The Sevylor Ranger KRC 79 is a very robust and versatile inflatable kayak. It can be used for white water, coastal and river paddling and can be packed up like a cart horse with all of your kayak accessories.
You should not confuse this inflatable kayak with cheaper alternatives that you will find in your local department store. It is made of heavy duty PVC and has three separate air chambers allowing the kayak to remain afloat should one of the chambers accidentally puncture.
One of the most important kayak accessories for any inflatable kayak is of course the pump. Whilst you can buy electric pumps which are very handy I have found they are unable to pump into the Kayak those last few pounds of air needed.
In my opinion you will be better served using a manual hand or foot pump to ensure you have inflated your boat properly. This inflatable kayak can be manually pumped up in under five minutes.
In order to provide extra protection to the inner chambers of the kayak it has a polyester jacket which covers the sides and bottom which protects it from puncturing. The polyester jacket hooks over the bow and stern and secures to the sides of the kayak with Velcro patches.
A good tip to ensure the jacket is centralised is to pump up the floor section of the kayak and then flip the boat over and use the seams of the jacket as a guide to centralising the jacket.
The polyester jacket is incredibly hard wearing and also quick drying. On the bottom it has two rubber skegs about two feet long which runs parallel to each other and help with the kayaks tracking.
On both side chambers of the kayak are markers which indicate how much air pressure is in each side tube allowing easy management of how much to pump the kayak up according to weather conditions and to make sure both sides of the kayak are evenly inflated.
At the bow and stem are plastic straps which make transportation easy and comfortable. At the bow of the kayak the canvas outer skin also has bungee cords allowing easy storage for your kayak accessories.
The ranger also comes with two kayak seats as this inflatable kayak is classed as a two man boat. However, it is better suited to one adult and a child.
The kayak seats also have their own canvas covers and are secured using straps with brass dog collar clips which attach to the four D-rings built into the polyester cover.
The kayak seats are extremely comfortable and can be sat on for as long as you can paddle. Furthermore these kayak seats make great pillows if you are camping overnight.
The ranger comes in two colours, dark green and dark blue which both look very stylish on the water. It is 325cm x 80cm approx and weighs 11.50kg.
Like all inflatable kayaks they will never match a rigid body for either speed or tracking however the ranger does paddle and track reasonably well for a large and heavy inflatable.
Due to the large sides of this inflatable kayak it is very stable in the water and virtually impossible to tip unless you really are leaning over.
Together with the bungee cords at the bow there is further space at the stern and inside for more of your kayak accessories.
Deflating and packing this inflatable kayak is also very quick and easy the boston valves unscrew and let the air out in seconds and by pinching the valve in the floor section deflates the floor. Then it is simply a matter of rolling it up much in the same way you would roll up a rug and placing into its bag which compacts to the same size as a bin liner.
For people looking for a good all round inflatable kayak the sevylor ranger is an excellent choice as it paddles well, can be stowed in a wardrobe, transported easily in the back of a car, can accommodate all of your kayak accessories and is virtually indestructible.