Oru Bay ST Foldable Kayak | Stable, Durable, Lightweight - Lake, River, and Ocean Kayaks - Intermediate - Size (Unfolded)

Skeptical at first - particularly about the ease of assembly, but it actually exceeded all expectations.First time assembly: following instructions, in my living room. Total time: 1 hour. BUT, you can easily grok the assembly steps (it's a logical sequence).Second time assembly: public launch, on grass. Total time 20 minutes.Take a bow :) Third time: 15, and that includes manually inflating the float bags :)Folding it all back? It was perplexing the first time, but again, after the first time, it's like riding a bicycle :) It takes less than 10 minutes to get it back into a shoulder carried box (obviously doesn't include cleaning which you can do later).On water? It's just like any other kayak you've paddled. Performs great - sleek, fast (though I'm not a pro by any measure, so grain of salt).Carrying an assembled kayak - like lugging it from wherever you assembled it to the water? It's about 30 lbs only, so yeah, it's easy and making it even more enjoyable.As stated, I'm a recreational kayaker, so nothing I do currently "pushes" its boundaries so I can't really assess it's relative sturdiness, and I don't go looking to...

While this kayak design is really cool, lightweight and travels easily, it was not easy to assemble! With the video playing, I still struggled to put it together. That said, I've never been very mechanical so there's that! I'd say it took me just under 2 hours to assemble, and while I felt confident that would decrease with practice I determined it was more work than I wanted to do.

Contacted Oru and was notified that the multiple rips in the body was normal for a new kayak. Per Oru this was a product received as new and fold frays were cosmetic. Will test and update if continue to see decay on product . Was told that will not impact kayak.This is Roberto speaking from Oru Kayak.I can assure you that your kayak is not defective - these score marks from your pictures do appear to be a bit rough on the finished product, but they are completely normal. This cosmetic appearance is something we are working on addressing with our Design Team.At this time, even if we send you a replacement it would still have the same appearance as the one you have, all our boats coming off the production line look like this, so we can assure you that you do have the correct, finished product.That being said, I completely understand your concern and we have a record of your email in case any further issues develop. These cuts will not affect the performance of the product whatsoever.Let me know if you have any questions or concerns I can help with!Roberto Valdez

This is an amazing kayak for spontaneous adventures. I'm mostly new to kayaking but I've been doing origami for over 25 years. This was my first sit-inside kayak; I've only done sit-on-top kayaks before this experience. I was a bit wobbly for the first 10 minutes but after I relaxed and got my kayak balance going this kayak was a lot of fun. The manual for the kayak isn't the best so I suggest watching the company's video when learning to assemble the kayak. This kayak definitely makes people notice you too. I live in Arkansas and took this out on a quiet lake. I had two encounters with other paddlers. They were both super friendly and super curious about the kayak. The best part about this kayak is that it literally fits in the trunk of a car. My daily driver is a Honda Accord. It fit in the trunk even with 3 folded up outdoor chairs in there too!I'll update this review after I take it out on the Buffalo River here in Arkansas.

I ordered a new kayak, and got a busted box, mudd covered used one. How does this happen???

This Bay ST is my second Oru Kayak. I love it. My first is the Lake+. I loved it until I got the Bay ST. Fits my needs, easy to travel with. I camp alot, so throwing this (any Oru) in the back of the car is great. Sometimes keep it in the car just in case I get an off chance of putting in.

I am so in love with this kayak! Took it out with my niece who could not believe it would even float after watching it unfold. If cuts through the water so nicely, I was just leisurely paddling while she was working hard to keep up. It's a beautiful work of art as well. Best purchase I've made in years!

This is a sweet little kayak for someone who can't transport a hard shell. I am a 130 lb woman and I can carry this wherever I need to. My only hesitation is that it's very hard to disassemble at first. Folding the kayak back into a suitcase takes two people, although ostensibly that will improve as the boat get folded more.