AQUATEC OTTOWA KAYAK REVIEW

CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Price
3. Drop-Stitch
4. Dimensions
5. Speed
6. Stability
7. Tracking
8. Comfort
9. Storage
10. Accessories
11. Build Quality
12. Portability
13. Pros of the Aquatec Ottowa
14. Cons of the Aquatec Ottowa
15. Summary

1. Introduction

The Aquatec ‘Ottowa’ kayak is a full drop stitch inflatable kayak supplied by a company called Networld Sports Ltd.

Since it is constructed of drop stitch technology, it is very rugged and has the feel and performance similar to a SUP or hardshell kayak, yet it can be deflated and packed up into a backpack and therefore has the portability of an inflatable kayak.

The review is of the solo version of the Ottowa kayak. Networld sports also sell a larger, tandem version of this kayak which is longer and slightly wider.

2. Price

I paid £349.99 for this Ottowa solo kayak when it was purchased on the 19th of May 2022. I also paid £29.99 shipping so the total was £379.98. 

Prices will of course vary a lot depending on when you buy it and where you buy it from.

3. Drop stitch technology

Drop stitch technology involves interweaving in the upper and lower shell of the walls of the chambers with thousands of threads of fibre fabric. The extra strength provided by this interweaving allows the chambers to be inflated to a much higher air pressure.

As a result, the chambers become almost rigid and firm when they are inflated to much higher pressures than traditionally made kayak can be inflated to.

The Aquatec Ottowa is a 2 panel full drop stitch kayak.

They are commonly described as having a ‘clamshell’ with the top panel and the bottom panel symmetrically closing around each other.

4. dimensions

Length – 385cm

Width – 83cm

Weight (kayak only) – 15kg

Weight of wheeled backpack – 2.5kg

Weight of seat, pump and paddle – 3kg

Weight of the kayak alone in the backpack – 17.5kg

Weight of total package – 20.5kg

The cockpit area of the kayak that you sit in is about 125cm (50 inches) long in the Ottowa solo kayak and it is about 50cm (19 inches) wide at it’s widest point in the middle. The front deck is about 132cm (52 inches) long. The rear deck is about 125cm (50 inches) long.

5. SPEED

2 panel clamshell shaped drop stitch kayaks like the Ottowa are in my experience a bit faster than traditional shaped inflatable kayaks which have tubes sides.

They are though a bit slower than 3 panel canoe shaped drop stitched kayaks which tend to cut through the water a bit better.

I found the Ottowa to be fast enough for my purposes and seems comparable to a sit on top hard shell kayak.

6. STABILITY

I found the Aquatec Ottowa to be very stable due to the flat hull and the relatively low profile.

While I do not generally go out in rough conditions, coastal kayaking can be slightly unpredictable and when I have found myself paddling through tide races for chopper sections of water around headlands, I have found the Ottawa to be stable and in fact they have never actually tipped it over.

One of my friends borrowed the Ottawa on a group paddle on the Wye River and he found it stable enough to paddle most of the route standing up in the cockpit and using it paddle board style.

This stability, coupled with the low sides, makes it very easy to get into and out of.

7. TRACKING

The Aquatec Ottawa tracks reasonably well. I find that it tracks better than flat hulled traditional kayaks with tube sides. However, it does not track as well as three panel canoe shaped full drop stitch kayaks which have more of a V shaped hull and also have hard plastic bow and stern ribs.

Due to the quite long length of the kayak, I did find it was a bit prone to weather cocking in crosswinds. Weather cocking is where the bow of the kayak is pushed sideways due to crosswinds.

On my Aquatec Ottowa kayak, I ended up adding a second keg towards the front of the hull greatly improved tracking and significantly reduced the weather cocking issue in cross winds.

8. COMFORT

I found the cockpit of the Aquatec Ottowa kayak to be roomy and comfortable. Since the rear deck of the carpet effectively supports the back of your seat, the seat is always held firmly in place.

Although there are no foot rests with this kayak, my solution has been to use the rolled up carry bag as a footrest by wedging it in the front well of the cockpit. I’m 5 foot 9 and my legs are about 4-5 inches short of the front of the cockpit.

If you were taller, say about 6 foot 2 or more, then your legs would probably be against the front well of the cockpit which could be used to push your feet against.

As alluded to in the accessories section below, the seat base does not have much padding and as a result, you will likely start to suffer from ‘numb bum’ after a couple of hours paddling.

The sides of the kayak are quite low and as a result, when paddling in choppy water, you can get an amount of spray coming over the sides and collecting on the floor of the cockpit. However, the drain well on the floor of the cockpit is a good job of draining the water away so that the cockpit floor remains reasonably dry.

You may have to intermittently bail out the drainage well using a sponge, pump or a small plastic cup.

9. STORAGE

One downside of the clamshell shaped drop stitch kayaks is the lack of storage underneath the decks. There is only a few inches of space under the deck to store small items.

The lack of storage underneath the decks is mitigated by the fact that there are bungee cords on the front and rear decks so you can store items on top of the decks themselves.

The cockpit is also quite wide and roomy and I tend to end up storing some items within the cockpit itself.

10. ACCESSORIES

The package includes a fairly decent double action pump which has a gauge on it. The kayak is to be inflated to a maximum of 10psi to 12psi according to the instructions (the included pump has a pressure gauge on it).

The pump can also be used to deflate the kayak by connecting the rubber hose to the other side of pump and then pumping which pumps the air out.

The 220cm wide 4 piece paddle also included in the box is, to be fair, probably the better paddles that I’ve had when included in a kayak “package”.

The package also includes one seat which is of the generic type of Kayak seat which is attached to the kayak by way of four straps which have carabiner clips on them which you clip onto D rings on the kayak.

We personally would prefer the seat base to be padded to the depth of about 2-3cm. The included seat is okay but the seat base is only about 0.5 centimetres thick.

A skeg is included and this is essential to aid tracking.

The included carry bag is useful and can be wheeled when possible or alternatively can be carried on your back.

As with most inflatable kayaks, a standard repair kit is also included with the Aquatec Ottowa package.

11. BUILD QUALITY

The build quality of the kayak itself seems very good. I have used the kayak for several years without any issues such as punctures until my mishap while wheeling it in the carry bag (see below).

I find most full drop stitch kayaks that I’ve used to be sturdy and tough.

A word of warning is that when you wheel the kayak using the carry bag then the bottom of the bag can tend to drag along the floor due to the way that the weight of the kayak slumps the bag forwards. This tends to gradually wear a hole in the bottom of the bag where it drags on the floor.

After a few years, I managed to puncture the hull of my Ottowa kayak due to it scuffing on the floor while wheeling the kayak down a long stretch of road down to a beach.

12. PORTABILITY

The solo version of the Aquatec Ottowa is relatively long and heavy for a 1 person only kayak.

The kayak along weighs about 15KG and can be carried on your shoulder for fairly short distances. If there are 2 of you then it could be carried between you end to end using the carry handles on the bow and stern.

The carry bag with the kayak and accessories in weighs just over 20KG. It can be carried on your back for fairly short distances but wheeling it in the bag is obviously easier if the surface to cross makes this possible.

I invested in a Railblaza C-TUG kayak cart an have used it a few times to wheel the Ottowa kayak over wide stretches of beach to get to the water.

13. pros of the aquatec ottowa

• It is very stable even in quite choppy waters.

• It is easy to get into and out of due to the stability, firm drop stitch floor and low cockpit sides.

• It is quite fast, benefitting from quite long front and rear sections and a firm, drop stitch hull

• It is comfortable and the seat is held firmly in place by the rear of the cockpit.

• It is strong and durable.

• The carry back can be either wheeled along or carried on your back.

14. cons of the aquatec ottowa

• It can only be used solo, unlike some similar sized kayaks which can be used either solo or tandem.

• It is quite heavy compared to similar sized non drop stitch kayaks.

• The carry bag is not that well made and will likely develop a large hold in the fabric where it drags along the floor when being wheeled along.

• It catches the wind a bit when the wind is blowing strong.

• The seat lacks padding in the base.

15. summary

The Aquatec Ottowa is one of my most used solo inflatable kayaks being reliable, stable and sturdy.

In the UK a company called Sandbanks Style sell the same type of full drop stitch kayaks as the Aquatec ones, the main difference being that the Sandbanks Style Optimals have a V shaped hull (slightly better tracking) while the Aquatec Ottawas have a U shaped hull.

There are other sellers of this type of kayak in North America and Europe such as JBay.zone, DS-Kajak, etc. You can also buy the Airvolution kayaks in the UK from Vortex, which is Advanced Elements UK importer. Of these, the only one I’ve used is the tandem version of the Sandbanks Style Optimal which I’ve done a review of and also done a video review on my Youtube channel.

Check out my Guide to Buying an Inflatable Kayak post on my website and also my video guide on my Youtube channel.