Sevylor Tahiti Plus

Is the Sevylor Tahiti Plus worth buying?

The Sevylor Tahiti Plus is worth buying at £215.72 if three of you paddle together, because 200 kg is the highest load limit of any inflatable kayak here and the third seat sits between the two adjustable ones. Two adults and a child, or one adult and two children, fit inside a 361 x 90 cm hull that weighs 11.7 kg. If the boat is only ever for two, the 180 kg Intex Explorer K2 does that job for £45.77 less.

What the money buys is the only 2+1 hull in this size class. A broad PVC hull with an I-beam floor chamber, a spray deck at bow and stern and a backpack carry system makes it a boat you can walk to the water with rather than drive to it. The 3.9 average from 789 owners is the part to weigh up, because the two-seat boats under £200 are rated 4.3 and above.

What does the 200 kg load limit of the Sevylor Tahiti Plus mean in use?

200 kg is the headline number, and it is 40 kg more than the 160 kg ceiling of the Bestway Hydro-Force Lite-Rapid and 20 kg above the 180 kg of both Intex K2 tandems. In practice that is three people at roughly 66 kg each, so an adult and two children, or two adults and one child, rather than three large adults. Divide the price by the load and it works out at £1.08 for every kilo it floats, against 31p for the £49.99 Andes.

Spread across three seats, the £215.72 works out at £71.91 a seat, cheaper per seat than a solo touring hull at any price. Per kilo of its own weight the Tahiti Plus is the keenest boat in its size class: it lifts about 17 kg of load for every kilo of hull, where the 16 kg Intex Explorer K2 lifts 180 kg, around 11 kg per kilo of boat. That ratio is what makes a 200 kg boat practical to move by hand.

What comes with the Sevylor Tahiti Plus and how is it to live with?

In the bag: the PVC hull with two side chambers and an I-beam floor chamber, two inflatable seats that adjust and lift right out, an integrated pressure gauge at the inflation point, a repair set and an enhanced backpack system for carrying it folded. A paddle is not part of the set, so budget for one or two if you and a child both want to be doing the work.

Inflated it runs 361 x 90 cm, a broad 90 cm beam that is 14 cm wider than the 76 cm Intex Challenger K2 and 2 cm wider than the 88 cm Bestway Hydro-Force Lite-Rapid. Folded away it is a 61 x 40.6 x 22.9 cm bundle at 11.7 kg, light enough for one person to walk to the slipway with. Three chambers hold it up: two sides and the floor.

Where does the Sevylor Tahiti Plus fall short?

Three aboard share 200 kg, so two adults at 85 kg each leave 30 kg for the child and everything else they bring. Turn that around and each of three occupants gets about 66 kg of load, less than the 80 kg each of two adults gets in the £49.99 Andes. The 3.9 average from 789 owners is also the lowest of any kayak costing more than £200 on this list.

Two side chambers plus a floor chamber give three air chambers, one fewer than the four-chamber Intex Wyoming C2. The hull wants level ground and steady inflation, so a sloping beach car park is not the place to pump it up. At 11.7 kg it is also 3.4 kg heavier than the 8.3 kg Bestway Hydro-Force Lite-Rapid, which shows up on the walk back when you are carrying it plus a tired child.

Sevylor Tahiti Plus vs Intex Explorer K2 and Andes: which should you buy?

Against the Intex Explorer K2 at £169.95, the Tahiti Plus costs £45.77 more, carries 20 kg more and weighs 4.3 kg less while seating a third person the Intex cannot take. The Intex answers with 10,669 owners rating it 4.6 against 789 at 3.9, so buy the Explorer K2 when two adults are the whole crew and the owner record counts for more than the middle seat.

Against the Andes two-person kayak at £49.99, the Tahiti Plus costs £165.73 more for 40 kg more load and a 20 cm wider beam that keeps a child upright between the seats. The Andes gives each of two paddlers 80 kg of load and asks less of the wallet, but it has no third seat and no spray deck. The Andes is the two-adult budget boat; the Tahiti Plus is the family boat.