Ocean Kayak Banzai

Size, Weight, Capacity

The Banzai is an all round design, with the hull aiming to balance stability against cruising speed, as well as maneuverability. The length of 9 ft. 6 in. (2.9 m) gives the Banzai the ability to carry speed over the day so your young paddler can keep up without getting too tired. It’s beam of 28.5 in. (72.4 cm) is ample to make the kayak stable without inhibiting their ability to reach the water.

The Banzai may not be the lightest kids’ boat on the market, but it is far from heavy. Any sit-on-top kayak which weighs just 36 lbs. (16.3 kg) is going to feel light on the water. Off the water, you’re unlikely to be lifting this on your own, and kids will feel comfortable carrying this in pairs with either another young paddler or an adult.

Being a youth kayak, the Banzai has a relatively low capacity of 230 lbs. (104.3 kg), which should still be enough for paddlers well into their teenage years.

Features

At first glance, the Banzai isn’t the most feature-filled kayak on the market. Initially of note is the fact that for a sit-on-top kayak, it looks remarkably simple. This simplicity is a key feature of what makes the Banzai so youth friendly and fun oriented.

The molded seat is contoured to offer an appropriate level of support for a range of paddlers. This is a kayak which your child can keep using as they grow. The supportive seat is comfortable and the molded nature of it means that it isn’t susceptible to wear and tear in the same way as fabric seats, and will survive the hardships of youth ownership.

The Banzai is narrow enough, and low profile enough, that smaller arms can reach over the edge to paddle with proper posture. For children who want to develop proper technique this is essential. In order to maintain the posture necessary for this technique, the Banzai has a selection of molded foot rests which can keep your child in their seat.

All of this is great, but sometimes your child is going to get tired, especially on longer journeys. At the front of the Banzai is a tag-along tow system. This is a tow system which stows neatly on the front deck of the kayak and can be attached quickly and easily to the parent’s kayak to give your child a helping hand on the return legs. It’s worthwhile playing with this system and familiarizing yourself before using it.

There’s also a whole host of little extras that make this boat stand out from the rest. There’s a molded cup holder for water bottles. On the side of the Banzai are molded carrying handles, as well as the toggles at either end. In the middle of the Banzai is a drain bung and there’s a replaceable skid plate to prevent undue wear.

Performance

The Banzai has a hull which wouldn’t be out of place on a more traditional sit-in style kayak. The v-shape tracks well and means that once your young paddler gets to grips with the basics, they’ll be more than capable of holding their own on journeys. Watch out as they get older, too; one day it’ll be you chasing them!

Otherwise, the Banzai does what it sets out to. The seat is comfortable and supportive and the kayak is stable, easy to reach over the side of and suitable for developing kayakers. Being a sit-on-top, it doesn’t swamp easily and can be emptied and rescued even after a dump of water has gone over the top.

Extras, like the tag-along tow system, are what help to set this kayak apart from other youth kayaks on the market.