Video · Inflatables & Skiffs
Osprey 1436 Inflatable Kayak With Torqeedo 1103: ICAST Speed Test
I test Jeff Little's Torqeedo powered Osprey 1436 inflatable kayak at ICAST and talk shallow water, stability, durability and patching inflatables.
What’s in this video
This is one of the fastest kayaks I’ve been on. At the ICAST in-water demo, Jeff Little from Torqeedo showed me his Osprey 1436, an inflatable made by Innovative Sportsman. It has three chambers. The outer ones run about 3 psi and the center one about 12 psi, and that center chamber is what makes it rigid like a rotomolded boat. With the Torqeedo 1103 AC it runs about 6.7 to 6.8 miles an hour. For comparison, a really good pedal kayak pedaled super hard gets around five.
Jeff’s boat is a prototype with notched track for t-bolts, and the production version will have top-loading track licensed from YakAttack. He has rod holders, a transducer, foot control steering and a depth finder on it. It floats in about 2 1/4 inches of water. He said rotomolded kayaks need roughly 5 to 9 inches based on his survey. He also likes that there’s no hull slap, so it’s quieter, and the primary stability is like trying to sink a beach ball. I stood on it and ripped around, and it pivots on its own axis at low speed.
It has double wall thickness on the bow, along a key area of the side, and on the bottom of the outer pontoons as a rub guard. I deal with razor sharp oysters by me, so that matters. We also swapped repair notes. Jeff patched a sliced inflatable in 20 minutes on the water. He uses HH-66 and Aquaseal, and I like clamping a patch down with ratchet clamps and boards.
Key moments
Quick takeaways
- The Osprey 1436 hit about 6.7 to 6.8 mph with a Torqeedo 1103 AC, faster than a hard-pedaled pedal kayak at around 5 mph.
- It drafts about 2 1/4 inches, which opens up shallow flats, low rivers and matted grass.
- Double wall material on the bow, sides and pontoon bottoms helps against oysters and dragging.
- For small punctures, deflate fully and smear on Aquaseal. Clamping the patch with boards helps it bond.
Gear from this video
- Torqeedo 1103 Motor
- MOTORGUIDE Xi3 MOTOR
- MY MOST USED KAYAK MOTOR
- NEWPORT NK180 KAYAK MOTOR
- Hobie Lynx
- Scout Inflatable Boat (use promo code "kayakdiy")
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