Product Reviews > Kayaks > Stearns Inflatables > IK-140

Add Your Review Now!

Research Kayaks in the Buyers' Guide!

Select Kayak to View in Buyers' Guide

04-30-2010
Submitted by: lostjohn - Rating: 7 of 10
     I'm old and not as strong as I used to be, so I consider this Kayak to be a little on the heavy side. Takes on water on the rough stuff and is a little difficult to empty out. It's tough as nails and won't tip over without you making some pretty stupid mistakes. I bought mine cheap and will keep it, probably buy another with large tubes for the fast water here in Idaho.
Overall a pretty good boat.

09-09-2005
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 5 of 10
     This is a well-made and very tough kayak. Should be excellent in fast water but sucks for lakes and slow moving rivers. Kind of like a floundering elephant that actually tracks straight. If you want a big tough steerable innertube, this is a good deal. Mine is going to the auction after one test drive.

01-23-2005
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 1 of 10
     If you want an enormous elephant on the water, definitely buy this kayak. I bought it because I remembered my old Sevlor. This thing is very hard to paddle for anyone and you feel like you are sitting in a hole, even with the inflatable seat. Yuck, a waste of money.

07-06-2004
Submitted by: Frank - Rating: 10 of 10
     I agree with what others have written. I've owned this kayak for a month now, and have nothing bad to report. This is my first kayak purchase (although I've rented or borrowed hard shell kayaks on occasion for many years), and I'm very happy.

Adding to what's already been written below:

1. Cabelas.com is selling the IK 140 for $320.
2. I have two young children, and the Kayak is great for touring around lakes with them. We could probably squeeze my wife in too, but that would be very tight. I'm thinking to buy another IK 140 (or maybe a hard shell single) so that we can all be out on the water safely and comfortably.
3. I can confirm that the kayak does track very well, and does not get blown off course in a 10 knot wind.
4. It is a bumpy in 2' waves.
5. The ride is damp, as a lot of paddle splash gets in the boat.
6. The boat is not as slow as I'd be led to believe. Then again, it does take constant work to stay moving. And in that 10 knot wind and choppy 2' waves, you get a real workout.
7. This boat is great fun, and well worth the money spent. Was camping this past weekend, and my friends, family and I had a great time.
8. The space savings from the ability to fold up the kayak is nice. But for car travel, there is still the life vests and paddles that now have to be stored. One attraction of the IK was no car rack...but now I feel the need for an above car rack to store the extra gear. Gear which may have fit in the hardshell.

11-19-2003
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 8 of 10
     The Stearns IK140 is 11 1/2 feet long. The two wraparound bladders protected by heavy nylon cloth make it very safe and seaworthy. The positioning of the Boston valves on the stern make it easy to deflate completely for transport. The narrow beam and fins make it track better than some hardshells. Nevertheless, a hard sweep of the bowman's paddle turns it on a dime. It is rather bouncy in choppy water, but is manageable in 3-4 foot seas. The spray skirts let in a lot of paddle drip, so the ride is damp. The only cargo space is under the bow and stern bungee cords. There are better kayaks, but they cost more than twice as much.

07-25-2003
Submitted by: William - Rating: 9 of 10
     The boat has done well in wind blown waves on the Intercoastal Waterway here in Florida. It is a little tight for two adults. The velcro storage nets are handy. Do bring a sponge since the water that comes in stays in. The seperate inflateable floor keeps you out of it for a while, but then impedes removing it. It seems to track fine - the manufacturer credits the fins. I have bottomed it out a few times and felt the fin on my rear, though by that point, it was super shallow and paddling had become polling. I like the lack of metal since I paddle a lot in saltwater. It helps to have a hook somewhere high at home and a ladder to hang it to rinse. Also, a place to dry it - a contast to the SOTs popular in my area which cleanup easier. It is nice to come out of the water, plop it into my pickup bed, and deflate it down to a pile of vinyl. It deflates quickly thanks to the way the boston valves unscrews. You have to inflate/deflate two boston valves and the floor. I have brought it on my small sailboat as a tender for shollow water exploration. A great value. I have stood-up and knelt in it to stretch my back. The back seat person could use a back-jack chair instead of leaning against the bulkhead as the manufacturer intended.

03-04-2002
Submitted by: m. richards - Rating: 10 of 10
     What we have here is a tandem inflatable, very similar to Stearns' IK-116, just bigger. Dollar for dollar this boat represents unmatched value. Campmor stocks them at $400 per. Hard to beat for laid back flat water floating. It can handle some rough stuff too, you're just going to get wet since the integral zip up skirt is good only for the front position and largely ineffectual. And stay wet, since it is not a self-bailer.

That aside, this is a very comfortable and versatile ride. It even served me this summer on a 3 day/2 night float down the Missouri R. in Montana. That was with a passenger and a ton of beer -uh, gear.

Tacking on this model is excellent and it has all the speed you would expect from an IK in this price range, which is to say, not much. That said, if you want to get out on the water in comfort and bring someone along to enjoy the fun, this IK is hard to beat.

Don't Miss the Paddling.net Weekly Newsletter!

90,000+ people can't be wrong!
The Paddling.net Newsletter is a must if you like to canoe or kayak! Each week it is packed with great articles, photos, product reviews, and special features. Better yet, we promise not to sell your email address to anyone; that's right ZERO spam! Sign up today and find out what you've been missing!