If you are looking for a good inflatable fishing kayak, you’ve arrived at the right place. In this article we are going to review the Sevylor Coleman Colorado Fishing Kayak. A great fishing yak for two anglers, incredibly portable and durable, that can also be used nicely for solo fishing and paddling sessions.
Whether you live in a small house or apartment, or you don’t have the option of transporting big and bulky boats and accessories, this fishing yak comes to the rescue. There’s no easier way of transporting and storing a kayak than in a compact bag that weighs 41 lbs. (19 Kg.).
This kayak might not be the best option for everyone, but it certainly fits very well with a wide range of anglers and paddlers. We will cover everything you need to know to make an informed decision about it, and be sure if this is the right boat for you. From its most important features to the not so much known, sharing tips and advice along the way.
It is probable that if you have a question, we have it covered in this article. Please check the table of contests below, or continue reading to dive in and learn all about the Colorado Fishing Kayak.
If you are in a hurry, and want to get a great deal on the Sevylor Coleman Colorado Fishing Kayak right now, please click here to go to Amazon.com and check this great yak and cool accessories.
Contents
How tough is the Sevylor Coleman Colorado?
When people think about an inflatable boat or kayak, there is one line of thought that comes to mind almost immediately. Would it resist without deflating? Would it be tough enough to not puncture?
Let me tell you that with any Sevylor boat you are as safe as you can be in the realm of inflatable boats. These guys are producing top of the line PVC products since 1948, and had an important role in the invention of the PVC welding technique.
The Colorado Fishing Kayak is made of 18 gauge PVC, completely covered by a protective layer. On the bottom it has a 1000D tarpaulin, and on the top and sides the double layer is completed with an 840D nylon cover. This outer layer keeps the PVC secure and without direct contact with anything. The nylon is tough enough to resist punctures from your fishing hooks. It will even welcome your dog on it without a problem.
This kayak is NMMA Certified to hold up to 470 lbs. (213 Kg.) of weight. The NMMA Certification is a program designed to provide standards for the boat manufacturer industry related to safety, construction and comply with federal regulations.
The Colorado Fishing Kayak is designed with multiple air chambers in case an accident happens and a chamber gets punctured. The other chambers will remain inflated, allowing you to go back to the shore safely.
The inflation and deflation is done through the convenient Boston Valves, that allow to inflate without worrying of losing air when stopping. To deflate just unscrew and release the top deflation lid and you are done. And the kayak is guaranteed by Sevylor to not leak, due to their Airtight System.
About storage and fishing accessories
The Sevylor Colorado comes packed with great fishing accessories and storage options.
This is a two person kayak, and each angler will have proper Berkley Quick Set Rod Holders at each side, that are easy to set and adjust for hands-free angling. You will be able to move your rod from one attachment to the other, not being locked to only one side of the yak. In total there are 4 possible places in the boat for these hands-free angling rod holders.
On the back of the kayak there are also two additional rod holders for carrying those extra rods you might want.
Storage wise, the Colorado kayak has mesh storage pockets to the sides of each paddler. These can be used to conveniently store small gear and tackle boxes. Also the back of the seats have big pockets that can be used to store your accessories and gear.
It comes equipped with D-Rings through out the nylon cover, which makes it easy to attach new accessories if you need.
Your paddles won’t be a problem neither, as it has proper paddle holders at the sides of each seat. With these you can get your paddles properly attached and out of the way when fishing.
Portability at its best with the Colorado Fishing Kayak
Taking a kayak to the water and back to its storage place is an important part of going out paddling and angling with a yak. There are as many different preferences in this topic as there are anglers, but for many, this requires a very portable and compact boat.
Many anglers don’t have enough storage space at home or in their apartments. Other people have a small car or even no car at all, and depend on public transportation. In these cases transporting a rigid kayak on the roof of a car or truck, or by a towed cart is really not an option.
The Colorado Fishing Kayak excels in this area. When deflated and packaged, the kayak weights no more than 41 lbs. (19 Kg.) and fits in a bag that you can carry on your shoulder. The size of the packaged bag is variable, as it would depend on how you fold the kayak. But it should easily fit in a space of 39” x 39” x 23” (100 cm x 100 cm x 60 cm) approximately.
How to inflate the Sevylor Colorado?
When dealing with inflatables, a key aspect is to choose the proper pump. A stirrup pump would be best for this type of boat, as the inflation and deflation would be quicker than with a foot pump.
When starting the inflation process, unfold the kayak and inflate first the bottom floor. Be sure to check the pressure using the provided manometer, and keep it below the maximum pressure of 1.5 PSI. Now you can proceed to inflate both main chambers, that have the same maximum pressure as the floor: 1.5 PSI.
Is recommended that you inflate the floor first, to allow the sides chambers to properly adjust and keep the whole kayak form. Although is possible to inflate the chambers first, they might take a slightly shifted position that an inflated floor helps correct. In the section about tips and tricks we will mention another trick that will also help keeping the perfect form the inflatable boat should always have.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you are going to be paddling in cold waters or weather, you might notice that the boat gets a little bit softer as time passes by. This is a normal condition that has to do with the air contracting in colder temperatures. This can be easily corrected by checking the pressure again and inflating a bit more to keep it tight.
The same goes in the inverse situation, in very hot temperatures. The air will expand, making the pressure of the air in the chambers higher. Be sure to keep an eye open for the air pressure in hot climates and release a bit of air if you notice this condition developing.
How to fold the Sevylor Colorado?
Deflating the kayak is a simple and quick process of just releasing the deflate lids of the Boston Valves in each chamber and floor compartment. The deflation only takes a few of seconds, and at the same time you can also begin the preparations for the folding process.
As the boat is deflating, you can start aligning the side chambers on top of the floor, and making sure that both sides are lined up against each other. This is a good layout to ensure a proper folding without using much space on the sides. You can even make a second folding of the side chambers on themselves if you need a bit more compact folding on the sides.
The following video shows a typical folding procedure where you can see how the alignment of the side chambers is done. The video ends up showing how to use a “backpack” system, but its also great to visually understand how to align and fold your kayak.
If you are interested in a backpack kit, we suggest to take a look at the Sevylor Quickpack Carry Bag, a true backpack where you can even fit detachable paddles.
Tracking and comfort in the Colorado Fishing Kayak
The seats of the Colorado Fishing Kayak are comfortable. The bottom of the seat is inflatable too and the backrest is a rigid yet flexible support that can be adjusted to your needs. With heavy duty straps that attach to the side chambers, you can either set the backrest to be straight or inclined depending on your preference.
Is very common that the paddlers will seat at a position in the boat where the rod holders will get in the way while paddling. If you paddle with the rods holders placed, it might be uncomfortable as you might need to make an effort to avoid hitting them. Keep in mind that you can remove the holders. Although this is not optimal, you can paddle without the rod holders, and keeping your rods in the rear inserts. When reaching your fishing spot, secure your paddles to the side, place the rod holders, and you are ready to fish.
The bottom of the kayak has a mounting point for a skeg, that comes included with the package. Using the skeg is important to make your paddling is easier. Although you might paddle fine without the skeg, inflatable boats are usually not as good as their rigid hulls brothers regarding tracking. Depending on the paddler weight and position in the boat, is easier for an inflatable kayak to perform poorly tracking wise. There are paddlers that have no problems and are used to row without skegs in inflatables just fine, but the provided skeg will certainly make your Colorado kayak track well without having to make extra effort.
Tips and Tricks
And now that we are talking about the skeg, let me tell you a cool tip that might save you in the future. The skeg is just a plastic piece cutted in a certain shape. It fits on the inserts at the bottom of the kayak, on the protective tarpaulin.
If you lose or break this skeg, it might take you some to find an official replacement. But as we mentioned, this is just a piece of plastic cut with a certain shape. If you want to have a backup plan, you can draw the outline of the skep in a piece of paper, and keep it safe. In the event of you losing or breaking your skeg, it’s just a matter of using your paper template on a plastic bread board. A cheap an easy DYI work that will save you time and a few bucks.
Another thing to keep in mind while paddling is that the kayak has a drainage plug at the stern. It will be easier to close this plug before inflating the kayak. If you forget to close the lid, some water will start getting in and you might have to go back to the shore to lose it as it’s almost impossible to reach it safely from the kayak while paddling.
You will notice that the kayak interior has zippers. These give access to the inside part of the protective layer of the boat, where the PVC chambers are. This is a nice feature that will allow you to make sure the chambers are properly aligned before inflating. You will note the seams edge on the internal chambers and you can easily make sure they line up. From time to time this procedure will help you keep your boat in the proper shape and avoid an uneven inflation.
The save will happen with the floor, where you can open the zippers to check its not folded. The floor needs to be flat to be in its proper form.
And the last tip related to the zippers. These can be hard to grab with cold and wet hands. You can strap a piece of cord or something similar to make them really easy to manipulate.
How to add trolling motor to the Sevylor Colorado Fishing Kayak?
The Colorado Fishing Kayak comes equipped with trolling motor fittings that will allow you to add a small electric motor to the one of the sides of the kayak, in the rear. Although the fit is not super tight, it will get the job done perfectly well. You can check these models of electric motors that fit and have been used with this boat model:
What current owners say about the Sevylor-Coleman Colorado?
At the moment of this writing the Colorado Fishing Kayak has a rating of 4 stars out of 5 in Amazon, from a total of 77 ratings and reviews from customers. 80% of the ratings are n the 4-5 stars range, 12% are 3 stars, and only 8% on the 1-2 stars range.
Let’s first tackle the bad reviews. Among the complains these customer have we could learn that in some cases the bottom tarp broke, in other the chambers deformed and deflated after some time.
This are valid complains, but are defects that will be taken care of by the warranty offered by the manufacturer. Inflatable boats need a bit more care in handling than a rigid boat and are more fragile. It’s good to note that several reviews that mention some of these problems were properly care for by the Client Support department.
On the good side, most of the reviews are from very happy and satisfied customer that express cool stories and experiences with their kayak. If you are among the anglers that need the portability and features this kayak provides, you have a high chance of being well satisfied if you decide to go with the Colorado Fishing Kayak.
What’s in the box?
The inflatable kayak comes with its own carry bag, that will allow you to pack, store and transport the boat with ease. Also it comes with a skeg that fits in the bottom inserts. And finally, you will get an air pressure gauge to be sure that your kayak’s chambers are inflated properly.
Aside from these accessories, you will receive the owners manual and the warranty of the boat. We have gone one step further, and in case you want to check these now, we made available them available here:
The Sevylor-Coleman Colorado Specifications
| Length (inflated) | 10.9′ / 3.32 m. |
| Width (inflated) | 39.6″ / 100 cm. |
| Weight | 41 lbs. / 19 Kg. |
| Maximum Load | 470 lbs. / 213 Kg. |
The Verdict
If you are looking for the ultimate compact and portable fishing kayak, that can be transported everywhere in the smallest size package, then the Sevylor Coleman Colorado Fishing Kayak is one of the best choices.
Whether you go with a fishing partner or alone, this boat will make your trips back and forth the water a pleasure. Carrying only a bag that weights around 41 lbs. (19 Kg.) and maybe another one with your accessories, you will be able to deploy your kayak in places unreachable for the standard rigid hulls. You even have the option of carrying it strapped as a backpack with a convenient accessories.
Inflating is quick, and the deflation and packaging is also fast as a breeze. This kayak is also great for keeping it stored in tight spaces, where having a big kayak rack, a wall or ceiling mount is just not possible.
But if going inflatable is not a good option for you and you are comfortable transporting and handling the rigid kayaks, the Sun Dolphin Journey 10 SS or the Lifetime Tamarack Angler 100 are good cost effective options. Both on the low budget level and very nice for a starter sit-on-top fishing kayak. If your budget can stretch a bit more, you have one of the best overall fishing kayaks in the market, the Ocean Prowler 13 Angler, a very good option for single paddlers.
And on the high tier end, one exceptional option is the Perception Pescador Pilot 12, and awesome fishing kayak that also comes with a pedal propelling system.