Advanced Elements Firefly 2 Inflatable Kayak Paddler's Pack - Special Buy

Comments about Advanced Elements Firefly 2 Inflatable Kayak Paddler's Pack - Special Buy:

The AE Firefly 2 surprisingly performs well in an open and protected water. Very stable and the removable skeg made it track fluidly. Although, with waves, the soft hull made it difficult and almost stop the boat at every crest. That is the only downside for me on this boat. I have taken the Firefly 2 with my daughter and were able to get a good speed on it. I would imagine that the boat would be even faster on lakes. Overall, excellent quality.

Comments about Advanced Elements Firefly 2 Inflatable Kayak Paddler's Pack - Special Buy:

This kayak is ideal for anyone contemplating on an entry-level kayak for sightseeing and the occasional stroll around the lake. I have owned two other entry-level inflatable kayaks before (Seaeagle/Qayak brands)and this one by far has been the best simply because its purpose made, unlike the aforementioned brands, which are bare bones and lack the craftsmanship of AE.

Comments about Advanced Elements Firefly 2 Inflatable Kayak Paddler's Pack - Special Buy:

We took this kayak on various sized lakes and we had so much fun. It is so light we can put all our stuff in it and carry it to the shore, know need for a boat ramp. Were even went fishing in it and caught some nice fish. We have had it a month and have been in 4 lakes already. Only issue is that it takes a long time to dry so you have to wate until it drys to fold up and put in the bag.

We are in our 50s and are both small people so we fit well. Would not recommend this kayak for tall or big people as it would be a tight fit.

Comments about Advanced Elements Firefly 2 Inflatable Kayak Paddler's Pack - Special Buy:

I own a WS Tsnuami hardshell kayak and have paddled a Sea Eagle inflatable. Took this boat to kayak surf the NJ shore, to fish for flukes and stripers in Sandy Hook, and to kayak the Delaware River rapids up at Jim Thorpe, PA. It's removeable skeg and lightweight design adds to its versatility. It's construction has withstood rocks, sands, and oyster beds after a tiring day of paddling. Fits inside the trunk of my friend's Honda Civic with extra room for a cooler. Less than 10 minutes to unfold, inflate, and hit the water.

No $$$ for gas, boat registration, and boat slips!!! And my wife can trasnport this boat from the car to the water herself.

I love this kayak, so I really had to think about finding any cons... it takes a while to dry out when there's no sun. You'd have to land and/or deflate the kayak in order to install/remove the skeg. And unlike the AE Convertible, there's no skirt available to close the open cockpit. But that's nothing unusual for any inflatable kayak.

Comments about Advanced Elements Firefly 2 Inflatable Kayak Paddler's Pack - Special Buy:

Took it out on a slow flat river. works ok. the advanced elements advancedframe kayak definitely tracks better.

biggest complaint about this kayak is the fact it does not have an inflatable floor. this is one aspect that separates it from the advanced elements convertible kayak (the size is also smaller). the floor is just a piece of thin foam.

as soon as you get in, the kayak tends to "taco fold" in the middle. this makes paddling significantly slower as the bottom of the kayak has an imprint of your bottom.

another vendor sells a dropstitch floor (marketed for the lagoon 2 but same size) that should help. but its just shy of two hundred bucks.

if you pick up the dropstitch floor or put something in to firm up the length of the kayak, it would probably work MUCH better.

I would imagine that adding an inflatable floor may help increase its weight limit a little. although this is debatable as the outer skin will allow only so much air and thus only so much displacement. but the floor should lift you up a little and thus increase its buoyancy a little at least.

unpacking and inflating is a piece of cake. as is deflating and packing it back up. setup time was probably less than 5 minutes. when packing, i took out the floor, wiped the bottom of the kayak out with a microfiber towel and let it air dry. in the time it took to pack the rest of my gear, it was mostly dry.

i like that the bottom tracking fin is removable. this is a point of complaint on the advanced elements advancedframe kayak. its permanently attached to the kayak and bends when its packed. on the firefly 2, its was perfectly straight when i attached the fin. although not in the instructions, you should attach the fin before inflating the kayak.

there are 3 attachment points for the seat. it allows a tandem configuration or solo configuration. if i was paddling with 2 often, i would opt for the AF convertible kayak which is 3 feet longer and has an extra 200 pound limit.

however, if you are paddling alone, but need more room than the AF advancedframe, the firefly2 with an added inflatable floor or dropstitch floor would be a good alternative. without the floor, its just annoying but usable.

for recreational toy for a beginner, it's ok, but you definitely need to understand its shortcomings.

also, as a beginner, i'm probably less critical than an experienced kayaker would be. i can't imagine an experience kayaker liking this at all the way it ships.

would i recommend this to a friend? only if they plan on picking up a floor to firm up the kayak.