Product Reviews > Kayaks > ClearWater Design > Inuvik

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Reviews for Inuvik Kayak by ClearWater Design

Rated: 8.57/10 Based On: 21 Reviews

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05-20-2013
Submitted by: rob

Rating: 9 of 10

Bought my wife an Inuvik for her birthday and let me say what a nice kayak. Boat is very stable, has a large open cockpit which makes it easy to get in and out of and also allows my wife who can't sit still able room to move around and stretch her legs. Boat glides across the water and tracks very well. Plenty of room and a storage compartment to allow for a few days worth of gear.

I personally own a Perception 14' Carolina and as much as I love that boat I have to say that I may like the Inuvik a little bit better. Highly recommended if you're looking for a quality kayak but don't want to break the bank.

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04-02-2013
Submitted by: JohnPBlair

Rating: 10 of 10

Value for money - Clearwater Design gets full marks! I bought an Iqaluit for fishing two years ago. Modified the boat by adding a pulley system for an anchor, secured sections of pool noodle in the bow (buoyancy in case of flipping), a pole holder just aft of the cockpit and a homemade "tabletop" for lures etc.

Just a month ago, I picked up the big brother Clearwater Design Inuvik. Same expanse of an open cockpit but an extra 50 pounds of payload. I bought the lumbar seat and swapped out the original molded plastic one. This gave me about 10 inches of open space behind the new seat and the aft bulkhead - nice! I cut in two fish pole holders again just aft of the cockpit and most excellent, I bought the fish deck table that is custom designed and molded to snap over the front of the open cockpit. This fish deck is well thought out and includes an adjustable Scotty pole holder.

Can't wait for the ice to get off the lakes up here in Northern Ontario so I can get in the water!! Oh, a different approach for added buoyancy - for this boat I secured a kiddies playground rubber ball up in the nose. Very very pleased with these Clearwater Design siblings

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01-04-2012
Submitted by: David L

Rating: 10 of 10

Hello all, see my earlier review (July 2011)
It seems that while the Australian Dealers are like jet engines (they suck and blow) the actual ClearWater mob are AB-SO-LUTE-LY top line, they sent me a replacement bulb, complete with overseas postage, FREE...way to go Clearwater!...call it a 10.5/10...is that allowed?

The Inuvik is a great boat, do yourself a favour, get an Inuvik, an experienced paddler will have a hoot in it, but so will any first timer...even someone with some size and weight and bugger all balance will have a great time in this.
Thank you Clearwater

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07-27-2011
Submitted by: Miles

Rating: 10 of 10

This kayak is a single body construction (no seam, 1 piece!) which means there is nowhere for it to leak or wear out over the years. It is a flexible plastic which will allow it to last many years as well. I found it to be very stable, even in rough waters with my Australian Shepherd aboard. He and and I go for hours on end on the lakes and he loves the comfortable room.

The foot pegs are in a great spot and the inflatable lumbar support is fantastic. The dry storage at the back seemed to take a bit of water, but a dry bag sorts all that out. It is also likely not the boats fault as I was in 1 meter swells and couldn't always keep the hull above the wake.

Great kayak! 10 out of 10! oh....and Canadian made!

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07-05-2011
Submitted by: David L

Rating: 8 of 10

I paddle a mountain lake in Australia, I'm a good average sized Aussie of 6'3" and about 220 pounds, the Inuvik takes me, my Labrador and a bit of gear easily on the lake. Its a dry and stable boat on anything but real chop when it does catch a bit of spray. It 'waddles' a bit when you are having a fair go speed wise but at touring speeds it is safe, ultra stable and easy to move, and tracks well, the drawback is trying to push this thing faster than it wants to go, I guess that's called "Hull speed" It is also quite agile even without a rudder on fast flowing rivers with grade 1,2,3 rapids, so long as you know how to sweep stroke. The Fit and finish are good and unlike other reviewers I find the foot pegs located just fine. I guess you little USA blokes have short feet?

It's a lovely boat as a recreational boat, its not any sort of racer. I give it an 8 out of 10 only as the (Aussie) after sales suck the big one! I can't even get one of those little rubber bulb and valves to inflate the seat, the valve died on the second trip and leaks badly but the (Aus) sales mob won't even return calls, the Boat deserves better than that.

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07-07-2010
Submitted by: R.W

Rating: 10 of 10

A great kayak for beginners and the seasoned paddler. The cockpits are roomy and very comfortable in my opinion. Lots of storage and one hell of a kayak if you enjoy a little fishing. These boats are extremely durable and good in rough water (with rudder). Best kayak i have ever owned! A definite 10 out of 10

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09-29-2006
Submitted by: Don Stachowiak

Rating: 8 of 10

I bought my first and second kayaks this Summer. The first was a Streak by Mainstream, not a bad little boat but I'm a big guy, and the little cockpit was a hassle and I weigh close to the max weight, so when I ran across a second hand Inuvik for a bargain price, I jumped at it. I am delighted with this boat, its easy to get in and out of, tracks great, serves my purposes (fishing and photography) well, carries all my gear, and I'm planning on doing some camping in it this fall. I rate it an 8 only because I haven't had enough experience of other kayaks to compare it directly, but I couldn't be more pleased with it. I fount it a little awkward to load at first, but I have equippen my Yakima rack with hull raisers and a boat loader bar, and now it's a snap. I have a canoe I still like, but with the ease of handling this boat affords, ny canoe will be getting a lot less use. I keep my Inuvik on the roof all the time, and if I find myself crossing a likely looking stream or river, pond or lake, it's a snap to snatch it off the roof, throw it in the water and paddle away.

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05-16-2006
Submitted by: Eric

Rating: 5 of 10

This is my first kayak I paddle on the Ottawa River and every second day; my route is about 10 km (according to goole Earth).

Yesterday I went out with my friend on my regular outing, he kicked my butt all the way and on top of that he was not even trying to go fast. By the time our ride was done I was dead tired�. Usually when we cross-country ski in the winter I�m the one in front.

I wish that my Inuvik would be has fast has is old wood kayak� What I have learned from reading comments and reviews this website is to trust your instinct and even if 500$ kayak has a satisfaction rating of 10/10 it does not mean it will be has good has a 3000$ kayak

Overall I like the Inuvik but wish it was faster.

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07-18-2005
Submitted by: mmmjkm

Rating: 7 of 10

I bought two used Inuviks for an excellent price and was pleasantly surprised by how much use they got from my family and friends. They are large sit-inside boats -- very easy entry and exit because of the oversized cockpit. Lots of room for storage. Very attractive finish, and I like the way the hatches matched the hull. Stable as a barge -- in fact, it's a great boat for introducing scared newbies to paddling. Here are a few things I didn't like: a) The boat was hard to load and unload by myself -- I couldn't really balance it well, and I found it heavier than I had hoped for; b) Its shape is great in the water, but it doesn't sit even on my trailer because of its pronounced rocker and upswept ends; c) The footpegs are too high and not particularly helpful; d) I found the seat very uncomfortable and always had to supplement it with a cushion. But take these things in perspective -- you'll be hard pressed to find this much boat elsewhere for such a reasonable price.

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06-17-2005
Submitted by: bearmohr

Rating: 10 of 10

I love my Inuvik. We are on the water every spare chance we get and it's a great boat. Tracking is wonderful and speed is great. Maneuverability in streams is also surprisingly good for its size. The company is also great. I wanted another seat with a higher back and they exchanged my seat at no charge, not even a shipping charge. That's awesome customer service.

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08-30-2004
Submitted by: ---

Rating: 7 of 10

I bought the Inuvik kayak in July 2004. It is a good kayak, tracks well, is very stable, spacious and handles well on windy days. On the negative side, my boat weighs in at 60 lbs. while it is advertised on the company's webb site as weighing 49 lbs. My wife is 5 ft. tall and cannot reach the footstops. I am 6'1" and I personnaly would prefer a higher back rest.

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06-07-2004
Submitted by: maximadude

Rating: 8 of 10

Bought this, our 1st. yak becuz the factory is 10 minutes from where I work, and they were holding their annual spring blow-out sale of factory seconds with slight imperfections. The deal was too good to pass up. Although having never kayaked nor researched various designs/mfg's./options, I just sorta jumped in and started paddling away without difficulties. Same goes for the wife. Never the less, we decided on some lessons fro Bernie Gray on the Bay of Quinte, Belleville. Bernie plunked us in some new Wilderness Systems Cape Lookouts. It didnt take long before I was questioning my Inuvik purchase since the Lookouts are obviously a different and better class of boat. That aside, once we were done lessons, we heade back to our Inuvik, and felt that it was still a really good baot in terms of our boating venues, those being small in-land cottage lakes as well as slow moving rivers. This boat holds a steady course when paddled directly into strong winds, and is easily manoeverable by myself,(6'1" 180), as well as by my wife, (5'2" 125). Our golden retriever has been addicted to canoeing for years, sitting by the boat all weekend waiting for the next trip, and had no problems hopping in this kayak as well. I found the added weight made the kayak track even slightly better. Great rec boat. Sorta curious about some sleeker designs however and will be checking out the Prijon Capri Touring and the Catalina, as our second boat.

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05-31-2004
Submitted by: DrChad

Rating: 9 of 10

I just got a good deal on a new, last years model of the Inuvik and have had it out a couple of times. This kayak isn't anything fancy but is a straight forward solid kayak. It tracks nice, is easy to propel and with the slight vee bottom it has good primary and secondary stability. The larger upswept bow is definately a plus when crossing deeper lakes that are a bit choppy. It does a nice job of riding up and over the waves and also wake from large motorboats. I think without a skirt I would have gotten wet in other kayaks with a lower profile bow design. The wind did have a slight effect as a result of the bow design but I mostly noticed it when I was drifting while fishing. Fishing from this kayak is also a blast with plenty of room for poles and gear and good stability for landing the fish. I plan to begin outfitting the Inuvik with fishing accessories soon starting with paddle holders. The only negative comment I have is the design and style of the seat. I have read that all new models are equipped with a new inflateable seat cushon design which mine does not have. At the outfitter I was dissappointed with the confort of the seat and was preparing to replace it directly, however once I had it on the water and had my lifevest on, it was nicely confortable so I'll probably perform only minor alterations. Overall, great kayak for the price and for that reason it is a good one to play around with aftermarket customization and rigging, especially for fishing. All I have to say is: imaging fishing from your livingroom recliner... That's not too far from the reality of kayak fishing!

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05-18-2004
Submitted by: scott_smith

Rating: 10 of 10

I test-paddled an Inuvik last night along with 3 other kayaks from other manufacturers and based on the strength of that I'll be buying one shortly. It tracked straighter, ran faster and was more maneuverable than the other boats and it costs about half the price!

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05-18-2004
Submitted by: John Harris

Rating: 9 of 10

I purchased the Inuvik last January and am just now getting it in the water. I love the way it tracks and the ease of paddling. The fit and finish come up a bit short. Foot pegs are too high, too short. Other than that, I don't think you could get a better deal for the money.

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04-12-2004
Submitted by: KW

Rating: 8 of 10

Have had my Inuvik 2 months now. Use it for salt water fishing in shallows. Works great! The footpegs are pretty much non-functional (too small) but you dont really need them. Tracks fairly well and gets moving quickly. A little rust on one of the seat bolts already though. As a female, weight was important. I can single hand it onto my car and muscle it across dry land without much problem. Could use some standard cleat attachments for anchor, leash, etc. Overall, a good buy for the bucks and I am pleased with it!

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07-17-2003
Submitted by: penne

Rating: 3 of 10

Placed an order for the Inuvik based on a demo paddle. When the kayak arrived, there were no footpegs. When we found footpegs, we realised the rails had been installed too high in the bow and the pegs wouldn't go into the rails. Quality control seriously lacking as paperwork indicated two different people had signed off on the boat. I cancelled order, got a refund and bought the Sun Guide. No regrets.

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05-19-2003
Submitted by: bryan

Rating: 10 of 10

I just bought the inuvik and i've been very happy with. it tracks well and dose not need a lot of power to get going. best for the buck!

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02-17-2003
Submitted by: David

Rating: 10 of 10

My Inuvik is my first kayak and how lucky for me it is. Easy to paddle and lots of space for gear. Priced too low in my book. Needless to say I dont canoe much as I have for years I ...Kayak..WOOHOO!!

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02-11-2003
Submitted by: ---

Rating: 10 of 10

I just purchased an Inuvik and I am very pleased with the ample foot room and the comfy seat. Also the sealed bulkhead and dry rear hatch is an added bonus. The kayak is very stable and tracks great. This was also priced lower than other boats of the same length. I would reccommend this to beginners as well as experienced kayakers. an A+ in my book.

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06-17-2002
Submitted by: ron

Rating: 9 of 10

I bought the Inovik by Clearwater and it tracks very well without a rudder. It does have a lot of room, I use it to fish back rivers marshes I fish saltwater as well, it's a blast I have started a trend.

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