There’s a new inflatable kayak company making waves stateside, employing SUP dropstitch technology in the hull — including floor, sidewalls, and hull — giving it the rigidity and performance rivaling hardshells.
Australian brand Razor Kayaks’ new Edge Pro1 inflatable kayak series, available in single and tandem models, has just launched in North America, debuting two revolutionary inflatable kayaks delivering hardshell-like performance, including hull speed, tracking, and glide, while retaining the portability everyone loves about IKs.
The boat introduces several features the company claims are industry-firsts, including:
Streamlined Hull Design: Through laser-cutting, the line employs a rounded, hydrodynamic profile that it says “is a complete departure from the boxy, bathtub-style drop-stitch inflatables of the past.” The result: speed, glide efficiency, and tracking precision.
Tech-Stitch™ Construction: The company’s proprietary 5cm Tech-Stitch™ technology for its chambers helps deliver rigidity and hull stiffness, eliminating the sluggish performance typical of more conventional inflatables for hardshell-like responsiveness.
True Sit-In Experience: The series features a coaming system compatible with spray skirts, enabling paddlers to tackle more challenging conditions. It also comes with ergonomic EVA foam seating and adjustable footrests.
Military-Grade Durability: Beefiness comes from 1,000-denier PVC—the same material used in whitewater rafts—with reinforced bow and stern caps and an additional toughened mesh layer.
The boats fully inflate in 4-6 minutes; and pack down in 2 minutes, and come with covered bow and stern storage compartments plus bungee deck lacing to accommodate multi-day touring gear. The Edge Pro 1 packs to 84x50x33cm (included hiking backpack); and the Edge Pro 2 to 82x53x43cm (including wheeled backpack). They also come with removable fins, chemically welded seams, and reinforced impact zones.
One nice feature from a business standpoint: the company, which only sells direct out of their warehouse in LA, will ship you out a demo to try and if you don’t like it, you can ship it back.
We tried the Edge Pro1 out on both lakes and easy-flowing rivers in northwest Colorado and, with the fin installed, found it to glide well and easy to maneuver. With the dropstitch material on the floor and sidewalls actually bent up at the edges, it actually creates a true multichine hull, for hardshell-like performance — especially when combined with its rigidity. While it’s big once inflated — wider and, with its complete hull more voluminous than other IKs — it was stable enough for our dog to tag along in the cockpit, and the rigidity from its dropstitch sidewalls, floor and hull combo make up for its increased beam in speed. Indeed, the rigidity is its biggest plus, especially once inflated to the recommended PSI (which many users never get to). Like the cornerstone of a bridge, the dropstitich sidewalls also push onto the dropstitch floor, adding to its rigidity.
While we wouldn’t take it on bigger whitewater than easy Class III — save that for more whitewater-specific IKs — it’s a great all-arounder for everything else. Our take? A quiver-killer for most rec-oriented applications you’ll ever need it for, from fishing to easy touring.
Edge Pro 1 (single-person): Length 398cm, width 83cm, hull weight 18.8kg, max load 170kg. Perfect for solo day trips, touring expeditions, and technical paddling. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6EqiB_J7Po
What Others Are Saying:
“The Edge Pro 1 is a superb boat for spending a few hours on the water. It is stable and tracks straight with little yaw but also manoeuvres well in the water allowing you to get around obstacles with ease. The cockpit is roomy, the adjustable seat is comfortable. There is a useful zipped pocket on the back of the seat for your valuables. Inflating the kayak is a breeze. There are 3 chambers to inflate: bottom and two flanks. It only ytakes a few minutes to get the whole thing inflated, seat and footrests installed and ready to go. Once inflated, the body of the boat is stiff and barely looks or feels like an inflatable. It’s a good-looking boat!”
“I sail on a 43-foot yacht and was looking for an inflatable kayak that was capable, compact, durable and easy to set up. I took the plunge and bought two of the Edge Pro 1 kayaks online, Once they arrived, I immediately set them up looking for defects… my concerns quickly abated as I set up, inspected and packed up BOTH kayaks in around 40 minutes (first time). These are great quality kayaks, and Razor have overcome my biggest concern which was the packing up… you can do it by yourself! I did use a 12V inflater to suck the air out before folding up, but it is easy to pack and stow. I use these kayaks to explore rivers and creeks where my yacht can’t reach and they take up little space below decks. People I sail with are amazed at the capability I have stowed below. Very happy with these kayaks.”
Availability
Razor Kayaks’ Edge Pro 1 (and its tandem Edge Pro 2) are available for order in North America. Deliveries are shipped from Razor Kayaks North American warehouse. Info: www.razorkayaks.com
