First Kayak Trip with New Inflatable Advanced Elements Island Voyage 2

Advanced Elements Island Voyage 2

The Advanced Elements Island Voyage 2 kayak I purchased directly from the manufacturer in Benicia, CA after responding to a Craigslist ad.  I got a good deal from Advanced Elements.  Also, picked up a large volume bidirectional hand pump with a built in pressure gauge.  After showing me the setup kayak in the warehouse, the customer service manager met me and processed my order .  In the warehouse, they have a good stock of replacement parts. I got some good information while I was there about the company and picked up a catalog of their products.



The old West Marine K1 inflatable kayak was taking on water.  After paddling back from a 30 min trip sitting in a pool of water, I decided it was time to get a little better inflatable kayak. After the bladders gave out, and couldn't be replaced, I used 2" foam to keep afloat for a while.  The new kayak was a big upgrade.

The business wasn't open on the weekend so I took the day off work on Monday to pickup the new kayak and spend some time on the water.  After going out to Benicia and picking up the kayak in person, I brought the new kayak to the San Leandro marina boat launch for a first easy flat water paddle.  There was no wind and it was a nice sunny day, Monday Nov. 18th, 2019.

I was happy with the easy setup and compared to what I had before, this inflatable kayak was a huge improvement.  I felt confident that I wasn't going to sink and paddled out onto the S.F. bay.

S.F. Bay near San Leandro Marina Nov. 18th, 2019

I paddled out a good distance from the marina to the third channel mark before heading back.  I was thinking about all the great places I could get to with the new kayak and planned a trip for the next weekend.