Inflatable pulling boats?

[Jan-Einar]

Returning from Vacation amidst wonderful dunes I would like to share an idea:
I would love to mess around in boats occasionally on my local river, lakes and it would be fun to have a boat in that coastal surf, too.

Since that would involve going against currents and I know how to row but not how to paddle I would like to have a sporty pulling boat. Fixed seat but with outriggers.
It should accommodate 2 adults, 1 kid (say 250kg / 500pds).
However I do need to handle on my own, so cartopping is not optimal and my trailer hitch is occupied 

So I envision a kind of inflatable boat:
Say a Grand Argus A 450 with some outriggers or the like ….
Anybody has seen such a boat?

Or where can I get some information on the geometry of a pulling boats rowing system (length of oats / width of outriggers / Placement of seat versus oars …) ?

Thanks for hints.

Jan-Einar

[gonzo]

Inflatables suck as rowboats. Pulling boats have sliding seats and rigid hulls if you want any efficiency.

[MatthewDS]

If you are not dead set on a pulling boat, why not a folding kayak? There are lots of good options, from Folbot, Klepper, and Nautiraid.

Actually, I just checked the Nautiraid website, and they appear to have a lightweight racing model called the "Folding lane racing K I"

http://www.nautiraid.com/nautiraid-b...kayaks-gb.html

I personally own the Nautiraid Grand Raid II 540, and love it.

[EuroCanal]

I bought one of these about 9 years ago:
http://www.seaeagle.com/PaddleSki.aspx



You can row, paddle or sail it, or even fit a small motor. I have the rowing and kayaking kit. As a rowing boat, it is not as good as a skiff, or whatever you are used to, but still faster than kayaking. I've used it on the local rivers and lakes. The rowing oars they sell are not the best, so maybe buy some locally. I bought the asymmetric kayak paddles from them, and they work well for me.

As a kayak it's great fun. I have used it locally and been to Spain with it a few times. It's ideal in the surf and you can use it for short trips - we went around the coast (2 adults plus child) to the neighbouring port. It weighs about 25-30kg in its bag, is compact enough to transport easily, and quick to inflate. If you remove the aluminum cross struts it is lighter and can go as plane baggage (I put the struts in my carry-on luggage).

It's made of thick material, really tough, solid handles, and nothing has broken so far, despite a lot of abuse, such as hitting the occasional rock and dragging up the beach and boat ramp. They still make the same model after all this time, so it must be popular.

Downside: you can't use it for whitewater kayaking as it has two small keels, and it's expensive (but will last a long time). I paid about eur 120 to ship it here, plus local VAT plus about 3% import duty (I think) on leisure goods.