Oru Kayak Coast XT Review | A Portable Sea Kayak Review

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[kimberlybryant]

I have 3 different ORU kayaks including the Coast XT. I've had them all for about 2 years now and I love them. The review here is right on point. I would not take my Coast XT into open water with high waves. But I would take it into moderately rough open water. There are some floats you can put inside the bulkheads to keep it more buoyant in case it swamps. I've never had any of mine swamp honestly. They are pretty durable. But honestly, if you're purchasing one of these, you're not buying it for durability. You're purchasing it for the ease of transport while still having decent performance which has been my experience. All of my boats are going to require some patching at the folds I'm quite sure as time goes on. That's just the trade-off for ease of transport. But if you take care of these kayaks, they will last a really long time. ORU is an excellent company and provides patching kits as well as other accessories to make their boats more comfortable. Also, they do provide bags for transporting on planes and if you're hiking in to get to the water. I have expedition bags for all of them and they work great. Just FYI.

[killermammutgame]

I own the Oru Inlet and the smaller touring version Bay ST for over a year now. I used them alot and they still perform great. Be careful when you carry the Kayaks around, because sharp metallic edges like from a dock can cause some damage. I had a small hole in my Oru Inlet on the folding edge cause i hit a dock pier, however the Inlet is still watertight due to the second layer of the hull. They are perfect for people who lives in Cities like me in Hamburg, Germany because of their portable nature and their weight. I never tested the kayaks on huge open Waters but the Oru Bay ST in the Port of Hamburg and it performed very well with the gearlab Kalleq.

[Phrancis]

Excellent review! I've owned my Coast XT for 4 yrs and would concur about the overall value for a portable, fairly durable, and very light weight touring kayak. Yeah, you really do need the gel seat, float bags and I also feel that it's a bit wide, a tad slower than my hard-shell sea kayak, and that I wouldn't take it in quite the same rougher conditions as my hardshell. That said, it's more convenient to chuck in the car for day touring and I've only had to replace the broken rear plastic combing latch (which I think is aluminum in the newer model). My biggest complain about design/performance is how bulbous the neoprene bow/stern covers are and how they catch or plow water. The glide would be better if that were streamlined somehow. If pricing and availability were better, I think I would've gone for the Trak kayak, but the Coast is still and excellent boat for my needs.

[LacticAcid]

I have the smaller touring Bay and quite like it. I haven't owned or used mine enough to speak to long term durability but it doesn't feel fragile at all to me. I will echo some of the other comments about Oru needing to get their manufacturing up to par. I went through several boats (I had originally wanted the Beach LT model) that didn't track worth a damn and returned them - until I finally asked if I could try a Bay instead and it worked much better. Still doesn't track perfectly - but it's pretty good. I just ordered the skeg they released to test out this summer. I will say Oru has terrific customer service and never complained about all the boats I was sending back. Though it was certainly frustrating at the time.

Inre: the price - never pay full price for an Oru kayak - they have big sales all the time. Just wait a few weeks and you'd be able to knock a few hundred bucks off the cost of the Coast XT. They also sell them in bundles that get you a bunch of accessories for cheap. Including the upgraded seat cushion, and the backpack they make to transport it with (that you can use when taking the kayak on a plane).

[karenb_ca]

I have a 2018 Bay ST and a 2021 Coast XT. I have taken them out in surf, open ocean and rough waters. Very durable. A gel seat pad or the Sweet Cheeks seat pad is a must upgrade. I've paddled 13 miles (3 hours) in my Coast XT and the gel seat is a must.

[slighwentwalking]

Its good to see the evolution of folding kayaks.
Foot pegs and seat comfort are a challenge even
with some hard shell kayaks. Products are often
redesigned for better function or comfort.

[GlenSearle]

I have been using the Coast XT as my regular kayak for a few years. The biggest down side is that its stability comes at the cost of being able to roll the kayak, to right it requires so much force that I have trouble not puling myself out of the cockpit, and even when I succeed, the torque through the hull always causes all the bulk heads to pop out. The second problem is that it is difficult to travel with the wind on my side, I seriously injured my shoulder trying to get back into harbour as I had to paddle hard on just one side to stop from turning out to sea. The biggest advantage it has as a touring kayak is that it rolls up like a burrito, so you can access all your equipment in the unfolded hull at loading and making camp. I recommend not buying the thicker seat, use the seat that is included but place a good quality hikers sitting pad under it. The kayak is incredibly light, meaning I can out acceleration a coxed-four.

[GTN]

Thank you for showing us the Ottawa River in this state :)

Thought you were in Alaska for a moment there... LOL! ^_ ^

Would never buy any Oru Kayak-like model tho...
Plenty of videos on YouTube to make you think at least twice before buying one :
- Holes/Punctures.
- Water getting inside the material.
- Difficult to dry.
- People who have sent them back multiple times!

TRAK 2.0 FTW!!! ;)

[jonbaker]

I just switched to an Oru Bay ST for my wife and an Oro Coast XT for myself, that means I can use her boat sometimes too. I am selling my Necky Arluk III 18 footer with rudder, fun boat, and a Dagger Spectral plastic 16 footer with rudder and an Advanced Elements Expendition inflatable. I felt the pain carrying and loading these boats as I got older. The garage is too full. And will be nice to be able have the boats insider the vehicle for long trips. After a year up here in the Puget Sound area I should have an opinion to share, for now I just will be taking a $3000 risk for 2 Origami Kayaks. No risk no gain, so they say.
🏴‍☠

[prophecy]

I think my problems with this are that it's claimed it can handle expeditions and do what sea kayaks can do. There are no bulkheads, so if you swamp it's going to sink. You could say put float bags in, great, now you have less room for cargo. Almost any sea kayaking group, outfitter, instructor etc I know will not allow you to participate if you do not have sealed bulkheads. And I'm glad you agree that you wouldn't use it in rough conditions.

Additionally, the flex in the material that can be seen just from sitting on it or moving it around is going to effect your performance in general, but particularly in rough conditions.

Cost wise, it's about the same as a pakayak, which actually has bulkheads and is far more rigid and durable while still being pretty portable. But it's also the same cost as something like a delta 16, which is obviously not as portable, but will perform better and has none of the shortcomings of this.

Could be good for someone who needs something that is really light and portable for calmer waters, but I don't think it's something that should be looked at if you want to get into anything serious.

[axo]

On material durability, I have the Oru Bay sitting out for two seasons due to regular use. Water does get into the corrugation channels in certain areas. A few of these corrugation channels have started getting green and mildewy. Material is slightly cracked in a few folded corner, with certain deep scratches from transport and rocks. Definately looks a bit beatup after a year of use compared to my hardshell fiberglass and Traks.

[utujhgf]

Thanks for this excellent analysis. I'm search for a touring or sea kayak. I have very little kayaking experience but considerable experience distance SUPing (14' x 25") and wave SUPing (7'7"x27") in the open ocean, so I have some sense of the variables to be concerned with when selecting a vessel.

Your comment about not feeling comfortable taking it out in "rough conditions" was helpful, but also raised the question of what you consider rough. I noted that the demo was on a glassy in-land lake. Is rough 10-15 knots on the open ocean?

Relatedly, given the Coast XT is light, protrudes over a foot from the water line, and does not have a rudder, it seems to me any significant cross wind (i.e., 10 knot or more) is going cause major tracking challenges. Given that will happen commonly in many ocean situations, it would be helpful to understand whether that would be merely a concern or a deal-breaker for this model.

[denisgilbert]

Hi. yes have an Oru Inlet, 3 years old, salt water and clear, carcass fine. Here's the vulnerability, bow & stern trim, ouch! The bow (front) is not too bad, when the rivets rusted & popped out cable ties worked perfectly. But the stern, too much hard wear! Think Silence of the Lambs, cable ties all over the place.

[THE-RIVER-RAT]

I would rather have the solid reachability of the PakAyaK which doesn't cost much more and you're getting bulkheads and storage hatches and proper foot pegs, not just a bit of rope to hold on to with your feet.

[adamrshields]

I have never had an issue with swamping my Oru bay or Lake. But the only time a friend borrowed it, she flipped it and it got swamped and she swam to shore while her husband towed her swamped boat.

I really like oru as a recreational kayak for exercise and going on lakes. I just don’t think I would buy a coast for longer trips or trips where I expect rough water.

[wildernessjunky]

What would you recommend for overseas trips where durability and flying ease are important? Between the trak 2.0, oru coast xt, and pakayak bluefin which is the fastest on water?

[restonthewind]

I considered the Bay ST before buying an Itiwit x500 recently. I love the portability and very light weight, but a bad review on Maximus Joseppi's channel persuaded me to avoid it. Joseppi compares it to the Pakayak in a video titled "Actual Owner Comparison & Review, Pakayak Bluefin 142 vs Oru Bay ST Head to Head". He couldn't fold his first Bay ST so that it tracked well, and a replacement from Oru was no better. I also worried about durability and about sinking it without the optional floats since it has very little buoyancy when swamped without them. I've seen other good reviews though.

I worry about the durability of the x500 too, but I've paddled it dozens of times in the last few months, most recently in the ocean at Tybee Island, and it's holding up well. It's heavier but as portable, and it'll never sink. I bought it largely thanks to your experience with it in the Okefenokee Swamp, and I spent two nights in the swamp with it soon after receiving it. The Okefenokee was truly a transformative experience. I plan to spend another four nights there in the Fall and may make it an annual ritual from now on. The Okefenokee trails are more than worth the five hour drive. It may be my favorite place on Earth. Thanks again.

[DyceFreak]

Fresh chimichangas! Good review! My friend's Oru has been on quite a few river tours. As a SUP enthusiast I'm looking for a skinny one so I can keep up better lol.

[csrw]

I have one and am selling it because it is not, in my opinion, sufficiently robust for the open ocean. I also didn't enjoy paddling it. The deck zips, the decklines and attachment points, the undersized Oru buoyancy bags, the lack of cockpit outfitting - all are weak points. If the deck zips break open you are left with nothing. It sits high in the water and catches the wind and there are heavy folds either side of the combing that make paddling uncomfortable at times, particularly because it is relatively wide. The rubber protrusions on the hull affect the glide - I found the Oru gratingly sluggish. I really wanted to love this kayak, but I don't. I'm looking at Nortik and Nautiraid for something better - albeit more expensive.

[Mr.Bryan]

Personally even if it’s considered a “sea kayak” it is not good for open waters😂 remember you are on a foldable big piece of plastic and you want to take it out in the open ocean….. Nothing foldable or inflatable will have the performance of a hardshell. The only waters id take this thing on is lakes and harbors I wouldn’t take it in open ocean especially with no bulkheads and a strong wave can possibly bend your kayak causing it to unclip.