Sevylor Pointer K2 Specifications (Inflated)

Sevylor Pointer K2 Features

• Adjustable large comfortable padded seats with backrest.
• Water bottle holder.
• Adjustable bungee lacing for secure deck cargo.
• Rubber handles for easy portage.
• Easy inflation/deflation with 2 Boston valves and 1 jumbo valve.
• 2 tie-downs to secure topside cargo or spare paddle.
• ABS plate.
• Removable PVC inflatable side chambers.
• Double I Beam floor for strength and rigidity.
• Nylon hull with coated fabric bottom for stiffness and protection.
• 1 x one person spray deck.
• 1 x two person spray deck.
• 2 x spray skirts.
• Also included: Bag + pressure gauge.
• Supplied with a repair kit and owners manual.

Getting Started

As far as inflatable kayaks go, the Sevylor Pointer K2 is certainly more of a cover-the-miles machine than a messing-about-on-the-river sort of boat.

If it’s your first inflatable kayak, then you may be better off with a wider, rounded side walled model (see some of our other inflatable kayak reviews to find one).

But if you want the ease of a pack away boat but still want enough performance to take on sea padding and/or longer open water touring trips, then the Sevylor Pointer K2 should definitely be top of your list.

Inflatable Kayaks & Open Water – The Test

We get asked about inflatable kayaks a lot and most people are looking for buying advice.

A recurring theme seems to be from paddlers who are unsure of the suitability and performance of inflatable boats on more challenging open water.

With this in mind we chose two (very different) models of inflatable kayak from leading inflatable brand Sevylor and headed for the Knoydart peninsular in the highlands of Scotland to push them beyond their perceived limits.

We reviewed and compared them over a multi-day trip taking in Loch Quoich, Lock Nevis and Loch Hourn, to see how they would perform in some very demanding conditions.

Below is our findings from the trip when it comes to this inflatable raft.

The Pointer K2

The Pointer K2 is as close to a traditional rigid touring kayak in appearance as we’ve seen.

It comes complete with spray-decks, an ABS bow, and stern stiffeners that give it much sleeker lines than many of its counterparts.

Built with a Nylon hull with a coated fabric bottom for improved durability, along with those ABS plates, these feature greatly increase the boat’s rigidity.

The Pointer K2 comes with two fabric covered adjustable seats with a high back rest and inflatable bottom for added comfort. The seats can be also be totally removed to convert it to a solo kayak if needed.

It also features an integrated dry storage area for your kit, integrated spray deck, bungee cords to secure equipment, four carry handles for easy portage, two adjustable and removable foot rests and a drainage system.

Inflating and deflating the Pointer K2 is fast and easy due to the Boston, mini Boston and mini double lock valves.

A pressure gauge is supplied to ensure that the kayak is inflated to the correct pressure. It doesn’t however come with a pump supplied and this had to be purchased separately.

On The Water

The spray-deck system on the pointer certainly makes it a contender for the driest inflatable kayak we’ve ever used, however they do add a lot of weight to the package.

So for this reason, and as we knew there was a monster portage to negotiate, we opted to leave them out for this trip.

We were excited about the Pointer K2 as it looked like it was going to be the best design for dealing with the long distances we were intending to cover but as we inflated the boats on the shores of Loch Quioch, disaster struck…

One of the side tubes split down the seam.

Pretty catastrophic in any circumstance, but for a practically new boat this is really not good.

For an agonising time it looked like we may have to abandon the test but, with perseverance and a little ingenuity, a repair was achieved by:

1. Re-sealing the split with several tubes of repair glue.
2. Gaffer taping it all up.
3. Putting a tourniquet on the tube.
4. Folding it over to prevent air getting in to the affected area.
5. Stuffing the cavity with inflated sleeping mats.

The crew did have to add more air from time to time, but it worked!

Once back on-shore and in civilisation, we completely repaired it using a hot knife and more glue.

As this was a manufacturing defect it’s covered by the warranty, ultimately we’re chalking it up to bad luck and suspect you will be unlikely to run into the same issue.

For this trip, the pointer carried two adults and a large dry-bag with lightweight camping kit, food for four days and walking gear. The bag was stowed between the two paddlers.

It was noticeably faster at covering distances on the water and paddled really nicely.

It was comfortable too, even after a few hours of hard slog in to the wind.

Inflatable kayaks are by nature susceptible to wind, but the high, straight sidewalls of the Pointer K2 made it the worst affected in gusty conditions.

It was also noticeably more unstable than the Yukon, and other similar designs, but with two experienced paddlers on board it still coped surprisingly well with some pretty rough water and wind conditions.

We reckon the speed, tracking and storage of the Pointer would make it perfect as a sea kayak, and the simple optional zip-on deck system would help reduce waves coming over and in.

We didn’t have any whitewater to try it on but we’d be confident you could paddle this boat, certainly with the zip-on decks, on grade 2 water.

The Build

The narrow width allowed the craft to be paddled with standard sea kayak blades and we found we took on very little water during use; the front valance deflected most of the water splash on the front.

The base fabric shunned abrasion from the rocks, sand and shells, however for extended use we do question the durability of the rest of the canvas.

We didn’t cause any damage to it on this trip but it just felt a little flimsy and can be seen fraying already on the inside seams.

When packing the boat away it was significantly heavier due to the wetting out of the fabric, and it was also extremely hard to remove all the water that had managed to enter the tube cells.

Even left semi inflated in a garage with all the zips open for over a week there was still water beneath the inflatable tubes.

Carrying

The Pointer K2 only came with a simple duffle style carrying bag, so for this adventure trip we made our own backpack to carry it.

We were surprised at this omission, and that of a pump, by Sevylor.

They are definitely missing a trick here.

The real advantage of inflatables over rigid boats is the fact that they are so portable and the inclusion of a well built and designed back pack style bag with every model would, in our opinion, greatly improve their appeal.

The quoted weight of the Pointer K2 is 19kg, but that’s dry.

Once it was whetted out, the weight increased significantly and it was right on the limit of what can be comfortably carried.

Review Summary

Overall this isn’t going to be the highest scoring inflatable kayak for those looking to regularly take it out on the open water/sea.

If however you are looking for an inflatable kayak option that can occasionally be used comfortably in more unpredictable open water, then we still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this one.

Sevylor makes great products, there is no denying that.

And we strongly suspect that this one would have no issues whatsoever on a calm lake or river.

We only wish that this one came with a pump and didn’t hold as much water when you’re deflating it to take the kayak home.