Video · Inflatables & Skiffs
ISLE Flywater at ICAST 2024: Inflatable Skiff Kayak Hybrid Tested
I look at the ISLE Flywater, an inflatable catamaran skiff and kayak hybrid, at ICAST 2024 and take it out on the water with a Bixpy motor.
What’s in this video
At ICAST 2024 Jimmy from ISLE showed me the Flywater, their first skiff and kayak hybrid. You can paddle it or run up to a 5 horsepower motor. It’s a catamaran with the floor raised 6 inches off the water, so you ride on two 12 inch pontoons. That makes it efficient whether you paddle or motor. The ISLE Link system lets you set up seating how you want: two inflatable seats stacked for an 8 inch higher position, or an aluminum console seat and lean post.
The big story is Infinity Fiber, their composite inflatable material on the pontoon bottoms and the transom. He showed me a normal pontoon section that folds in half, and the Infinity Fiber one he could put his weight on without it bending.
Then I took it out with a Bixpy motor and their bigger battery. The seat was more comfortable than I expected, the push pull pole steering is smooth and simple, and water over the bow drains right out the back. I stopped and stood up. It’s very stable, basically a rib boat. There’s a spot for a Scotty mount and room up front for a dog or a kid.
Safety wise it’s five chambers. A cone shaped baffle between the pontoons pushes into a chamber that loses pressure so you keep buoyancy, and the pontoons use welded seams instead of glue. The company didn’t pay me for this one.
Key moments
- 0:00 Introduction to ICAST 2024
- 0:28 Isle Flywater overview
- 2:03 Infinity fiber technology
- 3:26 On-water testing and features
- 5:19 Stability and motor system
- 8:27 Safety and concluding thoughts
Quick takeaways
- The Flywater takes up to a 5 hp motor and can also be paddled.
- Welded seams beat adhesive seams in hot climates; with glued seams, don't leave it inflated in the sun off the water.
- Push pull pole steering on the Bixpy setup means no steering lines to run through the boat.
- Five separate chambers with a baffle design help keep buoyancy if one pontoon loses pressure.
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