NRS Pike Fishing Inflatable Kayak

We use it like a recreational kajak .

I just got back from the Green River in Utah. These Pikes make great self supported gear haulers! With the drop stitch floor, I was able to stand and paddle like a SUP for a good portion of the trip. I ran them with the smaller keg attached. This made the boats very stable and track well. Did some class 3 whitewater this week. They bail slow. That's about the only negative comment I can make. Love these boats.

Good kayak. Could be faster but overall trusty to use.

As a PNW native I was familiar with NRS and their sterling reputation. Moved to the Midwest and wanted something that was easy to store but could handle fishing, floating, kayak camping and have space for my dog or another person. The NRS Pike can do it all. I've taken it on 15 mile + multiday kayak camping trips with my dog on rivers. It has plenty of space for gear. Used it for day long fishing adventures with myself and another fully grown man. Between us two and all our gear it easily handled 400 + pounds. It even tracked fairly well. It moved a bit slow with all that weight but we both caught 6+ pound large mouth bass. It did everything we could have hoped. I was even able to stand in it to retrieve a lure from a tree. Despite being fully loaded we both felt safe. Taken the Pike for short picnic paddle cruises with my girlfriend and my dog. Plenty of space for supplies. All things considered this kayak can do it all. Most importantly it feels rugged, durable, and is easily stored.

This kayak does not come with foot braces, a paddle holder, the pack is way to small to easily repack the kayak, and I am looking at purchasing another seat that is more comfortable. For the money I think this kayak is way overpriced. I have owned several kayaks over the years and this one is the least favorite of all. After I purchased it, they put it on sale a couple days later and would not adjust the price for the dealer I purchased it from. My dealer charges a 10 percent restocking fee, so I am stuck with it now. Overall not a great experience.

Spent a week on the Main Salmon in the pike. A very durable, well made boat. Took all but two 3+ rapids. Tracks fairly well without the skag in a river. In a lake with the skag is very nice. Not quite as maneuverable as a duckie in a river but performed well. Very comfortable to sit in. You need a longer paddle due to the width.

As a fishing boat it is great, you can get in a big eddy and just circle around. Sitting on a crate is easier than standing for the big one.

Liked all the d-rings and tackle bag. The placement need some refinement. A draining seat would be nice.

Biggest drawback is the slow draining after hitting some bigger waves. Can take up to 30 seconds to drain after filling the boat. But then it can't flip either! Definitely a class 2-3 boat.

I wanted a boat that I could take in the 5th wheel and use in many different ways. Just what I wanted and look forward to years of use. Overall, very pleased.

The NRS Pike is a great boat! I've had it out several times and it tracks well with either of the included skegs. Very stable and paddles easily. I've outfitted it with some rod holders and it's a very capable fishing boat with plenty of room for gear. Great for kayak camping too. The seat, bag and pump that come with the boat are quality accessories. Mine hasn't been in any rivers yet but it seems tough enough to handle about anything.

I live in an apartment and have a small 2 seat coupe. I'm an avid fisherman and wanted a kayak to fish with. When I looked at the racks for my car and a way to mount a normal kayak in my place, the cost for those 2 solutions alone came to about $700. Someone mentioned inflatables. At first I was skeptical. After doing the research I discovered that the material and manufacturing techniques have come a long way since I was younger and used inflatables.

I decided to go with the Pike and I'm very happy. I have many lakes, streams, creeks as well as bays and the ocean to venture in and this is something that I feel confident can handle all.

After some trial and error I found the following deployment method works best for me. I have Wheel-Ezz mini beach cart and use that to transport the Kayak-deflated and folded, 5 gallon bucket with my stuff, a mini ice chest, K200 pump and paddles and poles to the waters edge. I also have a back-pack and a electric pump I carry on me. Once i get to the waters edge I inflate the Pike, put on the fishing rod holders and load up and tie down everything and I'm ready to go.

One thing I do notice is when it gets hot (we have 90-106 degree days in the summer) the green plastic gets hot to the touch, when you're out in the sum so you have to be careful.

I would really like to see a smaller 8 foot or so version of this in the 25-30 pound range. At 65 pounds you can hump the Pike, but in the 90-106 summer heat with all your other gear it's not something for everyone. A smaller lighter version would be far more mobile. I would buy it in a heart beat.

One other thing I'd like to see is a backpack that comes apart and you lay down like a blanket. You then lay the raft on top in the middle then fold over the kayak and use snaps to secure.You can then carry it like a backpack. Other companies use this method and it seems much easier than having to fold up the kayak and getting it small enough to get into a bag.

My wife got an inflatable paddle board. We started to hike it to remote places and paddle around. So I decided I needed something too. Not much of a paddleboard fan. I stumbled across the Pike. This thing does a little bit of everything. I've hiked it in to lakes to fish. Yes, it's a bit heavy for long distances. 50 pounds. Yes, I really do stand and cast. Yes, I really use it like a paddle board when I'm tired of sitting down. I've cruised the still water with the skeg fin attached. It tracks well with the skeg. And, as an added bonus, you can take it down the river as well. Yes, as others have said, it bails SLOW. But, if you are familiar with IK's, you expect to get wet. I took it out on a fairly big water day. I filled the boat like a washing machine a couple times but didn't flip it over. It tracks well. It's fairly maneuverable.
So to summarize, if you want a hardshell sea kayak, go buy one. If you want a fishing kayak, go buy one. If you want a paddle board, go buy one. If you want a whitewater IK, go buy one of those. If you want ONE CRAFT that does a decent job of all of these things combined, consider the Pike.

I was never one to think of getting a kayak, as doing eskimo rolls in some rigid fiberglass/plastic boat did not appeal to me. I was never a fan of canoes, either. My "whitewater" experience is limited to day trips down the St. Joe or lower Selway rivers in a Udisco 6-man that my dad built the frame for out of 3" exhaust pipe.

That being said, I was recently introduced to the new NRS inflatables by a friend, and my wife fell in love with stand-up paddleboarding. Having tried my hand at the standing up, I found sitting down worked better for me and my high center of gravity. Not wanting to be left out of waterborne adventures, I was shown the NRS Pike. It looked like the best of both worlds, and it is. It's tough (you can drag it across the rocks) it's relatively light (just a bit awkward for portaging), and most importantly it's fun.

I can't add a lot of "uses" to my review as of yet, as I've only really had it on flat water. I'm sure it would be suitable for running rivers and whitewater, since it is self-bailing.

I've equipped it with one Scotty fishing pole mount so far, and I'm looking forward to some other mods to make it more personalized, but I have to say it's been a good investment on my part. I look forward to more adventures with it.