Oru Kayak

I went ahead and ordered one. I watched about a dozen youtubes on it.
No negative reviews found.

There is a video of a guy beating on one with a hammer, so they are fairly 

indestructible. They rate the folds at 20,000 cycles. The material is corrogated 

plastic - it's what they make big commercial signs out of, so it's UV stable 

and printable FWIW.

They have 2 models (both 12' boats) - the cheaper one is 26 lbs, the more 

expensive one is 28 lbs. By comparison, the AE inflatalble is 36 lbs plus 

your paddle and the rigid floor accessory - so I think it ends up 40 lbs. I 

have 2 FRP hard shells - the 12 footer is 56lbs and the 10 footer is 

35 lbs, for comparison.

The folded dimensions are 32" x 28" x13". The AE bag is a bit shorter, 

but it's much fatter. I think the Oru can lay flat in the back of my van 

under the bed. But I could also probably hang it from some 3M hooks, 

so I'll be thinking about that.

They have 2 prices - the original model is $1195, and the new model is $1495. 

I ordered the newer model because the seat is better, and it has stainless clasps 

and some other features. Pricey, yes.


It takes up a good amount of space in the back on my SUV.

But doesn't seem so big in the back of my van:

Laid down may work better, as you could fold the bed down:

32.5"x28"x11"
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All the hardware appears heavy duty and a good quality. 

The clasps are stainless:

It unfolds easily, but it's plenty stiff. It will take a few foldings, and 

unfolding, to loosen it up. I'm leaving it assembled overnight to see 

if it loosens up a bit.


Took me about 20 mins to put it together the first time since it was so stiff. 

There was some grunting involved. The instructions are step by step and 

quite clear. The video was really helpful. No surprises.




Dry storage bag:


Foot rest:




The deep vee of the hull should provide a lot more performance and better 

tracking than my inflatable. 12' long x 25" wide.



Overall, I'm quite impressed with it. It's extremely rigid - almost indistinguishable 

from a hard-sided yak. Love the lightness - only 26 lbs. Easy to carry and you can hold it from the combing without any stretching or it coming apart.