Sevylor Waterton Test
We test out the new Sevylor Waterton inflatable canoe and like all the improvements we see.
Review Score
Our Score: 7.5/10
We've given the Sevylor Waterton Test the Thumbs Up award.
QualityHandling (for an Inflatable)
The good
- Easy to inflate and deflate.
- Handles well on the water.
The not so good
- It's still an inflatable, and so won't perform as well as a rigid hull. However, it's a lot easier to store and transport.
This was a hands-on product review. The product was supplied to us to test and conduct the review.
Price Guide
Sevylor Waterton Test Videos
Sevylor Waterton Test Photos
Sevylor Waterton Inflatable Canoe
In the Box
Paddling the Waterton
Sevylor Waterton Underside
Solo handling
Inflating the waterton
Sevylor Waterton
Sevonor Waterton Kit Contents
Sevylor Waterton from Above
The Hudson
Sevylor Waterton Side Profile
Sevylor Waterton vs Sevylor Hudson
Drying it out
Easy to get in the bag
Our Review
We've been using inflatable canoes for many years now.
Yes, they don't cut through the water as well as a 'real' canoe, but they are a lot easier for us to store and transport.
Our biggest inflatable is the Sevylor Hudson, which can take two adults and a child. The Hudson inflatable canoe lasted well, probably due to the extra protection underneath and around the side.
Well, it now has a sister: the Sevylor Waterton.
Sevylor sent us over this updated inflatable canoe design for us to test out.
The Sevylor Waterton as it comes in the box
The Sevylor Waterton (vs The Sevylor Hudson)
Unlike our Hudson inflatable canoe, the Waterton is just a two-person canoe. But while slightly shorter, it shares some similarities to our larger inflatable as it also has protected sides and a strong underside.
However, as we found, there are some major design improvements, that makes our Hudson feel a little bit dated.
Inflating
The Sevylor Waterton has three inflation points. You first inflate the floor, then you inflate each of the two sides.
There are three valves to inflate, plus the two seats.
Although the Sevylor Waterton doesn't come with a pump, it does come with a pressure gauge.
Use the supplied pressure gauge to get the canoe firm enough, but not over-inflate it.
Our older Hudson has three inflation points, but it doesn't have the larger valve in the floor, which makes it take longer to inflate and deflate. This was immediately a good design improvement we found with the Waterton.
Underneath
The skeg slots into the bottom before you inflate the canoe
Just like the Hudson canoe, the Sevylor Waterton has a skeg that you fit before inflating.
The underside of the canoe is re-enforced with strong material.
Here's the underside of the canoe with the protective barrier against scrapes
The Sides
The sides of the canoe are also protected, just like the Hudson.
Here is the Waterton next to our Sevylor Hudson.
There's also a small fore and aft deck with webbing, anchor points for dry bags, carry handles at the front and back, and a strap across the middle - which might be to help it keep shape but I also found it useful for carrying it single-handed.
Seats
The seats also benefit from improved design and more comfortable, and you are sitting further out of the water, which can help avoid getting a wet backside if a lot of water gets splashed into the canoe.
Once inflated you can see that there is some generous legroom for an inflatable canoe
On the Water
Well, compared to their rigid cousins, inflatable canoes don't cut through the water quite as good. However, we were very pleased with the performance of the Waterton.
A difference I noticed compared to our larger Sevylor Hudson, is that the Waterton's sides are almost up and out of the water.
You can just see the difference in how they sit in the water with these next two photos.
Paddling the Sevylor Waterton canoe upstream
The Sevylor Hudson looks like it sits lower in the water than the Waterton.
This offers a big performance improvement.
The Hudson sits in the water like a barge. There's a lot of water to displace when you are paddling.
Whereas it's the Waterton's underside that sits in the water. The floor is almost like an inflatable SUP, and the sides are just there if you need extra buoyancy and stability when leaning over.
I also found that this made it more manoeuvrable.
I found the Waterton handled well for an inflatable canoe. Here, I was testing an aggressive turn with a back paddle to swing the nose around, leaning back to raise the bow out of the water for a quick turn. Not a turn I would make with kids in unless an emergency. However, it was a good test, and I found no problems with stability.
The Paddles
It's important to mention the paddles.
We were using the Sevylor 2.3 m long paddles (which come apart for easy transport).
The Sevylor Paddle is 2.3m long. The extra length helps due to the inflated sides that are wider than a normal canoe.
You still need to use the longer paddle with the Sevylor Waterton, as with most inflatable canoes, due to the thicker sides that the canoe has.
The downside with such a large paddle is that it can be a little tiring for little arms. However, it's easy to take apart and use as a single paddle instead.
Our youngest found it easier just using half the paddle.
Drying out and Putting Away
It's important to try and dry your inflatable canoes out before you put them away.
Our old Sevylor Hudson can take a while to dry out due to the design of the floor and the sides, which can keep water hidden away.
The design is much better in the Sevylor Waterton, and it dried out in a fraction of the time compared to the Hudson canoe.
We found the Sevylor Waterton was a lot quicker to dry out than our older Hudson canoe
Sevylor has also made big improvements in the bag, making it much easier to get the Waterton back in the bag, keep it secure in the bag, and easy to carry it in the bag.
The design of the bag makes it easy to pack the Sevylor Waterton away.
Extras
Also in the box are some repair patches. Hopefully, you'll never need to use them.
There's also a repair patch in the box.
Paddling it Single-Handed
You would typically sit at the back of a two-person canoe to paddle it single-handed.
I was able to do this fine, though do expect the bow of the Waterton to come out of the water.
For improved stability, remove one of the seats and position it more towards the centre, so that the cross-bracing strap is just in front of you.
Verdict
We like the Sevylor Waterton and can recommend it as a good quality (see updates below) inflatable canoe to get your family on the water.
Info
If you are considering getting one for your family, note that these are canoes, not inflatable dinghies. Canoes are less stable than dinghies. If you are used to canoes, then you'll find the inflatable canoes a lot more stable than say a whitewater kayak.
Someone's ready to take it for a spin
Update
Waterton Wonky Inflation / Waterton Stability Issues
Some people have reported issues with their Sevylor Waterton in the reviews below. These are not issues we experienced when testing this inflatable kayak, nor issues we've experienced since. However, please read the reviews below.
There are also a few comments on our YouTube video.
have just bought one of these and am glad to see you're impressed with it, was also pleased to see are taking it down the same bit of the Severn that I intend to use mine. Couldn't have asked for a better review, thanks Tom Emery, YouTube
Update 2 - August 2019
We took our Sevylor Waterton to a campsite by Lake Bala, and for the first time, I also got a wonky canoe after inflating it.
Others have complained that sides were lopsided after inflation. I never had a problem with this until now.
Update - 2020.07.29
Fixing an Unstable Sevylor Waterton Canoe
It finally happened! I got a wonky canoe after inflating it! :-)
Fortunately, this was easy to fix. We then went on to have a good weekend using it without any issues. Watch our video below.
You can see how out-of-shape our Waterton is in this photo.
This made a massive improvement after re-inflating.
Details
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