TAHE  Beach LP1 Inflatable Kayak with Paddle

I used to have a fantastic hard shell sit in top kayak but over time just couldn’t handle the transport by myself so reluctantly sold it. I am quite pleased with the Tahe Beach LP1! I’m a 67 year old woman (weigh about 130 lbs) and not the strongest kid in the playground but can nevertheless manage set up and take down quite easily. It inflates FAST and same ti deflate. Skegs are solid and easy to attach securely and remove with no hassle. Tracking is satisfactory - I doubt any reasonably affordable inflatable will win races but for my purposes, it allows for a really enjoyable experience and not just bobbing about out of control on the water. Construction seems truly excellent. Seat is fantastic! Easy to set up and deflate. I highly recommend- except for one bit of a warning. The paddle that comes with it is, to me, crazy heavy. My first couple times out I figured I was weirdly doing something wrong or even more of a weakling than I thought. Made the boat a lot harder to maneuver than I’d hoped for. Luckily when I sold my old kayak I kept the paddle and tried that. It made a massive difference and improvement. So unless you lift weights, I’d strongly advise substituting the paddle for a higher end and lighter model. That said, I’m not all that surprised there might be one thing to complain about so it in no way causes me to give a bad review. In fact, I’d buy a second one if weight limit were a little higher (for a family member). But don’t have high expectations of the paddle. With my old and much better paddle it makes for a lovely experience. I won’t win wild races, but that’s not my goal anyway.

I really, truly wanted to love this kayak kit. It seemed like an upgrade from the $100 inflatable that I purchased in 2020. I have taken this boat out twice. Sadly, I'm going to return it. Here's why: - There's a (waterproof) fabric over the bladders... it makes the boat heavy to carry to the water and also practically impossible to dry. If you live in a humid climate like me, you understand why leaving anything damp is a non-starter - There's a gap between the inflated floor and the vinyl/PVC bottom of the boat. This would never dry if you didn't remove the floor - The paddle is too short - There are 3 kegs on the bottom, yet the boat does not track well. It's also super slow. I would not feel comfortable on anything other than completely flat water. I don't think it'd handle any sort of river wave or wind well AT ALL. - The backpack is nice, but it's a pain in the rear end to roll up the kayak and fit it back in when it's wet - The seat is comfortable for what it is - It's really easy to inflate and the pump is great. Love that the pump has a gauge on it. - This boat is very difficult for one person to carry. - I like the open cockpit... but as soon as I packed any gear (in my case a small hardshell cooler), the boat was even more unstable. All in all, it's not worth it. I'd either go with the entry level $100 alternative or a folding kayak.