Foldable Kayak? - ORU Bay St Kayak Review

This channel is Agenda Free and is fully supported by the viewers.

Is a foldable Kayak the right boat for you?
What are the pros?
What are the cons?

Is it worth $1,600?

This is my Agenda Free review of the ORU Bay St Kayak.

...

Price : $1,600

Weight : 28lbs

To be honest, I haven’t heard of this company but I have been impressed by how many people have!

ORU offers multiple styles of foldable kayak, each with a specific area of use; this is the Bay ST which is perfect for fishing, river, lake, etc us. Best Use Flatwater Kayaking

12ft long, 25” wide

Packed Dimensions33 x 12 x 29 inches

300 lb weight capacity, allowing room for 1 adult + plenty of gear

Made in USA.

Made of 5mm double-layered custom-extruded polypropylene (double walled plastic)
· Seat Type Padded / Foam

Because of the lightweight nature of this kayak I would recommend this for relatively smooth water; hit the lake on a nice day, launch into a slow flow creek. Oru rates this for handling class I and II rapids. Personally my comfort level with this kayak would be class a and class 1.

Class A; - Lake water. Still. No perceptible movement. Calm

Class I - Easy. Smooth water; light riffles; clear passages, occasional sand banks and gentle curves. The most difficult problems might arise when paddling around bridges and other obvious obstructions. Classification

The Bay ST wouldn’t be my first choice for Class II or higher rapids; it’s simply to light and is easily affected by the elements which you are facing.

Class II - Moderate. Medium-quick water; rapids with regular waves; clear and open passages between rocks and ledges. Maneuvering required. Best handled by intermediates who can maneuver canoes and read water.

[TheOutdoorGearReview]

I'm itching for another overnight trip and in fact, I'm filming it tomorrow!
Have a great weekend everyone!
- Luke

[wendyfrick]

Finally, a true pro/con review of the ORU.

[chrishawkins]

Lots of "con" votes here, so I wanted to add my "pro" opinion (sorry if lengthy). My husband and I kayaked around the Pacific NW in a large double years ago (Sisutl by Pacific Water Sports). Kids, jobs, etc., took us away from kayaking for years, but now that we're close to retirement age, we wanted to start kayaking again. Yes, we paid a premium for these (I have a Bay ST, he got the Coast XT), and we've only been out a few times, so maybe I'll feel differently in a year, BUT... this is perfect for the river/lake/calm water paddling we want to do now. The portability of these kayaks brings with it another big advantage - spontaneity. They're in the back of the car, so we can take a drive and find ourselves on the water at the drop of a hat if the weather or location inspires us. Also, for me, the weight was a big factor. I'm 60, and while in good shape, hefting a hard-shell into and out of the water, to and from the car, up over my head onto the car rack, etc. is not as easy as when I was 25. I can assemble, carry, and disassemble my Bay easily, with no help. The only time we've seen any water between the layers is when my husband took off without the stern neoprene cover in place, and that was minimal, so we haven't found it necessary to leave them out to draid/dry. To be fair, maybe we could have realized the same advantages with an inflatable, but they've never interested me.

[yearofthegarden]

i've dealt with coroplast a lot, and the way to prevent water, debris and earwigs from getting into the baffles is to run cheap silicone along the ends, run both directions so you get all four corners of each baffle opening. will cost $7 dollars for two tubes of silicone

[Phrancis]

Long time sea kayaker here. I own the $2500 Oru Coast XT, which is essentially the 16' version of this with thigh braces. I agree with most of your pros and cons, but with a spray skirt and experience, you could easily handle bigger wind and waves. If you know how to do a sweep stroke and get it "on edge", then the Greendland-style hard chines will allow you to turn on a dime. My main complaint is that it's too wide and slow, even though I have the fastest Oru. It's mainly because the width and the blunt neoprene covers on the bow/stern plows water. And yes, the price. Well for those who live in urban places with storage/transport issues and still want the performance of a hardshell, well there's not a lot of cheap options. Yes, it's expensive relative to crappy plastic Chinese Walmart specials, but that's the price of American innovation and manufacturing.

[PhoenixEMichelle]

I have two ORU kayaks and I don’t find the water in the channels to be a problem. The way the boat folds up there’s really no chance of that water draining on my floor. I haven’t had any issues. It’s not like they completely fill with water... we’re talking about a small amount rolling around in there. I fold them up at the beach after a light rinse and dry and store them both in my bedroom. Even after weeks of not using them in the winter there’s no discoloration, molding or smell. That was not my experience with inflatables however. Those suckers get stinky within a week if you don’t dry them fully. The folded ORU has lots of room for air to circulate through and around it so any remaining moisture can evaporate. I do not have the option of a hard shell kayak in my 2nd floor one bedroom apartment and in my personal experience this is a far better option than an inflatable even if it does fall short of a hardshell. Just my 2 cents.

[iteric]

I agree with your train of thought regarding the cost / vs the quality. You have been the most honest of this kayak's review. Thank you!!

[lyfandeth]

First time I've heard the warning about draining. Thank you!

[Politikn]

You give the best reviews. Honest and straightforward. You even think to mention the attention users encounter. It’s why after all these years yours is still my favorite channel.

[cartoonking]

I bought the beach edition and have used it for 3 years now. Yes it’s pricey but it is absolutely incredible. It weighs less than any other kayak, you can throw it over your shoulder and into the car. The part that was mentioned as being epoxy I’d it comes off isn’t a big deal. it happened to mine after 3 years, a lick of glue and it was sorted.

I haven’t found draining it a problem at all. Just open out as you would when you finish using and leave for a few minutes. Never been a problem.

Can’t recommend highly enough

[BlazinBlades]

Class 2 for experienced kayakers.
Do not forget floatation bags on each end.
Remember that if you have the space you could leave it open for the season and just carry it on top of your car like a regular sea kayak.
Fold it and store it for off season.

[robertbellamy]

I have one, and I love it. I love it because the lightweight means it can live in my trunk and i can be on the water in 15 minutes if I drive past a lake or river I want to explore. The need to be dried but not every time, he was a little dramatic about that, but i also imagine the problem gets worse the longer you paddle. I live in an apartment, and drive a honda accord. I dry it on my balcony amd keep it stored in my car trunk but easily fits my closet. I love their products but be warned, they have a lot of adjusting straps and buckles which for the price are terribly cheep and become brittle and break easy. The company though is usually good about sending replacements. That is my primary complaint, the cheap plastic buckles. And the price is obviously am issue but they charge that much so they can keel labor in America, which is worth it to me.

[epyscrivano]

Excellent, balanced, fair review. I'm drawn to this kayak because I'm a beginner, and because of its lightweight and ease of portability. I'm 64 and only 5' tall. I don't see myself lifting a hard shell kayak on and off my roof rack.

[outandaboutwithdon]

Great review luke I'm sure you just saved some money for a lot of people.

[draekko_]

I was looking at them two years ago, looked great for city dwellers. Best review of it so far, thanks for the cons and really describing how it handles.

[krockhammer]

My Bay ST arrives today. I wish I'd seen your review before making such a huge investment. Draining and drying the channels for days prior to storing was never mentioned by the company. Thank you!

[TheHudsonValleyWanderer]

This is probably the best overall review I've seen. Thank you!

[charliewelch]

Bought two Inlets two weeks ago. My wife and I love them for recreational use. Last time we went to Silver Springs in Florida and I counted 15 times people came up talking to us about Oru Kayak.

[TaniaGail]

Great review of the ORU kayak. I had looked at the ORU Beach kayak but went with a SeaEagle Fasttrack 385. It is a more stable kayak and came a 3-year limited liability warranty. Within two weeks of purchase, I punctured the hull and found they have excellent customer service. My kayak was returned, repaired and sent back to me on their dime.

[jccapwell]

Tracking #1 is a function of hull design and the length of the keel line in the water. #2 the amount of keel line is affected by the stem entry and exit (bow and stern). How much rocker is there in the hull? That would truly identify its tracking characteristics. Lightweight does not impact tracking: ICF Olympic flat water kayaks are lighter and hold a straight line on the water. All hull designs are compromises to meet a particular use.

Lightweight is always better since there is less energy needed to move a kayak/canoe through the water. Lightweight hulls with a hull in which the wetted surface matches the average load in the kayak is a better bet. Spending time understanding what you as a paddler want and trying out kayaks is far better than walking into the big box store or hitting the “ add to my cart” button.

Structural issues are a concern.

As a paddler, builder and designer this review was short on essential information to the community.