The Nirvana Self-Bailing is the boat for you if you enjoy whitewater, don’t have much additional room, and need a minimalist choice that performs well. The Nirvana’s narrow trim, forceful bow rocker, and large-volume stern provide exceptional stability, making it ideal for smashing Class I – Class III rivers. The Nirvana is designed with an industry-leading self-bailing system that keeps you above water by automatically emptying water from the boat.
Dimensions
- Weight – 9 lbs
- Length – 7’ 6”
- Width – 37”
- Load capacity – 250 lbs
The Nirvana Self-Bailing Inflatable Kayak is 7’ 6” long, 37” wide and weighs 9 pounds. It’s well built and can take on 250 pounds of load.
Construction Quality and Features
- Material: Thermoplastic urethane-coated nylon
For outstanding durability and abrasion resistance, the Nirvana Self-Bailing inflatable kayak is built with double-coated nylon and strengthened seam welds. It includes a 5-inch inflatable floor that adds more cushion and allows for more effective paddle strokes. It also has drain holes in the floor that allow for more complete whitewater drainage without having to pull over to the side of the river. Increased stern volume increases buoyancy while reducing water pooling within the kayak. Another feature is the one-way inflation valve, which makes topping up the air in your kayak simple if necessary.
The most astonishing aspect of this kayak is its pack raft-like lightness and compactness, which allows you to walk into mountain lakes or rivers and paddle in the backcountry.
Ease of Transportation and Storage
- Packed size: 24” x 12” x 8”
The complete kit, including the seat, spray skirt, and cargo fly zipper, weighs slightly over eleven pounds when fully loaded. When folded, the packraft may be fastened to the handlebars of a bicycle or connected to the bottom of a backpack for transit to and from the water. The kayak comes with a dry bag that may be used to partially inflate the raft without using lung power, as well as a tube to make lung power more efficient. It’s also quite easy to store the kayak when the season has passed. It won’t take too much space which is an excellent feature.
Accessories
With this inflatable kayak you also get an emergency patch kit that comes in handy if you have an unfortunate accident and run into some very sharp rocks. Using this kit you can easily fix any non-serious punctures that happen when paddling. The kit has a repair glue, 2 sidewall materials and 1 floor material. You also get a set of two compression straps and an inflation bag along with an inflation tube.
Aesthetics
The kayak is available in two colors. You can purchase it in yellow and olive drab green. Both are great options and equally made but the yellow color is much easier to spot on the water. So if you want to be visible from a distance the yellow model is for you but if you want to blend in more with the environment, the olive drab green is definitely the right choice. Both designs are great and it comes down to a matter of preference.
Type
- Usage: Whitewater kayaking, class I-III rapids.
The best experience with this inflatable kayak is on whitewater. It’s also great for fishing if you enjoy that kind of activity. It can take on class I-III whitewater rapids without sinking or taking on too much water because of the way it’s designed. It can be used on calm waters too but it doesn’t track well so it’s not great for long excursions on the water.
Price
- Price: $1,249
The Nirvana Self-Bailing inflatable kayak costs $1,249. It’s a bit pricey but if you take into consideration the durability and performance on whitewater rapids it’s quite cost-effective. Because of its great design it will endure much longer than other cheaper options. The repair kit it comes with is also something to keep in mind because if something happens you have a fast way to fix the kayak and keep on paddling.
Summary
With the right combination of stability and durability, the Nirvana Self-Bailing is intended to keep you racing down even the most raging rapids. The Self-Bailing concept shines at reducing weight and setup complexity, making continual scouting easier and self-rescue faster.
The Nirvana Self-Bailer is ideal for Class III fast water situations and can be quickly backpacked to isolated areas, carried camping, thrown on a plane, or stowed in an RV. The Nirvana Self-Bailing PackRaft can be ready for the water in less than five minutes with the supplied inflating bag.