana on a charter boat and you may well get tossed in the drink. You can imagine my reservations, then, about buying a vessel that looks like a ten-foot long, overripe banana: the Intex Explorer K2 inflatable kayak. As of yet, however, most outings in the banana boat have resulted in at least one fish brought to hand, so perhaps the superstition only applies to fruit.

Lets run down the specs!

Dimensions: 123 x 36 x 20 inches
Weight: 36 lbs
Seats: 2
Chambers: 5 total; the sides and floor that make up the body of the kayak, and the two seats are also inflatable.
Comes with: 2 paddles, detachable skeg, hand-pump

Pros:

• Easy to set up and take down. The pump that came with the package seemed flimsy at first glance, but is surprisingly efficient. Total set up time is between five and ten minutes, depending on how badly I want to get on the water
• Comfortable. The wife and I both fit in the kayak with room behind for a backpack. I sit cross-legged, she sits in the front and has room to keep her legs in front of her.
• Easy to transport and store. Living in an apartment is great, until you realize that you have no storage room for watercraft. Enter the inflatable. It rolls up to a nice compact size, fits in the back seat of my car, and, since it's lightweight, I can carry it from the car to the water all by myself.
• Bright. It may make the boat look like a banana, but I'm a fan of having small craft be brightly colored so that people in other, larger boats can see us.
• One or two person. The seats are removable, so when I'm boating solo I get a little more leg room. It is designed for two, but with some easy weight distribution you can balance it just fine. 
• Fun. Kayaks are just a hoot, and this one is no different. It's a cheerful little boat at an affordable price.

You can catch sharks from it!

Cons:

• Paddles: The included paddles are a bit short and generally not super great. They get the job done and make the package ready for the water right out of the box, but we'll probably upgrade.
• No tie-downs: One of the benefits of hard-boats is that there is usually a good deal of places to tie your junk to. Not so on this inflatable. Luckily, other people have encountered this very issue before, and created d-ring patches that can be glued on. I'll be looking into those in the near future.
• It is inflatable: This is a blessing and a curse. It sits high on the water and doesn't weigh much, so it's easy to paddle, but wind will push it around more than heavier craft. Punctures are a constant concern, so being careful with fish-hooks is pretty important, as is making sure that we don't drag it over barnacles or broken shells. You take the good with the bad, though, and overall this kayak is perfect for our situation.

Trout don't mind!

All of the pros definitely outweigh the cons, and I couldn't be happier with our purchase. If you're in the market for a compact, light-duty, two person kayak, this one is well worth looking at. Just don't bring bananas if you're going to fish from it.