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The Aquaglide Deschutes 110 is built for solo paddlers who want a lightweight, quick-drying boat that sets up in minutes without sacrificing hull structure. Utilizing Aquaglide's Feather-Frame design, the boat combines single-layer Duratex PVC tube construction with an EVA-foam-covered rigid floor. The absence of nylon fabric covers means the entire boat sheds water instantly, keeping packed weight minimal and eliminating garage drying rituals. On the water, the Deschutes feels agile and responsive. The bow and stern feature molded plastic nose cones that cut through light wake, and the low-profile side tubes minimize windage compared to bulbous traditional inflatables. The cockpit is wide and open, making it exceptionally easy to enter and exit from docks or shallow beaches. The seat is well-cushioned with an adjustable high backrest that anchors securely to floor straps, giving you decent posture for long paddle sessions. The trade-off for its featherweight build is stiffness in heavy chop. While the floor is firm underfoot, it does not match the rigidity of a full drop-stitch platform, meaning you will feel waves flexing through the hull if conditions turn rough. However, for calm lakes, slow-flowing rivers, and paddlers who need to carry their boat from an apartment to the water without throwing out their back, the Deschutes is one of the most practical solos on the market. **Highlights** - Single-skin Duratex construction wipes dry instantly for immediate pack-down - Exceptionally lightweight design allows effortless solo carrying - Rigid nose cones improve wave penetration and directional stability - Low-profile tubes reduce lateral wind push on open lakes - Comfortable, highly adjustable seat with firm back support **Watch-outs** - Moderate hull flex when paddling through larger waves and wakes - Open cockpit design allows windblown spray to enter easily
Pros
- Weighs only 19 pounds for painless solo carrying and transport
- Single-skin Duratex PVC wipes completely dry in seconds
- Low-profile side chambers significantly reduce crosswind drift
- Molded nose cones cut water cleaner than blunt inflatable bows
Cons
- EVA floor lacks the rigid stiffness of a high-pressure drop-stitch mat
- Open cockpit takes on water readily in heavy wind chop or wake
- Hull flexes noticeably when traversing steep swells
Best uses
- Flatwater Lake Exploring
- Slow River Touring
- Apartment-Based Paddling
- Quick Evening Workouts
Specifications
- Weight
- 19 lbs (8.6 kg)
- Length
- 11 ft (335 cm)
- Capacity
- 300 lbs (136 kg)
- Hull Material
- Reinforced single-skin Duratex PVC
- Floor Style
- EVA foam over rigid structural base
- Packed Dimensions
- 30 x 17 x 11 inches
Pricing
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Full catalog listing & offersBest for
Flatwater Lake Exploring, Slow River Touring, Apartment-Based Paddling, Quick Evening Workouts
Where to buy the Deschutes 110
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Most inflatable kayaks trade portability for a miserable post-paddle chore: waiting days for damp polyester covers to dry in your garage. The Aquaglide Deschutes 110 eliminates that hassle entirely. Clocking in at just nineteen pounds, this single-skin solo boat uses Aquaglide's Duratex PVC, which repels water on contact. When you pull up to the boat ramp, a quick wipe with a microfiber towel is all it takes to prep the hull for long-term storage in an apartment closet or trunk. Designed around an open-deck layout, the Deschutes balances a rigid bow and stern cone system with low-profile side bladders. This geometry cuts down on the kite-like windage that plagues taller, bulbous inflatables on wide lakes. The internal Feather-Frame design and EVA floor provide enough structure underfoot to step in cleanly from a dock, while keeping packed dimensions compact enough to carry over your shoulder. You give up the rock-hard rigidity of a high-pressure drop-stitch floor when water turns rough, but for flatwater cruisers, after-work paddlers, and solo explorers who dread heavy gear, the Deschutes strikes a rare balance of convenience, comfort, and respectable glide.
Hull Materials and Packability
The primary selling point of the Deschutes 110 is its single-skin Duratex construction. Cheaper inflatables often wrap internal vinyl bladders inside stitched fabric sleeves. That design traps silt and water, doubling the pack-out weight and fostering mold if stored damp. Aquaglide builds the Deschutes out of smooth, heavy-gauge reinforced PVC that sheds water instantly. The structural crossbars and rigid molded nose cones fold neatly without requiring you to fight the hull into its carry bag. Rolling the boat down takes under two minutes once the main valves are dumped. Because the material doesn't hold moisture, you can pack it into a vehicle trunk immediately after an outing without soaking your carpet. At 19 pounds, it is light enough to hike down steep dirt banks or carry several blocks to an urban launch without breaking your back.
Flatwater Tracking and Windage
Paddling an inflatable on an exposed reservoir often feels like steering a bouncy castle in a gale. The Deschutes 110 combats this with low-diameter side tubes and sharply molded bow and stern caps that slice light wake instead of riding over it. The underside accepts a removable plastic tracking fin that keeps the stern planted, significantly reducing the side-to-side yaw common in flat-bottom inflatables. While you will not keep pace with a sixteen-foot composite touring kayak, the Deschutes tracks exceptionally straight for an eleven-foot inflatable solo. Its low freeboard exposes less surface area to crosswinds, meaning you spend less energy counter-paddling on breezy afternoons. It accelerates promptly with moderate paddle strokes, though its short waterline means top cruising speed caps out quickly if you attempt aggressive sprint intervals.
Rigidity and Water Limitations
The trade-off for the ultralight frame is structural rigidity when running into moderate chop or boat wake. Aquaglide relies on an integrated EVA foam floor with structural thwarts rather than a 10-PSI drop-stitch air mat. On calm inland lakes and slow-moving rivers, this floor feels comfortably firm under your heels and insulates well against cold water. However, if you paddle through three-foot powerboat wakes or choppy coastal bays, the hull will flex noticeably along its center line. The open cockpit design also means that breaking swell or wind-driven spray rolls straight over the bow and onto your lap. This is an inland craft meant for flatwater and Class I rivers; attempting to take it into technical whitewater or heavy ocean swell will quickly overwhelm the cockpit and compromise your directional control.
Cockpit Comfort and Adjustability
The open-cockpit architecture makes the Deschutes 110 easy to climb into, whether stepping down from a wooden dock or wet-launching off an uneven gravel bank. The included seat features a tall, rigid backrest supported by adjustable webbing straps that anchor securely to the cockpit floor. Unlike squishy pool-toy cushions, this seat back provides genuine lumbar support that prevents slouching over a two-hour paddle. An adjustable footrest tube braces against the side walls, giving you solid leverage to engage your core on forward strokes. Tall paddlers over six feet will find sufficient legroom to stretch out completely, with ample clearance between their knees and the gunwales. The rear cargo deck includes bungee rigging for a small cooler or dry duffel, while front tie-downs hold a water bottle within quick reach.
Setup and Field Tuning
Inflating the Deschutes requires minimal physical effort thanks to low-volume chambers that reach proper pressure in three to five minutes with an ordinary dual-action hand pump. The boat uses reliable high-flow valves with clear push-pin operations for quick filling and instant deflation. Because the floor uses rigid frame integration rather than high-pressure inflation, you do not need to pump until your arms ache at 10 or 12 PSI; standard working pressures are modest and forgiving. One tuning note: always double-check the stern fin slide lock before launching in silty shallows, as sand can wedge behind the latch plate. If you intend to paddle in sunny conditions, keep an eye on chamber firmness; single-skin dark PVC warms quickly in direct summer sun, causing chamber pressure to rise slightly over extended afternoon sessions.
Comparisons and Buyer Verdict
When stacked against the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame, the Deschutes 110 wins decisively on pack weight and dry time. The AdvancedFrame is exceptionally stiff due to aluminum bow ribs, but its fabric exterior soaks up water and adds nearly fifteen pounds of carry weight. Compared to fully rigid drop-stitch kayaks like the Aquaglide Chelan 120 or Sea Eagle RazorLite, the Deschutes gives up hull stiffness and open-water speed in exchange for a lower price tag and a featherweight carry. If you regularly battle choppy open bays, invest in a drop-stitch model. But if your goal is low-friction ownership—tossing a boat in your hatchback for quiet lake paddles, winding creeks, and no-headache maintenance—the Deschutes 110 is one of the most practical solo inflatables money can buy.
How we picked
We started with a long list of inflatable kayaks that people actually buy, cut anything that could not clear our baseline for durability and field performance, then ranked the 10 that were left against the same criteria. Rankings are editorial. No brand pays for placement, and affiliate links never move a pick up or down.
- Real-world durability
- How the material, stitching, or steel holds up after a season of hard use — not how it looks new.
- Performance in bad conditions
- Wind, rain, cold, and grit are the test. Anything that only works on a nice day gets marked down.
- Weight and packability
- Every ounce has to earn its place in the pack, but not at the cost of something that fails in the field.
- Ease of use
- Setup, adjustment, and maintenance with cold hands, in the dark, without the manual.
- Value at its price point
- Compared against the closest competitors in the same tier, not against cheaper gear in a different class.
- Repairability and support
- Field-fixable design, available parts, and a warranty the maker actually honors.
Deschutes 110 — frequently asked questions
- Is the Deschutes 110 worth it?
- We rank it #5 in Inflatable Kayaks. The Aquaglide Deschutes 110 is built for solo paddlers who want a lightweight, quick-drying boat that sets up in minutes without sacrificing hull structure. Utilizing Aquaglide's Feather-Frame design, the boat combines single-layer Duratex PVC tube construction with an EVA-foam-covered rigid floor.
- What is the Deschutes 110 best for?
- Best for flatwater lake exploring, slow river touring, apartment-based paddling and quick evening workouts. Standouts: weighs only 19 pounds for painless solo carrying and transport and single-skin duratex pvc wipes completely dry in seconds.
- What are the downsides of the Deschutes 110?
- EVA floor lacks the rigid stiffness of a high-pressure drop-stitch mat, Open cockpit takes on water readily in heavy wind chop or wake and Hull flexes noticeably when traversing steep swells.
- What are the key specs of the Deschutes 110?
- Weight: 19 lbs (8.6 kg) · Length: 11 ft (335 cm) · Capacity: 300 lbs (136 kg) · Hull Material: Reinforced single-skin Duratex PVC · Floor Style: EVA foam over rigid structural base
- Hull Materials and Packability — what should I know about the Deschutes 110?
- The primary selling point of the Deschutes 110 is its single-skin Duratex construction. Cheaper inflatables often wrap internal vinyl bladders inside stitched fabric sleeves.
- Flatwater Tracking and Windage — what should I know about the Deschutes 110?
- Paddling an inflatable on an exposed reservoir often feels like steering a bouncy castle in a gale. The Deschutes 110 combats this with low-diameter side tubes and sharply molded bow and stern caps that slice light wake instead of riding over it.
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