InnovaKayak

Andy Sawyer and his uncle paddling around the Cornish coast in a green Innova Helios and a blue Innova Safari.

In Episode 413 of Shark Tank, Xero Shoes demos their shoes in an Innova kayak. We Feel the Freedom Xero Shoes!

Here's the original photo.

And here's a really cool video of Jon Sattler running in Xero Shoes. His Helios II is featured in the beginning because it allowed him to get to the point of departure for the run (via Lake Powell).

If you look way back in this blog, you'll see photos of Jon floating around Venice in his Helios II which he calls the "Crimson Poobah". In Jon's most recent email he tells of a friend who kayaked his Crimson Poobah on the Great Salt Lake departing from Antelope Island (not recommended for beginners).

These pics are taken by Allan Mather. They are of his son, Gavin, surfing the coast of California. Allan was in another Innova kayak and said this, "Think of me, sitting there taking those pics - I got dumped a few times!"

Enjoy Allan's photo galleries of Safari photos:

If you were going to spend three months in Beijing, what would you pack? Why not your inflatable kayak? That’s what Chuck Yamashita, kayaking and cycling enthusiast, decided to bring. He bought his Helios II used (on craigslist), knowing that Innova’s quality construction and design could be trusted to last.

See Chuck's trip report below.

Paddle Tour of Beijing: Summer Palace and Cixi Canal

Bai River

From Chuck’s Trip Report (published on Folding Kayaks Forum)

The quest for paddling venues around Beijing continues.... My everyday rule "Do not paddle where you would not be willing to swim" is put on hold whenever I go to China. The Wenyu River is no exception, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

This morning my friend Fischer, who is a budding kayaker, and I went off to the river. We caught the bus in front of my apartment complex. I had the Helios packed in a GI duffel bag and the paddles, PFDs and drinks in another small duffel. Very easy carry compared to a Feathercraft.

We had a single bus change and the 15km round trip was pretty expensive, about 30 cents each. It was a bit less than a km walk to and from the bus stop to the put in and carrying the 380 was a breeze - 10 minutes from bag to water. We launched near a golf course.

We paddled a section about 4km long between 2 dams. The boat paddled nicely. The water was not stinky, but was dirty. Live fish were seen as well as a few ducks on the water. There was lots of algae as well. Our total transit time was about 45-50 min each way. I am going to try and portage around a dam next time (with felt shoes to keep from slipping). The Helios is the easiest boat I have ever portaged and a pleasant boat to paddle.

The Swing is the newest member of the Innova family. It has handsome lines and glides beautifully through the water. Here are a few photos of this beautiful, versatile boat.

Paddlesheep traveled from Vancouver, BC to Baja with his Innova Sunny Inflatable Boat...to experience the waters, the sun, and the warmth. Along the way he spent several days on deserted islands where he camped. He prepared his meals on a portable stove. Following are some of his collection of pics. Read his trip report here: http://paddlesheep.blogspot.com/2011/12/isla-espiritu-santos-baja-california.html

There's not much to say when you see two grizzlies hanging out near an Innova Safari. Maybe we ask a few questions...Is the owner OK? How close is he to the bears? Is he nervous?

The owner turns out to be a field biologist in British Columbia. He uses his Innova inflatable boats to study grizzly bears, salmon and their habitat. He purchased them in 2001 from Ocean River Sports in Victoria, BC because he needed boats that would fit in a Robinson R44 helicopter.

The Innova Twist kayak went on a National Geographic expedition to western Egypt. The writer for this expedition, Andrew Todhunter, is back and sent us this image.

In his own words:

...the boat was wonderful. While heavy winds prevented using the kayak on most of the lakes, I was able to inflate and paddle it on a lake out in the midst of the high dunes on the edge of the Great Sand Sea, south of the Siwa Oasis. As you suggested, the Twist was almost certainly the first craft ever in that body of water. It worked beautifully, and the small size when deflated made transporting it a dream (by hand and later in a tightly packed 4x4). The Bedouin guides were amazed by the boat...

...With continued gratitude for your enthusiasm and support of National Geographic exploration!

A Bedouin studying the inflated kayak.

Harold Murphy has taken his Innova Safari Inflatable Kayak more than 4,500 miles down American Rivers. He took some time to explain some of his tricks for packing and rigging his boat. We hope you appreciate them. Click on the images to see them rotated and larger in their photo album.

This June, Harold Murphy flew to Indianapolis, paddled down the West Fork of the White River to Maysville, hitched a ride to Vincinnes, and hopped a bus home. In all, Harold paddled 135 river miles, exiting the river a bit earlier than he had expected due to flood warnings. He traveled with clothes, food, water, and his Innova Safari.

"Ahhh, the beauty of the White River. There was more solitude on the White River than civilization. Within 2-3 hours of leaving the center of Indianapolis, I entered into remote areas with beautiful rolling hills and farmland. Since the White River often goes over its banks, there were very few houses near to the river. Camping was easy and safe. There were three small (but still dangerous!) dams that were easy enough to portage around. Drinking water was a bit of a problem (I found only one fresh spring in 135 miles, but there were a few small towns and cities where I could fill up).

"The river speed was a fairly consistent 2-3 mph, at times 4 mph. No rapids, but a lot of debris in the water (the result of earlier floods).

"A few days into the White River trip, there was heavy rain in Indianapolis and points North. I was perhaps 50-80 miles below Indianapolis and that high water "followed" me. While it posed no real danger, I made sure to camp 8-10 feet above the river. As I approached Maysville, the forecast was for the White River to rise another 3-4 feet and flood the low farmlands. This didn't present a danger, but it would have made it difficult for me to find suitable campsites and provisions. I decided to end my journey there."

If you want to find out more about navigating the White River, author and riverlorian, Jerry Hay, has put together a White River Guidebook.

Visit our photo album to see more photos!

This looks like quite a trip. Perfect for an Innova inflatable boat.

Owners of Innova Inflatable Kayaks have one thing in common - they like to travel with their boats. The photo above was taken in Glenn Canyon this summer. It looks like they've packed enough gear to stay a while. Where are you going in your Innova kayak? Let us know!

The entrance to Hotham Sound is some of the deepest water on the West Coast. The area is designated as a military operations zone and the Canadian and US navies do submarine practice here. Fortunately Paddlesheep did not get torpedoed. Read his trip report here: http://paddlesheep.blogspot.com/2010/10/hotham-sound.html