What is the Innova Seaker?
Simply put, a roughly 16 foot long, inflatable sea kayak.  It has a rudder, you can use a spray skirt with it, and due to the fact the whole thing floats, you have lots of options for storage in the bow and stern hatches, or on top.

Setting up the Innova Seaker
I own an Innova Seaker (Link to Innova Site) and have taken it out a couple times.When I bought an Innova Seaker at a local sporting goods store I was initially intimidated by the big box!
When I unpacked it, I was disappointed to see what looked like splotchy hatch covers (see picture below). The nice people at Innova explained this happens during manufacturing and can be resolved by rubbing in some McNett (or 303, I'm sure) protectant.   Setting up took less time than I expected. With my Bravo II footpump, I inflated the kayak in 12 minutes!  



The next challenge was the rudder.  The lines that connect to it are made of thin but strong yellow cord.  I managed to lose my manual within the first week, however I was able to set this up a lot faster than the rudder kit for the Helios.  Attaching the rudder involves threading a pin through the kayak and rudder, using thumbscrews to attach the lines in the rudder, and threading a knot into the mechanism that lowers and raises the rudder.  If it sounds difficult, it was...the first time.  Once I learned how everything went together, the next few times were much easier (remember I lost my manual).  When I sat in it the first time I was comfortable.  It was like being wrapped up in a big nitrylon cocoon!  The foot stirrups for the rudder looked weird but I got used to them quicky.  

Paddling
My first impression of paddling is that I did not feel like I was going much faster than in my Sunny.   I wanted to make sure I could sustain the average 2-3mph pace that most daytripping consists of.  On one outing I brought my GPS.  I paddled at a leisurely place, using a 230cm paddle, with a rather wide blade, and moved along between 2.75 and 3.25 mph with what I consider 'normal' paddling.  With a little more effort 3.5 to perhaps 4 mph is reasonable.  If I go all-out, 5.3mph is all I can muster.  Mind you, I've only paddled a few times this summer so the 'motor' is in strong need of a tuneup!  I paddled less than 2 miles and averaged 2.9mph for this brief trip.   Really I wanted more speed, and it did not meet my expectations.

Tracking is decent with the rudder down.  If I raise the rudder, I 'feel' like I can accelerate faster, but have to work harder to go straight.  My opinion might be different on moving water, but for most paddling I think the rudder needs to be down.  I always used the skeg on the Sunny and Safari so this is not that much different, but it is nice to take it out the water if you are in the shallows.  The Seaker has a little more glide than my other inflatable kayaks.  




What's it like to pack up?
First of all, get a good sponge to wipe down the interior so it dries well.  I fold it a few times, slightly turning the hard bow and stern portions (they are hard).  The end result is a rectangle 3' by a little over 3'.  It seems easier to heft the kayak around when it is in the bag, as you can pick it up by the cross straps.  I found a great kayak 'cart' for the Seaker.  The kayak weighs in at about 60lbs, and with 16' of length, that's a lot of nitrylon to drag around, compared to other Innovas.  I took a 3 foot push cart from my garage and it works great for bringing the kayak from my car to water's edge (folded a few times, longer sections vertical).


What's the verdict?
It's okay, but for the price and the length of the kayak, I expected more performance.  The bulkiness also reduced my satisfaction.  If you want to stay dry with a packable craft, its worth looking into other options, perhaps one of the newer Advanced Elements or Feathercraft Kayaks.

Kayak Details:
Length: 15' 9"
Width: 30"
Weight: 60lbs

Wondering how fast this could go? Try our Kayak Speed Estimator!