Background

NOTE:  I will be manipulating the dates of the posts in order to get them in chronological order, instead of last post first that Blogger otherwise displays.

Real post date 9/25/2010:    Before beginning full time RV travel, we sold our two previous folding Feathercraft Kahuna kayaks, and purchased two new RTM Disco hard-shell sit on top kayaks.  We were tired of the assembly and dis-assembly of the folders, and thought hard shells would work out better.

The RTM Discos are very good sit-on-tops, but having them on top of our tow/drive around car 24/7, 365 days a year became tiresome after a while.  If parked in one spot for long periods, we remove them, but most of the time they are on top of the car, even in the middle of the desert.  It cuts vision, increases wind effect, and reduces MPG with the wind and extra 100 lbs.

RTM Disco(s)

I then began researching touring style inflatable kayaks, settling in primarily on Innova Safari, Innova Sunny, and Aire Tributary Sawtooth.  Using google searches, there is some information on the Safari, lots of info on Sunny, but very little on Sawtooth other than the factory specs.

The specs on the Kahunas and Discos we have experience with are:
Kahuna: 14' 9" * 25", approx 35lbs
Disco:     14'    * 26", approx 50 lbs

Specs (as of Sept 2010) on Inflatables I considered:
Innova Safari:  10' * 28", approx 24lbs  Retail  $879  (early models were narrower at bow/stern & 'tippier').

Innova Sunny EX fully coated 2 seats:  12 '8" * 31", approx 33lbs Retail  $999

Aire Sawtooth I: 13' 3" * 32", approx 42lbs (1 seat)  Retail  $750  , 46 lbs (2 seats) Retail $800

Aire Sawtooth II:  15' 1" * 32" approx 51.5 lbs 2 seats Retail $850
Boat People Trinity II (almost the same as Sawtooth II but improved in my opinion):  15' 3" * 32" approx 51.5 lbs 2 seats   Retail $860

The Innova and Aire brands are high quality tough boats, superior in almost every regard over less expensive inflatable kayaks.  Better to look for a good deal on a Aire or Innova and forgoe the lesser brands altogether.

For many varied reasons, I decided we would try one Aire Sawtooth I to see how it works out.  I ordered one for delivery to us at the military campground at Tyndall AFB, FL, near Panama City FL in the panhandle.

http://www.aire.com/aire/products/default.aspx?id=224 (Aire webpage for Sawtooth)

http://www.aire.com/aire/images/products/pdfs/T%20-%20Sawtooth.pdf  (wireframe design info)

My wife Sandy and I are recreational novice paddlers who only do 1/2 day max paddles (usually a hour to 3 hours each time). We have only paddled Feathercraft Kahunas and RTM Disco sit on tops. We never over-night paddle, so cargo is of minimal concern (just lunch and additional clothing, water, etc, and we do have drybags).

So even though little qualification for a decent field test report, I'll post what I can on the Sawtooth with photos. There is so little information available on line for the Aire Sawtooth that any info will be an improvement.  We will try this one Sawtooth and see how it works out for us, and then decide whether to keep the Discos, or trade them for an additional Sawtooth.    I will blog on the Sawtooth as soon it arrives.

Here are some links to read more on inflatables:

http://www.theboatpeople.com/  (start here for an excellent overview of the Inflatable Kayaks available)

http://www.innovakayak.com/

http://www.aire.com/aire/

http://www.topkayaker.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=10&page=1

http://www.foldingkayaks.org/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=33&sid=bea2c6815913af9153cd0bee3d9cfe9b

http://apaddleinmypack.wordpress.com/inflatable-kayaks/

http://www.midwestik.com/midwestik/midwestik.nsf/

http://paddlesheep.blogspot.com/

Feel free to suggest more links in the comments section.

Paddles and pumps

Real post date 9/26/2010:  I ordered 2 pumps and a gauge from Innova Kayaks: http://www.innovakayak.com/store/store.aspx#ecwid:category=184227&mode=category&offset=0&sort=normal .

I ordered the K-100 hand pump, a kwik check gauge, and a Scoprega Bravo 12 volt pump that is high volume and maxes out at 4.4 psi.  I had considered ordering a k-200 pump and the gauge from The Boat People with no electric pump at all, but decided to go with the 12 volt pump as well.

 

Another 12 volt pump that won't reach the full 2.5 psi pressure the Sawtooth calls for but is still high volume and lower in price, (and will do the bulk of the inflation work) is the Rule ID20 (google for current deals).

One other 12 volt option that looks appealing is the Hurricane pump from The Boat People: http://www.theboatpeople.com/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=243

On our 25 and 26" wide Kahuna(s) and Disco(s) we had been using Aquabound Stingray carbon shaft/plastic blade 210 cm paddles.  With the narrower boats the 210 cm paddles are OK, but a 220 Aquabound would likely work better. With the 32" beam on the Sawtooth I didn't think the 210s would do the job at all.

 I found a deal on a local 230 cm straight shaft Werner Camano carbon shaft/fiberglass blade paddle and bought it.  We tried it with the Discos while awaiting the Sawtooth, and it is a much better length, and much better paddle overall.  The larger blade on the Werner works more efficiently for us, and the shaft is a bit thinner, and shaped a bit oblong in the grip area which is comfortable and aligns the paddle correctly in our hands.  Even if we decide to keep both Discos, we will still switch to Werner paddles.

http://www.wernerpaddles.com/paddles/touring/premium/camano/

The 230 cm Werner paddle is overall 8" longer than the Aquabounds, but the shaft itself is only 4" longer, as the blades are larger than the Aquabound blades were - thus making it a perfect fit on the 26" wide Disco.  Since the Sawtooth is 6" wider than the Disco, a 240 cm Warner paddle may be a better fit on the Sawtooth than a 230 cm.  For sure, either a 230 or 240 cm  appear to be the best choice on paddle length with the blade size of the Werner Camano/Werner Kalliste.

 

http://www.wernerpaddles.com/paddles/touring/performance_core/kalliste/

Kayak paddle reviews: http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showAcc.html?cat=1

I plan to make a foot brace for the Sawtooth as one is not included by Aire.  A 'pool noodle', a section of 1/2" PVC pipe, some rope, and plastic clips will make several foot rests.  Idea borrowed from a post by Saleroso on folding kayak forum http://www.foldingkayaks.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=2788&p=18012&hilit=Sunny#p18012 .

The pumps arrived today (pics above), Sawtooth is expected expected to arrive Wednesday 29 Sept,  and the additional Werner paddle on Thursday.  We "plan" to depart on Saturday headed to Tampa (McDill AFB campground).  After that we will head towards the FL Keys.

1st Look at Sawtooth

Real post date 09/29/2010 in the morning

The Sawtooth arrived today.  With the Aire design being a bladdered kayak, there is a bit of bulk (size) to it.  There have been some questions on several forums as to whether Aire understates the advertised weight of 42.5 lbs with one seat.  The first thing I did was to break out the bathroom scale, and weigh it multiple times.  My bath scale says that with the skeg, and with one seat it weighs 42.8 lbs.  By the heft and feel it is lighter than my 50 lb RTM Disco(s).

I did the first assembly and inflation in my campsite, trying both the 12 volt inflator and the K-100 hand pump.  The 12 volt pump is pretty fast and efficient.  There are 2 chambers to fill, plus the floor for a total of 3 valves.  On the first fill I went with 1.5 psi on all chambers, then filled to 2.5 psi on the second round (as recommended by Aire).  The K-100 hand pump works well and easily.  If I only had the hand pump, I would want the K-200 for double the air volume per stroke, plus you can pump standing up with the longer K-200.  With the shorter K-100 you are bending over to pump.

For first assembly, it take a little more time to figure out the valves, pump attachments to the valves, and putting in the seat connection straps where desired on the kayak.  Once the seat straps are where you want them, you leave the strap attachment points in place on the kayak, just clipping/un-clipping the seat into the strap attachment points - thus speeding setup in the future.

After inflating the kayak, I made two foot braces for the Sawtooth using 1/2" PVC, a pool noodle, some rope, and plastic clips.

I deflated the kayak, and will take it to a nearby bay today for the second setup and the first paddle.

Some pics below are "clickable" to increase size.

 

 

 

 

First Sawtooth Paddle

Real post date 9/29/2010 afternoon.

Today we paddled the Sawtooth and the RTM Disco for about 1.5 hours, swapping back and forth.

I parked by the bay, and used the 12 volt pump to fill the Sawtooth.  Total setup time was 10 minutes from car to water.  I was able to solo carry the Sawtooth the short distance to the water with no problem.



Winds were variable between 5 and 10 MPH.  The bay was 6 inch chop when we launched, and up to 1 foot as we crossed under the nearby bridge. 

Comparing the Sawtooth to the RTM Disco is really not a fair comparison.  The RTM Disco is one of the fastest plastic sit on top hard shells on the market.  It's dimensions of 14' * 26", with most of the length in the waterline lends to speed, and it handles well with good tracking.  The Sawtooth dimensions of 13' 3" * 32", with a waterline length of under 10', means it cannot compete for speed.

The Disco pulled away from the Sawtooth every time.  Using a GPS, under moderate paddling effort and pace (our usual cruise/touring pace), the Disco was 'cruising' at 2.6 to 2.7 mph into the headwind, the Sawtooth 'cruising' at 2.1 to 2.2 mph into the headwind.  The Disco paddler was using the smaller blade Aquabound Stingray paddle, the Sawtooth the larger bladed Werner Camano paddle.  We saw similar speeds as my wife and I swapped kayaks back and forth.  We "should" have tried both paddling the Sawtooth at the same time  (tandem setup) to check speeds, but did not think of it at the time.  I should note that if you paddle the Sawtooth as a tandem, it may well be faster than the Disco.

The 230 cm Werner Camano paddle with it's longer blade design is barely adequate for the Sawtooth with it's higher seating position and the 9" side tubes.  I'd recommend a 240 cm Camano paddle for this kayak.  A 230 cm in a Aquabound Stingray blade design would work fine.

The Sawtooth sits higher in the water than the Disco, and the paddler sits higher as well.  The Sawtooth did well in the 5-10 mph winds, and tracks very well.  From a side wind, a quartering head wind, and a direct headwind tracking was perfect.  I did need to do some corrective strokes when paddling with a quartering tail wind, but at the time the weight distribution was not the best with the seat a bit too far forward.  I adjusted the seat a bit further back and the tracking improved "some".  Aire recommends the seat to be slightly forward of center.

The Disco is a very quiet kayak cutting chop and swell silently.  The Sawtooth has some "hull slap", which is reported to happen with most, if not all inflatables.

  The Disco "feels" tippy, though we have never dumped one (yet).  The Sawtooth feels and is very very stable.  Solo deep water re-entry into the Sawtooth is much easier than the Disco, and both are easy enough  with a 2nd kayak bracing the re-entry kayak for a rescue.  You can move around on the Sawtooth, changing positions and even crawling around the kayak, which is something I won't try on the Disco.

The Sawtooth tracks well, yet still spins on a dime.  180 and 360 spins are much much easier than on the Disco.  The Sawtooth can way out maneuver the Disco, which would be great in rivers, creeks, mangroves, etc.  We did not try it without the skeg due to the wind and chop.  I can see paddling without the skeg in a creek, river, or mangroves - this is a good handling boat.

The Sawtooth kept me high and dry in the chop (I am 5'7" and weigh 197 lbs).  The water never made it to the seat area, staying down below the crowned top of the floor and well under the seat.  No water made it to my legs or feet either.

Overall the Sawtooth is a decent kayak.  However, we don't intend to swap our 2 Discos for another Sawtooth.  The Discos are fast and require less effort to paddle.  The Disco is more like a sports car, and the Sawtooth a family sedan.  Again, I know it is an unfair comparison, but it is what we have on hand for our test.  At this point, we plan to continue to car top the Disco hardshells into the future.

A note on the zippers covering the inner bladders and possible water entry under the outer shell - it is not likely under normal paddling conditions.  The zippers sit higher than water will normally reach on the side tubes, and also on the crowned floor.

For us as full time RV travelers, packing the inflatable kayaks at the recovery point, then pulling them out again in a campsite to rinse them, then drying and re-packing will take some extra effort and camp space.  The actual inflating and launching is very easy with a 12 volt pump, drying and re-packing takes more effort.

Overall I like the Sawtooth.  The Aire brand is tough and reliable, and way better than inexpensive inflatable kayaks by almost every measure. It is comfortable to sit in, much more comfortable than the Disco cockpit.  It handles and tracks very well.  It is reported to be faster than the Innova Sunny and Safari.  The drawbacks are it can't compete for speed with a Disco (unfair comparison), takes more effort to paddle than a Disco (unfair comparison), and the drying and re-packing will take some effort and space within our campsites.  For our style of 1 to 3 hour paddles, hardshells turn out to be much easier, but with the decided draw back of being on top of the tow/drive-around  car 24/7, 365 a year. 

For now, we "might" keep the Sawtooth, and also try a tandem paddle test in it (without buying an additional seat for the initial test).  The Sawtooth will be a good additional boat when the brother in law visits, and I'd like to try it in the surf as well.  It will also be great boat for creeks, rivers, mangroves, etc.  Although I don't intend to sail, others may want to google "Anna's Bananas" for a great sailing setup with Sawtooth for the base.  (Link: http://www.foldingkayaks.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=2614&p=17798&hilit=Sawtooth#p17798 , http://smalltrimarans.com/blog/?p=1848 )

As full time RV travelers, our needs are pretty specific. For our use, the Sawtooth is a mixed blessing. We may still decide to sell it at a loss on ebay and just stick with the hardshells for fulltime RV travel.

 



Edit 2 Oct 2010:  We have decided to list the Sawtooth on ebay and craigslist in Tampa, then in the FL keys as we travel to those areas.  We have decided to keep the RTM Discos, and re-sell the Sawtooth.