My favourite inflatable kayak
"I've used a lot of different brand inflatable kayaks, different styles and spent a lifetime on the water. I came across the Bote brand and wanted to see what they were like. After purchasing the zeppelin, it instantly became my favourite inflatable kayak. The quality! Firstly everything is really nice, even down to the fancy cardboard box it comes in. That sounds weird, but bote seems such great quality, even the package is better then any other brand I've bought. The kayak has to be one of the best looking kayaks made. Every angle is a statement, with bote branding proudly written everywhere, even underneath. They didn't need to do that but they did, and it looks awesome. Extremely stable. Yes you can stand up and paddle, it is so stable on the water even the 10 zeppelin. One thing I was a little unsure of was the seat. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the seat as it was completely different then any other kayak I've tried. But it was a genius design by bote, very comfortable, and a really cool feature. It has you sitting high and looking down onto the water. The kayak itself is absolutely beautiful, colours, design comfort makes it a fantastic kayak. Performance, firstly the zeppelin is not the fastest paddling kayak in my fleet, it's not the fastest turning, but it's not designed to be a fast racing kayak. It's designed to get out , explore, take your time, float around and be comfortable and it is awesome for doing just that. It can be used for fishing, for a family day kayaking, for floating around your favourite lake or for a bit of a distance paddle. Whatever you use it for it works. Another bonus is it can float on almost no water which makes it ideal for getting into those great little spots to explore. I found it very rarely bottoms out in shallow water, which is great. Quality? The quality and design feels very premium. The materials feel like high quality, the kayak is very well designed, thick side chambers, great drop stitch floor and it's the best looking kayak on the market. The quality feels great, the material feels thick and it feels like a very well designed and made kayak. Things I've noticed? The fin is a little hard to slide in, actually it's very tight to slide in when new. It requires a bit of tapping to get in and out, but I'd think that will improve with use. (I wet the fin first and use a rubber hammer to gently Knock in and out) The deck pad gets a few marks from rolling and folding, even when it was brand new but hey it's no big deal. I own so, so many inflatable kayaks and my bote zeppelin is my new absolute favourite! Nothing compares to the design, look and quality, also the comfort level is awesome. Another feature worth mentioning is the self bailing holes on the bottom, this is a fantastic feature! If you know, you know! I've had other brands that are either in or out, and if one valve opens and the kayak floods. This isn't a problem with the self bailing design on the zeppelin. It also makes it easy to drain water once you wash & clean the kayak. They have seemed to of thought of everything. I own both the 12'6 and a 10" zeppelin, and absolutely love both. The 12"6 comes in quite a large bag, and takes up more space then other inflatable kayak I own also it has quite some weight to it. But this is expected for something that is large and is made with thick quality material. Also the weight limit of 138ish kgs on the smaller zeppelin and 270kgs on the bigger zeppelin is very impressive! Even some hard shell kayaks struggle to match that rating. The small 10 zeppelin are perfect for both small children to paddle and control as well as an adult. Yes you can even have an adult paddling and a child riding on the front or back, it's got lots of room for a small kayak. The 12"6 feels very large, perfect for two adults and even a dog or kids. It also Paddles really well with two adults. Don't expect it to be the fastest paddling kayak you ever have been because it's not, but is it one of the most comfortable, best seating, stable, large , fun, good looking and versatile kayaks you have seen? Yes! I highly recommend these. I hope bote continue to bring out some more awesome colours and not change to much about these kayaks, because they are awesome! I'd expect that with correct care and cleaning this kayak would last for a long time, but that we will find out as time goes on. If your thinking about buying an inflatable kayak and looking at the zeppelin, definitely buy one! It's my favourite inflatable kayak!"
