Explorer Double Seater Inflatable Kayak

I run an adventure travel company that has kayaking on calm waters as one of its mainstay activities, and have to say that these kayaks have moved things on considerably from the inflatable boats we used to use. Brilliant quality, superb tracking, speed through the water every bit as good as a rigid, comfort and space far in excess of a sit-on-top, way better for beginners than a sit-inside. They take 10 minutes to inflate by hand and just two to pack up, and the fact that they look stylish too is just a bonus.

Quibbles are few: the seat squabs and drop stitch floor combo can be tough on the bum after a few hours, and at 4.3m they’re not the easiest boat to turn. Otherwise, I can’t think of a better purchase for the money for what we do.

I had a few questions which I emailed on a Sunday if a bank holiday. Not expecting a reply until Tuesday I was amazed that I had a reply within an hour. So impressed with the helpfulness, I bought the kayak.
One of the questions was will it fit my dogs, I was told it definitely would. Inflating it I realised that I could fit about 10 of my dogs in it, I only have 2…… the kayak is massive! Longer than my car. Its really stable, made extremely well, great to paddle. For one person on a windy day I discovered sitting at the front is best or the wind spins you around if you’re a light person. It dries quickly, is easy to fit into the ginormous bag. My husband put the backpack on and you could only see less than1/2 his legs and arms! I’ll probably be pulling it on the backpack wheels as it’s a bit too heavy for me to wear as a back pack, however the case has handy wheel.
For solo kayaking I’ve bought some wheels so I can pump it up at the car, then pull it to the lake or river. I absolutely love it. The seats are very comfy and I like the foot rests. I forgot to take a photo with the seats in. I can’t wait for adventures in it with my dogs. I tried without them to test it and was extremely pleased. I’d highly recommend this kayak.

Very pleased. Versatile- can be used as a kayak, canoe or even a SUP.

Easy to order. Came really quickly. Perfect replacement for my missing fin.

Iv had my Explorer kayak for about 2 years and every time I get it out it's wonderful. We normally go on the river Itchen or the Hamble. I can't describe how much better this is compared to my old blow up kyak. it's so much quicker less effort needed to paddle along gracefully so stable too.
I'm a big chap at 6ft 5 and it's comfortable even for me at my hight can't fault it.
Customer service is great too when I was trying it in the shop the guy had alot of time to make sure I was 100% confident it was the one for me. Thanks so much for the last 2 years 👍

I've previously had cheaper inflatable kayaks, but they dont last and aren't stable. Went for a drop stitch kayak, really pleased with it. Have been out several times on the sea. Easy to set up and get out on the water. The footrest comes out easily, not a major issue bit one to be aware of and it's a touch heavy which when combined with being longer makes carrying slightly awkward, still ok to do.

Overall, very happy with it 👍🏻

This is a must buy! Super reliable board. Light weight and easy to pack for travel. The colour are true to imaged. The team are great and really helpful if you have any questions about the board. It feels like a high end board and I loved it as soon as I set my eyes on it's jazzy colours! It's got a lot a lot of bungee cord so great for longer adventures and the paddle is remarkably light weight. Very much would recommend and they've got a customer for life with me 😁

Fantastic quality product in great new colours!
Super company to deal with!!

Excellent choice of colours and top quality items with these new Sherpa robes.
Very versatile and can be put to many uses.
Fast delivery too and great customer service
Highly recommended!!

I would highly recommend Sandbanks Style paddle boards!!
I wasn’t sure what board to choose as a beginner, and with so much misleading information online I found it hard to “choose the right board”. I emailed sandbanks style and a very helpful person, Kristy, was more than happy to help. After a few emails back and forth she recommended a few boards that would suit me based on my experience, height and weight, and gave me loads of useful information.

I purchased the Pro-X model and was not disappointed, this board is amazing and came with all the stuff I needed to get going on the water. It’s so well made, and super strong when pumped up (it’s rock solid).
I was a tad nervous when I first used the board, on the sea with gentle waves, but it was so easy. The board felt so perfect I didn’t wobble around like I’ve seen people on other generic boards from other brands. I was paddling around for a few hours, with my 2 kids on board and alone standing up with ease, the board stayed solid and felt so safe. I feel a lot of care has gone into the design of this board, and it looks awesome in real life.
Sandbanks really know their stuff!!

I chose Sandbanks based on previous reviews, they are a family run business and seem to me like they have a real passion for creating top quality products and don’t over price their boards, and the customer service is excellent.
If ever I buy another board I’ll definitely be going back to Sandbanks Style.

Great bit of kit, work well the kayak was ready in no time.

Another one for keeping us warm

Very very pleased with quality and the bargain sale price of the changing robe, highly recommend the product.

This really is an excellent kayak, which works well either as a one- or two-person boat. It's easy to carry either in its bag or fully inflated, quick to set up, and simple to pack away. Once it's deflated (which is very fast) and dried off, it folds to fit in the bag easily and with plenty of room to spare. I had no trouble with any part of this as a solo user.

On the water, the boat is much more stable than one might expect, and it makes a decent speed if required. I found that the skeg makes a huge difference in achieving directional stability: without it, the boat was surprisingly susceptible to currents and wind. With the skeg fitted, it kept nice and straight, yet I had no difficulty turning tightly when required, even solo.

With two on board, there's room to take enough kit for a comfortable day trip if one makes use of the bungee cords on the decks. With only one person though, deck space is plentiful, and the boat still handles with ease: this is probably how I'll use it most often. I'm glad I chose the two-person Optimal over the one-or two-person Explorer.

Build quality seems excellent. I've found a small amount of wear on the bottom of the bag after a few trips and a D-ring on one of the packing-away straps snapped, but I count these as pretty inconsequential. I think the seats are comfortable and I've no complaints with the paddles, though I can see that they'll start to move as usage wears the fittings. I've made a footrest for single paddling: basically a length of hose inside a foam pool noodle. One of the straps will hold it in place through existing D-rings on the boat.

While the pump that's been supplied works pretty well, it's slow, hard work to inflate the boat fully. An electric pump makes a big difference - but it might be difficult to find one with a big enough battery to inflate two decks to 10-12PSI.

Overall, this is a first class boat and I'm very pleased with it indeed. Buy one and enjoy the freedom of paddling when and where you like without being restricted to hiring!

The quality of the robe is excellent and very well finished. I opted for this robe as the colour scheme and branding is much nicer and more appealing than the more garish colour schemes than the other brands I was considering. It’s a very comfortable and well fitting robe and can be used more than just a robe at the beach.