Reviewer:

Dave

Rating:

1

Date:

3/15/2013

Review:

I made the mistake of purchasing one of the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame convertible kayaks last year. My wife and I are experienced hard shell kayakers, typically doing 25-30 miles a weekend during the spring, summer and fall. Honestly, the Advanced Element kayak is one of the worst purchases I have ever made. I've had it out 3 times now and literally have not made it over 500 feet from the shoreline without turning back. The seat provides absolutely no back support, even though I have invested in the firmer, stiffer seat with the inflatable lumbar support. I find myself nearly laying backwards while trying to row. It's like constantly doing a situp in the kayak and it's the most uncomfortable and awkward activity. In my opinion, this is such a terrible piece of gear and so frustrating that I'm honestly not sure whether I want to dump it cheap on Craigslist or enjoy the satisfaction of slicing it to shreds with a box cutter. I am glad that I didn't start kayaking with an Advanced Elements inflatable or I would have never known how enjoyable this sport can be.

Reviewer:

Mark

Rating:

5

Date:

10/17/2012

Review:

Bought this kayak for my wife and I, and we love it! Took us about 30 minutes to set everything up the first time including double deck and backbone, but after a couple more trips, weve got this done to 20 minutes, and I expect we will get quicker. Extremely stable boat, tracks really well and find it quite comfortable Im 63 and 220lb. Took a brief paddle soloing from the rear seat as well, and found it very easy to control. The double deck conversion does a great job reducing the amount of water in the boat.

Reviewer:

duncan

Rating:

5

Date:

9/3/2012

Review:

I purchased the Advanced Element after extensive research I live in a Hotel my job my partner lives in a condo, the kayak lives in the trunk of her car with the paddles life jackets pump etc. We get in the car drive to a lake or a river and in 20 minutes we are on the water, the stress is all gone, last week we saw 4 bald eagles flying over Cowan lake Cincinnati, then an Osprey. OK is it like a hard shell, No its an inflatable!, but its great for what i want I paddle it goes in that direction, tracking is good speed also, but it suits my purpose to a tee. We beach it and 15 minutes later its back in the trunk and we are off , usually to a restaurant to eat, being outdoors sure makes me hungry. OK I know dry it out but at the moment we Kayak twice a week, and so far its not been a problem. I did get the deck, saves getting wet it makes it a bit tight getting in and out but everything comes at a cost. Pumping it to the right pressure is a learning curve, but I am happy with my purchase, trouble is I am going to end up pimping it out I know lol. The rail system , waterproof video camera, high backed lumber seats, backbone, oh dont forget the cargo deck bag, foot brace, kayak cart then the spray skirt for the winter. I wouldnt change it for the world, OK a different colour would be nice its a bit like a kayak from a jail!!

Reviewer:

ornetta@verizon.net

Rating:

5

Date:

8/19/2012

Review:

Top Shelf

Reviewer:

Kayaking THIS since Summe

Rating:

5

Date:

8/12/2012

Review:

I have had this Kayak since summer 2009 and i love it. Its tough, i have hit plenty of rocks and rubbbed up against plenty of rough/sharp surfaces and this kayak could care less. Inflating take about 10-15 mins if you space off like i do. I use a double pump to pump it up, gives my shoulders a nice warm up. Its heavy, weighing in around 56 pounds i believe. It is comfortable to ride around for hours in this thing, it can be converted easily into a single user, but here is where a small problem starts. Its easier to kayak with your feet braced against something, and if you are sitting in the back you got something to brace your feet against, no problems; but if you sit in the front or convert this into a single seat kayak, you will have problems because you will have nothing to brace your feet against. You will need to buy the separate footbrace available on this site for $59, trust me, I have had this Kayak for 4 summers now. I am 6 foot. The seats are fine, but at times i wish they were more comfortable. I hope i have been able to provide what other reviews are missing. I didnt want to repeat others, so this is an alternative. Bottom line, I love this Kayak.

Reviewer:

Steven Gomez

Rating:

5

Date:

7/20/2011

Review:

Great kayak for beginners.. Very good for those who want the convenience of packing it up in a case and putting into car to take on trips and not having to worry about tying down hard shell kayak. Easy to pump up, deflate and fold up. Highly reccomend

Reviewer:

Conrad

Rating:

5

Date:

8/19/2010

Review:

Love this kayak! Since purchasing it a month ago, my son and I have taken it out to the lake every weekend and even gone fishing from it. It is definitely worth getting the optional backbone...tracking is noticeably better. The complaints are few. It could use a footrest in the front (but got around that by putting a dry bag there instead) and water does accumulate on rough days in the bow and stern holders where the aluminum ribs are (which requires drying it out with a towel to avoid mold problems and probably not too big a problem if you have the optional deck/skirt)....but you can't beat the portability factor as others have mentioned.

Reviewer:

Tony E

Rating:

5

Date:

8/17/2010

Review:

We bought this boat last July and have enjoyed it since. I am 6' 230# my wife is 5'0" and we have plenty of room. Inflation is always under 20:00 with a 4-d battery Coleman and 2-way floor pump(I forget the brand). The later tightens up the creases and gives almost a hard shell feel to the craft. Easy to carry to lake shores from campsites and launches steadily. Feels very stable and tracks surprisingly well. A pair of two-piece Aqua-Bound paddles, about $150.00 each and decent PFD's and we're on the water. Excellent intro to the sport of kayaking for a more than reasonable price. I see no reason whay this gear would loose its value as a re-sale if I decided to go with a hard-shell. I bought my boat from a sporting goods store in Spokane Washington. The durability, quality and afordability of this tandem makes it a great choice for us novices. Highly recommended!

Reviewer:

Slorigami7

Rating:

5

Date:

7/17/2010

Review:

This is a great alternative to a traditional hard shell kayak. Easy to set up, and takes up little space in the trunk, so you end up taking it more places. Very comfortable to paddle around in, and pretty efficient on the water. We have been on some pretty long trips in it and while it's not as sleek as a hard shell sea kayak, it' well worth it's price if you don't want to have to hassle with the roof rack and worry about some miscreant stealing your boat sitting on the roof. We liked it so much, we bought a second kayak and haven't taken out the hard shells in a year. Very tough construction and well built. We added the backbone and the decks which adds some efficiency at the cost of a little extra weight, but all in all, we would buy them again. Austin Kayak gave us a great deal and got us on the water fast.

Reviewer:

Tim from the UK

Rating:

5

Date:

6/16/2010

Review:

I have to tell you how delighted I've been with the service I received from Austin Kayak - and with the AE Convertible. I contacted the kayak manufacturers and they put me on to the people at A K who answered every query I had and shipped my order when I wanted it shipping to coincide with me being over in the US. I have only tried out this model as a single-seater (and with the backbone) but it handled really well, was extremely stable and cut through the water with ease. I had an initial hitch with the tracking but this was down to my not getting the backbone centred and as soon as I did things were fine. I'd been concerned that due to my height and size I might find the seating a bit uncomfortable but I spent several hours paddling up and down the coast and didn't have any trouble at all. The AE 1007 performed every bit as well as I hoped it would - and I have to say that everything I read about it in other reviews rang true. So, five stars for the Advanced Elements company and five stars for Austin Kayak.

Reviewer:

Matt Barker

Rating:

5

Date:

6/22/2009

Review:

Absolutely love these kayaks. We bought 2 of them to use during our time living in Crete. Have had them out a couple of times so far and have absolutely no complaints. I had originally wanted a hard-shell boat, but a little more difficult and lots more $$ to ship overseas. I did a bit of research and decided on these kayaks from AdvancedFrame. I am very glad I did. They track well and are easy to get in and out of when snorkeling. Fantastic boats!

Reviewer:

Dominican Republic

Rating:

5

Date:

3/31/2009

Review:

We own two of the AF Convertible kayaks and two AF 10.5's. We love them all. We kayak along the coastline of the Caribbean Sea of the Dominican Republic. I have the optional backbone for both of our Convertibles and have not paddled them without the backbone. This kayak is comfortable for two people and tracks extremely well. I also paddle it solo. I have paddled solo with a total of about 500 pounds weight in the kayak, and didn't have any trouble. It will handle large swells well, and tracks fairly straight in windy conditions. I highly recommend this kayak for durability and versatility. I have two things for you to consider about this kayak. One, it is heavy and difficult to move around without the help of someone else. Two, I don't like the stock seat. It just doesn't give my large frame the support I want. I had to purchase a high back seat for myself. All in all, a great kayak though.