Comments about Sevylor U240 KCC305/HF Rio 1 Person Canoe:

Having been rather under-whelmed with cheap inflatable boats in the past I steered away from inflatables until my brother let me ride his Rio inflatable canoe down the Green River. I was impressed with the construction and I really liked the protective shell that enclosed the air chambers. It was a tiny bit heavier than other inflatables but a whole lot lighter than a rigid canoe. It floated nicely over the river boulders and absorbed the shock when hitting them rather than resonating from the classic thump of a rigid hull. The Rio is not meant for two people but I took my wife anyhow. Even with both my wife and me, it still managed to glide through the class II rapids with ease. I also liked that it rolled up small enough to fit in the trunk of our car or in the checked baggage on an airline. With gas prices the way they are, and the nearest water is an hour drive, it’s nice to put the boat in the car and leave the truck at home. I was quite impressed with the Rio but I like having my wife along, so we bought the, larger two person version, Colorado. It’s only a couple pounds heavier and still fits in our trunk.

We’ve used our Colorado on river rapids as well as smooth lake waters. Sometimes on the lake we’ll even turn the front seat around so we can face each other. Although they don’t handle quite as well as a rigid canoe, both the Colorado and the Rio handle quite nicely for an inflatable. Some people complain about poor tracking but the newer models have a removable rear fin which seems to help them track better; at least they track fine for me. Due to the wide inflatable sides a canoe paddle doesn’t work nearly as well with them as a double bladed kayak paddle. They’re also not as fast as a rigid canoe but my wife, our dog, and I all really like ours. (Yes, our dog even rides the rapids with us. You can tell he likes it because he gets all excited when we put his life vest on him.) You can buy a better canoe than the Rio or the Colorado but expect to pay a whole lot more for it. I would definitely recommend a Rio or Colorado for anyone interested in an inflatable canoe.