Bic YakkAir 1
Best Uses: Recreation, flatwater, traveling, camping
Brand: Bic
Available At:
Number of Paddlers: 1
Stats: Length 10’ 9”, Width 35.4”, Weight 22 lbs, Load Capacity 242 lbs
Accessories Included: Safety grap lines, abrasion protector, bow protector, carry handles, mooring straps, accessory storing mesh, paddle attachment
Kayak Material: PVC skin
Pros: Nice design, easy entry and exit, lightweight, paddle, no sagging in the middle, holders to free up hands, bungee tie-downs on bow and stern
Cons: Not self-bailing, no access to the bladders, valves not attached to anything, quality of the glue used is questionable
More about the Bic YakkAir 1 Inflatable Kayak
The Bic YakkAir is a new inflatable kayak that has just come on the market in June of this year (2009). It is a flatwater inflatable kayak that is best used for easy recreational use. The YakkAir was engineered in France but manufactured in China. It was designed by a company that has not been in the inflatable kayak business and in many ways it shows.
Bic has done a lot of good things with the YakkAir and made a very attractive looking inflatable kayak. However there are some pretty major flaws that need to be mentioned.
Problems with the Bic YakkAir
- For starters there is no access to the left and right tube bladders through a zipper. All bladderized boats allow access to the bladders in case they need to be fixed… i.e. a hole is rubbed through one of the bladders. The YakkAir fits nice and neatly into a nice backpack carry bag but it has to be rolled very tightly to fit in. This could cause rubbing which in turn could cause a hole. With no zippered access to the bladders the hole would be unrepairable.
- The next major problem has to do with the boston valves. They are not attached to anything and could very easily be lost. They also unscrew right out of the kayak. You could make your own corrections on this and tie the valves cap loops down with a string if you wanted to.
- Another major flaw is that glue has been used for the drop-stitch high pressure floor edges, as well as in many places for the inflatable keel tube under the floor mat. The problem with using glue is that it can be unpredictable. It could hold for ten years or it could come apart after one or two uses. It depends on the quality of the glue used and how well it was constructed. The fact that these kayaks were constructed in China makes me nervous as we are never really sure how good the quality is. It will take time to tell and these kayaks are simply too new to know right now.
It’s not all Bad…
There are some positives to the Bic YakkAir inflatable kayak. For one as I mentioned before the design is great. It is a nice looking kayak that is very lightweight and would be extremely easy to take with you anywhere you want to go. Especially in the extremely nice backpack that comes with it.
The outer shell of these kayaks are made with good materials and the bladders are constructed with urethane (like the AIRE products) as opposed to vinyl. This will reduce the weight of the kayak and increase the lifespan of the boat.
The other great thing about the YakkAir is that the floor chamber is a high-pressure drop-stitch mat not just a vinyl air mattress that can be found in a few other cheaper inflatable kayaks. This will reduce the sagging effect and provide for a more rigid ride. I also really love the fact that you can attach your paddle to the kayak in order to free up your hands. This is great for those who want to use it for fishing or diving.
Final Thoughts on the Bic YakkAir
I think that the YakkAir has a lot of promise… but is just not there yet. I would not recommend purchasing this kayak yet as I believe there are simply too many kinks that need to be ironed out. There is a lot of really great things about the YakkAir but the negatives are big enough that they cannot and should not be overlooked. For the price of this kayak it is possible to get a much better boat that will offer you a lot more peace of mind. I do hope that Bic makes the improvements that need to be done as the YakkAir does have a lot of potential. The YakkAir also comes in a tandem version… the Yakkair 2.
Pro Bic YakkAir
- Nice design
- Easy entry and exit
- Lightweight
- No sagging in the middle
- Paddle holders to free up hands
Against Bic YakkAir
- Not self-bailing
- No access to the bladders
- Valves not attached to anything
- Quality of the glue used is questionable
The Bic YakkAir is Available At:
- WaterOutfitters – Bic YakkAir 1 Inflatable Kayak
- Amazon – Bic YakkAir 1 Inflatable Kayak
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If you own or have used the Bic YakkAir 1 please leave a comment and share your thoughts with others.
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Not to sure if they deliver to the U.S but I just came across an inflatables website in the UK that sells these Kayaks and other brands such as Sevylor and Sea Eagle with free delivery inflatableeverything.co.uk/Canoes-Kayaks/. Thought it might be good for anyone travelling into Europe maybe. I do like the design of these Bic kayaks and found they do cut through the water very easily, however the tandem version is quite clumsy to control.