Review of the 14' Saturn KaBoat SK430 Inflatable

Light, portable, economical: the Saturn Kaboat, with customization for spearfishing including electric steering, GPS/FF, etc.
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[@adventuresmadeeasyllc6032]

Awesome review! Thanks

[@cap12206]

I’ll give a little info for those using a kaboat more recreationally. Mine is 14’, and an early model. With my 8hp Yamaha four stroke it straight hauls ass. It also planes very slowly. Great thing about the kaboat is that you can point the motor straight, set the throttle and just lean in the direction you want to go. I’ve used my 6hp Suzuki too with good results, but the Yamaha is a super motor in every way. The airfloor will allow the bottom to bend and flex at speed. I’m going to try a piece of thin plywood under the floor and see what happens. You could also try a rowing frame. I’ve stuffed the bow a few times in really rough water. It’s all in good fun but I’d hate to fall into 48 degree water. It rows ok with a kayak paddle. But I don’t do it without an outboard on it for the return home. I’ve also like to try and use my electric trolling motor and see how it goes. Would work well to assist in paddling. I’ve never carried a passenger or gear in the boat. But it’s a very fun craft to own. eBay has the same boat, but under a different name. All these cheap inflatables come from the same place in China.

[@SoCalSpearIt]

The plywood in the floor should help with the planing. I haven't had time to cut together a video but this year I got a new 15', and made some modifications to the transom and introduced stainless and aluminum struts that run from the transom all way up into the bow. They keep the boat from flexing. With a Suzuki 15hp it will make almost 20 mph fully loaded with three guys and gear, making about 12mpg. Without the struts, the boat actually goes faster with a 6hp than with the 15hp because that engine is so heavy.

[@JT-408]

Are you adding only stringers to each side? Keeping the air floors? Very interested on what mods you did on your new boat. Just obtained the 16' XL version and looking for more mod options that'll help me get back in the bay

[@crxshed]

Im wondering if your 8 hp is trooling too fast or if its ok?

[@iamgoingfishing21-3]

Very cool. I will use for fishing in TX lakes. Awesome to learn how stable it seems for getting out and back in to the Kaboat. Born and raised in Ventura, CA

[@nickolasreuben4025]

I dont mean to be off topic but does any of you know a tool to get back into an instagram account?? I somehow forgot the login password. I would love any assistance you can offer me.

[@nickolasreuben4025]

@Luca Khari thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and Im trying it out atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@nickolasreuben4025]

@Luca Khari It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy! Thanks so much, you really help me out :D

[@lucakhari4512]

@Nickolas Reuben No problem :)

[@SoCalSpearIt]

re: stability. In naval architecture it's called, 'co-efficient of waterline plane'. Even though the kaboat is quite narrow, it has a high co-efficient of waterline plane. Something like a canoe, with very fine tapered edges, has a much lower CEWP and so is much more 'tippy'.

[@bloodypajamas1944]

Please please please do an updated version of this review on ur newer one!!!

[@Deltro61]

You might want to look at the Alaska series outfitter models. I'm from Alaska and everyone seems to love em here. I think they have the "XL" ending 385XL, etc.

[@masonkim7]

thanks for the review! cool and nifty mods as well.

[@appallokelley3207]

Thank you for your review , I think this is perfect for my budget.

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Thanks! I just got another one (wore out the old one in this video). I will put up a new video, they have made a few small improvements and changes, and I now know better which mods to keep, make, or improve...

[@BoY860]

Seams coming apart seems to be common with inflatable boats , and more so within the first year. Pretty terrible, On one hand there very affordable but still not free and the other is it worth just 1 season of use? I'd really like one who knows what will happen.

[@SoCalSpearIt]

The warranty on the kaboat is two years. I had the repairable issue with the transom seam near the end of two years. Since then I had one factory glued seam that had a mild leak, which I repaired. I've had the boat for just under 3 1/2 years now. I have been pretty hard on mine. Unless you are regularly and aggressively bashing it into rocks I would definitely expect to get more than one season...!

[@wlew3499]

Do you like your boat?? Do you think the boat will hold up in the next yrs(durability)???Heard that things do fall off the boat after some time. Would you recommend this boat???IMO I think it takes real balls to go out in the ocean in such a craft(Catalina!).

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Sorry for the late reply?!?! I'm onto my third kaboat at this point. I owe you guys an updated review but yeah, I like to call them 'the world's best sh*tty boat'. So, they're not the most durable but they do the trick for a while and there is nothing cheaper or lighter on the market.

[@EremosOutfitters]

Okay another question my brother from another mother - Give me the quick deets on that DIY stern light? I can't find a commercially available one that's similar. Thanks man, and hit me up if you want to do some Oregon Spearing, we can take out my kaboat :)

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Thanks, the stern lights are something I built with fiberglass tent pole and 3D printed base and top. Plastic PEX type adapters are great for mounting since they're cheap, easy to hacksaw/machine, take epoxy and glues reasonably well if roughed up with sandpaper, and can be connected quickly without the entire part needing to be rotated: www.supplyhouse.com/Viega-43333-1-2-PEX-Crimp-x-1-2-Lav-PureFlow-Adapter-Plastic-Nut?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvr6EBhDOARIsAPpqUPGraPc3viQLAhWwVsqUoTXtaWWGGC44WAORrPtf4qplBq41spV0VtEaArxFEALw_wcB On this video I may have been doing little UW photo ball mounts (again easy to fabricate with CF poles and 3D printed urethane) but later I switched to PEX. PEX is also good for DIY waterproof electrical connections. For Kaboat lights (and really any boat light), your best bet is to buy waterproof LED lights--which are never actually waterproof--then drill a tiny hole in the light and inject clear epoxy inside (I like SmoothOn 690) to bed the part forever in epoxy. It is then protected and will never leak or flood, and this doesn't hurt any kind of solid state electronics and in fact is better for them since the epoxy will dissipate heat better than air. When stitching together stuff like that for your boat you'll want to use both adhesive+mechanical connections as much as possible since most of the plastics are very glue resistant.. ie run a little 316 steel pin through the two parts and superglue that in, or if you're 3D printing, create hollows inside the piece so that when the parts are put together you can inject epoxy into the hollow and create an epoxy rivet (this is common with high end carbon fiber car bodies since the material is too brittle for screws and a marine environment CF presents a huge galvanic corrosion issue no matter what kind of metal you use). Sorry, a lot of this is just outside the scope of a little youtube video...

[@wlew3499]

Got lots of info from your video, thanks. Seems you're not happy with the boat(Considering your hard use). As you well know, the sk470xl which will solve all your flimsy boat issues. With a 15hp motor, cruise to Catalina in 1/3 time. Comes at bigger bucks, but would cure all. I have a SOAR inflatable(Oregon St) which is indestructible(used by divers) & motor equipped(all mega bucks). Am considering kaboat purchase for portability. Like most of your mods, spend lots of time on it.

[@SoCalSpearIt]

+w lew I am happy with the boat and would buy another one, mainly because I think the value and portability are unmatched. I load the whole boat, engine, and dive gear into an RX-8 (compact car). I would not consider the Kaboats incredibly durable but at 40lbs and $700 there is nothing close. I think I will get another year or two out of it. If I had space I would certainly get a RIB though. Most of the mods such as the electrical system (which should last many years) can be moved to the next vessel.

[@kiteandspear]

Nice setup and review. How did you puncture the tube repeatedly spearfishing? I am going to get one soon for that and want to avoid puncturing it.

[@SoCalSpearIt]

mostly climbing into the boat while wearing a stringer full of fish, the spines of the fish sometimes made micro holes. Also spiny lobsters in the bottom sometimes made tiny holes in the air floor. Putting the vinyl down stopped this and we no longer roll into the boat while wearing stringers of fish.

[@STARMedic28]

Great vid... Saturn needs to send you boats for free so you can test to failure... I found my way to your vid shopping for inflatable boats or catarafts to use on lakes, resevoirs, and larger streams to fish out of while deployed to remote construction sites...

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Thanks! Saturn actually gave me a pretty nice discount on the last kaboat I got for them (I'm on my second one). I need to make a new video of everything I did to the new one but haven't had time. They DO pay a referral bonus to existing customers which is pretty cool. You have to contact them whenever somebody buys a boat from them and lists you as a referral, but after they verify Saturn will straight up send you a check for $75 - $125 depending on the boat. A couple local guys were kind enough to buy one, remember to list me, and let me know.

[@SoCalSpearIt]

(and yeah, the first boat I did 'test to failure', basically flogged it right into the ground. After I got the new one I reinforced a few points right away, particularly where the plastic tubes are glued to sandwhich the transom I put half dozen through-hull bolts on each side.)

[@bloodypajamas1944]

im a college student really looking into getting one of these!

[@stevenmorris2293]

How did you purchase go ?

[@Trambo45]

Have you done a video on taking it to Catalina, I'm also in LA and was looking into one of these, always thought that crossing on boat this size would be a bit suicidal, am I wrong?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Most of the ocean footage in this video comes from those trips to Catalina so no plans for a specific video. I have a captain's license now so these days usually borrow a friend's boat if I want to go to Cat, or end up there on somebody else's vessel. I still use my own kaboat though multiple times a week year round day and night for my own training, hunting, teaching, guiding, usually in not more than a mile or two from shore although I occasionally still run it to Anacapa from Channel Islands Harbor. My rule has always been that I won't take the kaboat anywhere that I couldn't swim back if my life depended on it, and anyone who's in it is wearing a freediving wetsuit and ready to swim. It would be misery but I could swim back to LA from midchannel if in a wetsuit, plus I carry marine radio, flares, etc, and have vessel assist. Before taking my kaboat to Cat back then I had hundreds of miles in long coastal runs in it and had done LA/Cat runs dozens of times on other boats. As a professional captain I would absolutely not recommend a boat like this for getting to Catalina from LA but I did it about half dozen timeswhen I really wanted to go and didn't have a better option, and was happy to embrace those pillars of misery: cold, wet, tired, hungry. Glad to see the adventures are inspiring to others.

[@FirstLast-ml7yf]

My SK430 with no seats or oars (minimum boat) weighs 52 lbs.

[@saksirikridakara]

How long did it take to get to Catalina Island?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

On a good run, 2 or 2.5 hours. There were some long runs back to LA though, limping home at 6kts in a big seas, after 18 hours in the wetsuit, that little engine stalling out in the waves, taking 4 - 6 hours to make it home. Good old days :)

[@trippingonfaith7094]

Great setup! What are you using for nav lights? Thank you.

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Jimmy G ... the lights shown on this one were custom built by me and run off my electrical system. The new one has a nicer lighting system that also runs off my electrical system.

[@shaneribovich8314]

Do you have a tensioning screw for your throttle or some other way of keeping the throttle constant without needing to sit on the back and turn it? I don't understand why you would have a remote steering option otherwise. I would like to do a similar thing with my zodiac, so if you could explain the battery system, steering, and throttle control with more detail I would appreciate it. Thanks!

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Yes, this build had a tensioning screw--there was no way to change the throttle, just steer. If you have a zodiac I would just add a console and steering/throttle cables. That is not an option for a boat and motor this size. The advantage of remote steering was that for a long trip in open water it was more comfy to kick back and steer remote instead of babysit the throttle for 2 or 3 hours at a time.

[@Roberto-lc6yz]

How do you learn to navigate out to Catalina from so-cal?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

On a clear day you can easily see it from Los Angeles, but of course GPS and then compass for backup.

[@RR-id4rh]

this is hilarious im literally in the process of making a spearfishing vessel out of a 12ft kaboat. im looking at making it a semi rigid hull. any ideas?

[@RR-id4rh]

which i'm also making a diy electric steering out of a windsheild wiper motor and an arcade joystick lol.

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Yes, a semi rigid hull won't matter much with a small engine but with a larger engine it will be night and day... Not in this review but I have a 15' kaboat currently with a Suzuki 15hp engine, which although very light for its power is A LOT of torque for a kaboat and a good deal more than it is rated for. Without reinforcement under the air floor the entire front end will fold up when running full throttle and the transom looks and feels like it is gonna shear off. I went thorugh lots of reinforcement ideas, aluminum poles, 316 stainless, custom brackets, etc. Finally I just smoothed a couple of 9' white oak beams that are about 2"x4" each and keep them under the air floor. Works great like that and the weight of the wood helps. Reinforcing the transom shouldn't be necessary if you stay within the power ratings for the boat.

[@cdcab]

Is there a reason why you have the transducer mounted on the side rather than on the transom? Is there too much cavitation with the transducer mounted on the transom so close to the motor?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

I did not point it out specifically but the transducer is mounted on the transom, it's right by the starboard tube, and easily removable via a metal bracket and thumb screws. Cables run to the FF/GPS on the side tube. The transducer is not mounted in the video although you can see the aluminum plate the bracket screws into. When in place it lives a few inches below the hull. I made it removable so that it could be taken off before landing and launching on a beach, although we usually just rotate it up and go. The extra skegs help keep it from dragging on the ground. It lives very close to the prop but there is no other place to put it. Cavitation affecting accuracy isn't a huge deal, it'll read fine at speeds below 7 knots, which seems typical of most small boat fish finders. I am not sure if you could mount one of the fancier 3d bottom scan units on the kaboat, the basic one I have is fine for divers.

[@SuperStud171]

I seriously considering doing something like this, but I'm terrified of my engine failing while far off shore. What happened to the first 2 engines?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

The first was a 2.5hp two stroke, very reliable, very light, but not much engine, even for the kaboat. I sold it. I tried a 30 year old 9.8HP two stroke, way too heavy, ran it 35 miles in a day and then it wouldn't start when I got home and tried to flush it in the driveway. The four stroke I have now is really reliable although if it gets swamped enough inside the cowling it will get fussy. I've had the kaboat out in gale winds with it--not the smartest thing I've ever done... I did not fear for my life but I was pretty sure I was gonna lose the boat and all my gear. Other times I have been out in 8 to 10 foot seas doing coastal runs in NorCal with friends, not too bad provided there isn't too much wind and it's just swell. I wear my wetsuit in the boat, carry a radio/flares/compass, carry tow insurance, and when solo offshore wear a lanyard that goes to the kill switch.

[@SuperStud171]

Awesome. Super jealous man!

[@kinnysama]

What do you use to anchor it when you go diving?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

I use a 30lbs kettle bell. This is of course a ridiculously heavy anchor for a boat this size but I like it so that I can pin the boat directly over my spot with little to no scope in the anchor line. It will hold in any deep wreck or rock pile, even in a very strong current since the round bell falls into cracks and holes. It is no good over sand in a strong current but I never dive just on sand in a current.

[@darkerbrother1]

Can you go into some more detail on how you rigged up the controls on your tiller. Have you made it console steer also or do you plan on doing that? I was thinking that would even out the weight in the Kaboat and make it ride better or even faster

[@SoCalSpearIt]

The linear actuator is very simple, switching the polarity of the power wire changes the direction of the arm, so I used a marine grade DPDT switch to wire it up, and I bedded the switch inside a 3D printed handhold (you can see it in the video). It has about a 6' cord. The switch unit and cord is like everything else totally waterproof. There is no need to add a console; with just the existing controls I can sit in the middle of the boat and steer. And yes, it rides much better that way since the weight is more evenly distributed. After a couple hundred hours of use the first linear actuator failed on me, I am going try using a Lenco unit next, they are designed for immersion and running trim tabs so they should be able to withstand the vibration and salt water better. The electric tiller is very nice for long runs but you can also just use a pipe to extend the tiller and sit in the center of the boat...

[@kiteandspear]

SoCal Spear-It which lenco actuator would you use?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

I looked into it but haven't bought the part, I am currently steering the boat the old fashioned way... The part is 15129-001 (102 Fast actuator), it is a special item the factory makes which is geared to be faster than their standard actuators.

[@jplee3]

How has this been holding up for you as of late? I think I saw you mentioning that you got a 15'? Is that the SK470XL that you picked up? Looking into getting something for fishing (harbors, and in-shore/coastal, lakes, rivers) and harbor/lake/river cruising with the family (2 adults 2 kids). You think the SK430 would work out for this? I wanted something pretty portable that packs down but can accommodate. Do you pack yours down after each outing or leave it inflated all the time?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

Hello Jeremy... since making this video I got a second SK430 and modified it to take a 15hp engine. For goofing around with a family the XL would probably be a better choice. My friend has one of those and it's a little more boat and less kayak but still very portable. My current vessel can still pack down and fit in a tiny car but I leave it inflated since I have a slip at the harbor now with a jetski platform, so when not in use it's stored out of the water and covered with a tarp to keep sun and seagulls off it. It has held up great, much better than the last one, since constantly inflating/deflating/rolling it up puts a fair bit of wear on the boat (the one in this video I was doing that multiple times per week for a few years though, much, much more than most users ever will). I am actually in the process of designing and building a new boat from scratch so when I pull the kaboat out and retire her from active service I'll finally do that review I've been promising.

[@marvinmondezie1618]

@@SoCalSpearIt love the review in the video looking to do the same as you spearfishing but as Jeremy said some times will want to take the kids for a little ride and do some fishing with 2or 3 friends I myself interested in the xl version to your boat but what can I do too modify it so it will hold a 20hp what you did to yours so it could hold the 15hp thanks buddy

[@josephstracuzzi5414]

I'm thinking about adding additional skegs to my Kaboat to help with tracking when paddling. Was this a worthwhile upgrade or do you have any other suggestions? Perhaps a rudder would help accomplish the same thing?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

I don't paddle mine anymore but think a rudder would probably do way more than additional skegs.

[@josephstracuzzi5414]

Great, thanks for the advice! I plan on adding a fixed rudder to the transom.

[@quattro4468]

Is it flat bottom? If I were to fiberglass the bottom into a mild mod Vee you think it would help?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

The bottom is flat. If you put in stabilizing struts or plywood floor it will increase top speed by allowing for much bigger motor. A lot of things you do to the bottom would be at the expense of portabilty. Fiberglassing the bottom of the kaboat would be insane, you'd get 10x better value in just buy a RIB instead of modifying a kaboat to be kind of like a RIB. The F-RIBs out recently are a pricey but smart compromise.

[@quattro4468]

SoCal Spear-It cool beans. Thanks for responding.

[@EremosOutfitters]

Bro, how do you mount that fish finder?

[@SoCalSpearIt]

HH-66 glue for RailBlaza system

[@EremosOutfitters]

@@SoCalSpearIt Smart. Cheaper and more versatile than the fishfindermounts.com inflatable boat option. You da man.

[@bloodypajamas1944]

dood you fucking rock! thank you so much for this video

[@jeansandmyshirt]

is it made in china?

[@reddavis4808]

Korea I think.