Intex Challenger K1 Inflatable Kayak Review
The Intex Challenger K1 Kayak provides a single person inflatable canoeing experience at a reasonable price. Very good reviews, and we bought two ourselves.
The Intex K1 Challenger is a good entry-level inflatable canoe for getting on the water with a small budget
The Intex Challenger K1 Kayak is a one person inflatable canoe designed for mild water (i.e. canals and slow-moving rivers).
If you have a number of kids you need to get afloat, then the Intex Challenger K1 is an affordable option – which is why we bought two!
Being at the more budget end of the scale, you don’t get the additional hull protection as you would with the larger and more expensive inflatable canoes, such as the Sevylor Hudson.
Included with the Challenger is a paddle. Â The paddle is in three sections, which makes transporting it easier.
This is what you get in the box with your Intex Challenger K1: Canoe, Pump, Skeg, and Paddle.
It also has a removable skeg to make handling better, and a hand/foot pump that makes inflating easy.
As well as the main inflatable chambers, the Intex Challenger K1 comes with an inflatable seat and a separate inflatable foot rest.
The foot rest will help padding, but also provides more buoyancy, which could prove useful in an accident.
Would we recommend?
Yes.
Our Sevylor Hudson has been great and will be the main boat for mum, dad, and our smallest child, but the two older children need their own kayak now.  Buying two of these Intex Challengers is much more within our budget.
I won’t be taking them to any strong water though (there’s a lot of canals here to explore), and they will always wear their Buoyancy Aids.
Here’s a video review we made of the Intex Challenger.
For a budget inflatable canoe I was very impressed with how this little boat handled – it did feel much more like a real kayak and cut through the water quite well (for an inflatable).
Unlike bigger inflatable canoes, the Challenger K1 does feel a little wobbly when you get in (just like a real kayak), but is actually very stable and should not tip over unless you do something really silly (like trying to stand up whilst leaning over the side!).
It doesn’t come with a spray deck (the bit that seals people into their kayaks) and so if it did tip over, your kids will easily slip out.
The single person Intex Challenger K1 next to our larger Sevylor Hudson inflatable kayak
Intex Challenger K1 Kayak Manual
You can download the manual here.
Specification: Intex Challenger K1 Inflatable Kayak Review
| Weight | 11.3 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 274.3 × 76.2 × 33 cm |
Videos: Intex Challenger K1 Inflatable Kayak Review
8 reviews for Intex Challenger K1 Inflatable Kayak Review
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Price Guide: Intex Challenger K1 Inflatable Kayak Review
Review Author
Gav Grayston Contributor
Father to 3 kids, who loves getting out and about (hiking, running, camping, cycling, canoeing...) Co-founded Get Out With The Kids to help other parents enjoy the outdoors with their family.
GetOutWithTheKids –
I’ll see you on the river some time then 😉
kizleblonde –
Was very shocked when I seen the Welsh Bridge. From Shrewsbury myself. Just ordered this kayak today nice so nice to see it being used where I will be using it 🙂
GetOutWithTheKids –
I’m 5’8 and can paddle it OK (though a bit of a squeeze getting my legs in), and think you should be alright.
It’s certainly more like getting into a kayak than a canoe.
As for fishing, well the K1 doesn’t have a lot of storage space. You have some cargo webbing in the front that could hold a small ruck sack, but there’s no paddle fasteners, which can be useful for holding a rod. So, I suppose it depends on what gear you need to take with you.
There would be no room inside the K1 for gear.
reptoslicer122 –
Would i be able to fish out of this? im 5’6
GBDeadnation –
Thanks, a good video for folk considering purchasing a K1
GetOutWithTheKids –
The scale has both 5cm and 10cm on it
GetOutWithTheKids –
It feels more like a kayak than our big Sevylor Hudson, which is more like a canoe, but the K1 has been stable for our kids and no one has flipped over.
We’ve used them only on rivers, not the sea, but we did have strong winds one day and they remained stable.
The main downside is that we got a puncture in one (there’s a video for that if you’ve not seen it), but it was from a very sharp piece of glass and the K1 was easily repaired.
I can recommend as a starter kayak for gentle waters.
Arnold Davis –
Nice video. I have been considering purchasing the K1 as a starter kayak, and your videos have pretty much pushed me into buying it. However, I would like to know how stable the K1 is. Like does it flip over easily?