ADVANCED ELEMENTSKayak Backbone

I tried the AE Sport Kayak without the backbone and found it to be a little slower than I had hoped. I measured my speed to be about 2 MPH at a casual paddle speed and 3.2 MPH at a "fast pace" (but not top speed).I purchased the backbone and my speeds increased to about 2.7 MPH casual and 4 MPH at a "fast pace". This is a significant improvement in speed and the kayak now seems to "glide" across the water. I think that I could easily keep up with some of the cheaper and flatter hard shells out there.However, I went kayaking with my daughter in her AE Sport Kayak. She does not use a backbone. We decided that she really doesn't need it since her speeds match mine without the backbone.So here is the deal.... it really all depends on your weight. I see people say that the backbone made no difference for them. I have to imagine that these people are probably pretty light to begin with. My daughter is 5'3" and 120 pounds while I am 5'10' and 185 pounds. Due to my extra weight, I have significantly more drag and flex in the bottom of the boat without the backbone. This causes extra drag which slows me down. Adding the backbone increases rigidity allowing me to keep up with my daughter. For her, the backbone would probably add very little benefit given that her weight is not enough to cause the kayak to flex/sag, thus her drag is already fairly low.If you are heavier and notice a lot of drag due to sag in your boat, then the backbone will definitely help. If you have very little sag to begin with, the backbone will likely not provide a noticeable improvement for the money spent. For me, the backbone means the difference between struggling to keep up with my daughter and gliding comfortably along side her. If I am going to go kayaking by myself and don't need the extra speed, I will leave the backbone at home because the AE Sport works fairly well in the calm water that I kayak in. But if I am going to go with someone else and have concerns about keeping up, I will definitely take the backbone.

I thought I had reviewed this thing, but I guess I discussed it in my kayak review. I have the AdvancedFrame Sport and decided to try this thing after a few YouTube videos recommended it. I didn't notice a big difference at first, but I had little paddling experience then, and I used it consistently anyway. When I decided to save a little time by omitting it a few months later, I noticed a big difference in tracking. It adds a little time to inflating and packing the kayak, but it's worth the effort. You must partially inflate the kayak before inserting it and partially deflate before removing it, and you should carefully align it with the ribs at the bow and stern before fully inflating. The mesh carrying bag is convenient and also fits my bilge pump.

I got this for discount price and it came later than expected.. surely delivery speed is not good but product itself is very good. I enjoy this backbone with my AE sport, and having backbone with this kayak way better than not having it. My Advanced Element sport became faster and stronger but my butts hurts little bit. Surely, you may need to have extra seat or towel under it than you are ready to fly zoommmm.. I love AE sport, it's big enough and easy to get off and get in.. but little work to unfold it.. I was thinking lagoon 1 should be easier to make it ready but sport is better in performance..

This backbone is easy to install when you want to make the Advanced Elements Sport Kayak stiffer for open water paddling. It is important to get it well centered otherwise it will make the boat want to turn to once side or the other, but once you get it in straight it helps make the boat faster. It's well worth using for open water paddling but not needed for rivers where constant turning needed.

Installed this in my Advanced Elements tandem from day 1. After 7 trips, mostly in SF Bay, am happy that the boat tracks well in wind, tides, and wind chop. I credit the backbone!

I bought the backbone to enhance the performance of my advanced frame sport model. Upon trying to assemble the item, the instructions state, in bold letters, do not use in rivers or whitewater. Shallow water can cause EXTREME DAMAGE to your kayak due to the a rigid beam of the backbone. No where, before purchase does it mention that. I paddel in mostly shallow water so this is useless to me.

I would give this four stars, however, the product ordered does not fit the single man kayak, but rather the two man kayak. Instead of sending it back, I took one of the poles closest to the head that fits under the pontoon, and cut 7"1/8 off of it using a miter-box saw with a standard blade. I then used a 3/8" drill bit to create a new hole for the button. After doing this, it fits my solo Advanced Elements Expedition kayak perfectly. Adds a good deal of rigidity to the whole boat. I would recommend this item if you are handy enough to make the modifications.

The inflatable kayak is working out well! Love it. The backbone helps it track well.