Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame Review

The Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame is a single-person inflatable kayak with a 300-pound capacity. It weighs just over 33 pounds and is made of PVC-coated polyester with aluminum ribs reinforcing the bow and stern.

Performance Comparison

Handling

Unique among inflatable kayaks, the AdvancedFrame has an aluminum-stiffened keel, helping it to effectively cut through the water in ways other flat-bottomed boats just can't quite do. This is aided by the long, very pointed bow and multiple skegs underneath. It rides low and is a touch on the wider side at 2'9", making it stable and fast in the water, even in choppy conditions.

Even if you choose to jump out of this boat (as this well-balanced yak likely won't flip), it's not only easy to get back in, but the narrow opening for the cockpit keeps some of that unwanted water from entering along with you. We also appreciate that the outer fabric layer is waterproof, unlike some of the other fabric-covered kayaks in this review. This not only decreases overall drag but also makes the cleaning up and drying off process easier.

We have few complaints about how this 10'3" kayak handles on the water, but one thing we wish it had is a scupper hole to drain excess water while paddling. Advanced Elements bills this boat as having a lip for a spray skirt (which they sell), but we aren't confident that these little air-filled tubes surrounding the cockpit could be inflated full enough to hold something as taut as a spray skirt. Without the skirt, large waves or the inevitable pooling of water from the paddle handle will collect in the cockpit, with nowhere to go but around your seat. Additionally, without the right pump adapter, it is difficult to inflate the floor to the point that you can't feel the pulse of the waves beneath your bum. But with those minor complaints aside, we are sold on the impressive wave and wind-handling prowess of this sweet vessel.

Comfort

Another metric in which the AdvancedFrame excels. This boat has a thick cushioned seat that's fully adjustable to whatever paddle position you need. We also love how the narrow shape of the cockpit facilitates a more comfortable leg position for paddling. Though it lacks any foot braces, we found it a simple matter to use our knees and the lengthwise ridges along the boat's floor to brace ourselves and dig in deep when paddling upriver or against the wind.

The low profile of this boat facilitates the feeling of being close to the water that you find in traditional, hardshell kayaks. That, in turn, makes for a more comfortable paddling experience and easier paddling against the wind. A reasonably large cockpit also allows you to bring a dog or pack the bow with a small selection of gear.

We have some concerns and complaints about the listed weight capacity of the AdvancedFrame. Though AE claims it can hold 300 pounds of human and gear, when our 6'1", 220-pound tester hopped in to take the yak for a spin, even without any additional gear, he rode rather low in the water. He then took on extra weight as the lake threw waves over the low hull with relative ease. Despite this added challenge, he still preferred the comfort of this well-designed craft over the other single kayaks.

Ease of Set Up

Not our favorite feature of the AdvancedFrame kayak, this boat is a little arduous and time-consuming to set up. It comes with very long, detailed directions, including two full pages on "understanding your valves." Unfortunately, this only applies to one of the two types of valves on this boat. That said, the deflation process is a cinch with the twist-locking valves, and as long as you remember to remove the rigid plastic inserts from the bow and stern, rolling this kayak up and fitting it back into its oversized duffel is no problem.

Getting the AdvancedFrame set up and seaworthy is quite a process. It has no less than SEVEN air chambers to fill, and for five of them, lacking the appropriate pump adapter, we were forced to use the power of our lungs. Four of those little chambers are quite small, surrounding the top of the hull for the spray skirt and some extra height to slough waves, but our least favorite one to inflate was the floor. We never quite felt like we could get it as rigid as we wanted without using a pump, hence our complaint about feeling the waves quite easily underneath us as we paddled. The directions included with this boat encourage you to use a pump to fill all seven chambers (though one is not included), but even with four standard and kayak-specific pumps on hand, we didn't have the right adapter. Advanced Elements sells several styles of pumps with many included adapters, and we assume one of them is the right fit for these five small valves. While you're at it, the directions request that you inflate each chamber to a specific pressure, measured in PSI, yet no PSI gauge is included with the kayak. You can estimate, but underinflation can cause drag during paddling, and overinflation can damage your kayak and shorten its lifespan. Alternatively, Advanced Elements also sells pumps with built-in pressure gauges or PSI meters that can be added to another pump you may already have if you want to tack those onto your bill.

Additionally, we had a hard time draining every last drop of water out of the kayak before collapsing it for storage. It lacks any sort of drainage hole and is cumbersome and time-consuming to take apart. We've been paddling this boat for years now, and we can tell immediately when it wasn't fully dried after the last time we used it by how funky it smells when we take it out again.

Portability

As an inflatable kayak, this boat is already fairly portable in that you don't need a roof rack to drive it around or a large empty garage in which to store it. That said, the AdvancedFrame is heavier than average among solo boats we tested. Weighing a hefty 33.25 pounds, this kayak is even heavier than a few of the tandem models we reviewed. The extra weight comes from the aluminum frame and durable construction. Still, it doesn't include the paddle, pump, and life jacket that you'll need to get on the water, let alone anything you might want for your adventure.

Not only is the AdvancedFrame extraordinarily heavy, but it's also shockingly large for a single kayak, rivaling the packed size of the tandems we reviewed. Again, the aluminum frame we love so much on the water works against you when on land. If you instead inflate the AdvancedFrame at your car, the kayak does have two convenient bow and stern handles to carry it less awkwardly down to your launching point. That assumes you're paddling with a friend, though, as you can't grab the bow and stern handles simultaneously yourself, you shouldn't drag it across the ground for that distance, and it lacks solo-carry handles in the cockpit. The duffel bag it comes in is simple and functional but not overly comfortable for carrying 33+ pounds for long distances. No, as much as we love paddling this boat, we curse carrying it.

Durability

The AdvancedFrame is comprised of a folding aluminum frame and PVC-coated polyester, all covered by a thick, waterproof fabric layer. This is an exceptionally sturdy yak. It also comes with detailed directions on how you can take it apart completely for cleaning or repair, important maintenance features for any complicated piece of gear you own. The AdvancedFrame also includes a repair kit with detailed directions on how to use it effectively. Though we didn't have to use it for this boat, we did need the repair kit with another AE boat, which then held up well to many months of additional use.

The exterior fabric layer of the AdvancedFrame not only feels much thicker and sturdier than the fabric of other similar kayaks, but it also boasts thickly reinforced seams and is waterproof rather than becoming waterlogged during use. Additionally, the bottom of the kayak is plastic-y and withstood all the abuse we dealt it, including being dragged over sand and rocks and paddling over submerged sticks and logs. Our favorite feature of the AdvancedFrame line of boats (we also tested the tandem version) is its air chamber strategy. While most inflatable vessels employ chambers on the right and left sides, the AdvancedFrame boats have an inner chamber and outer chamber, both surrounding the entire boat. This way, if you do somehow manage to get a hole in the hull, the inner chamber still provides 360 degrees of flotation to get you back to shore.

Honestly, the biggest gripe we have about the durability of this boat isn't even about the boat — it's regarding the storage bag. The materials feel cheap, thin, and not as strong as we expected, considering the intense nature of the yak itself. The boat, though? Other than a funky smell from undrained water collecting over time, we had no issues putting it through the wringer for multiple seasons and feel confident it will hold its own for many more years to come.

Value

Certainly not the cheapest of kayaks, the AdvancedFrame is also far from the most expensive. You can spend much more on either an inflatable or a hardshell kayak. For the performance, versatility, comfort, and quality construction, we think the AdvancedFrame is a very high-value item and well worth its cost.

Conclusion

While you may be thinking that purchasing an inflatable kayak will automatically lower the on-water capabilities of your boat, that doesn't have to be true, and the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame proves that. With superb handling, surprising comfort, and high-caliber construction, this combination kayak merges the best of both worlds — the speed and tracking of a hard shell model with the portability of an inflatable exterior. Though this isn't the cheapest inflatable boat out there, we think it offers an excellent combination of performance that even an advanced kayaker can appreciate. If a top-notch inflatable kayak is what you're after, this is it.