Aqua Marina Memba 390 Kayak Review
Rating
Performance: 6
Size/Weight: 7
Durability: 7
Setup: 7
Value: 6
OVERALL: 6.6
A touring kayak that actually fits into your car boot.
The Aqua Marina Memba 390 is one of those inflatables that quietly proves you do not need a hard-shell to have a proper touring kayak experience. It is aimed at those who want to cover some distance, go on real adventures and still be able to pack everything into a backpack at the end of the day. It promises strong tracking, solid stability and long-term durability and overall it feels like a serious bit of gear rather than a casual beach toy.
Comparison
Rank: #6
Open Size: Long and sleek
Packed Size: Mid-size, moderate
Weight: Moderate
Capacity: High
Best For: Couples or mates who want a portable kayak for real day trips and touring.
Pros: Excellent tracking, strong build, stable, packs into a car easily.
Cons: Seats lack long-term comfort, pack-down can be fiddly, would love a little more length as the back paddler can be quite cramped.
Verdict: A serious inflatable touring kayak that delivers great performance with a few comfort trade-offs.
Skip ahead to First Impressions, Setup/Packdown, Paddling Experience, or the Final Verdict, check out how the Aqua Marina Memba 390 compares to others in our list of the Top Ten 2 Person Inflatable Kayaks or see how we choose the best inflatable kayak.
Specs:
Open Size: 390x90cm
Packed Size: 84x64x33cm
Weight: 17kg
Capacity: 180kg
Approx Price: £335.00
First Impressions
When you first pull the Memba 390 out of the bag, it feels reassuringly tough. The materials are thick, the seams look well finished, and the drop-stitch floor immediately stands out as something more advanced than your average inflatable.
Once inflated, it has a proper kayak shape, long and narrow, not short and chunky like a lot of recreational inflatables. It feels stable beneath you and gives off that ‘this will go the distance’ vibe. The cockpit is wide enough (but could do with a little more length), and the overall look is clean and practical rather than flashy.
Setup/Packdown
Setup is not difficult, but there is a bit of a routine to it. You need to insert the drop-stitch floor correctly first, then inflate the side chambers and finally pump up the floor to higher pressure. It takes around 10 minutes with the included pump, which is pretty reasonable for a tandem kayak (as usual, we would recommend using an electric pump for faster inflation with less effort, but that’s just our preference). The pressure gauge is a big help, as getting the balance right between the chambers really matters for performance.
Packing it down is slightly more fiddly. The removable floor is great because you can dry everything properly, but it also adds an extra step. Folding and rolling the whole lot back into the bag can feel like a bit of Tetris, especially if you are in a hurry or everything is still damp, but it will all fit in the end. Also keep in mind that the fabric covering needs to be dried properly before long-term storage to avoid mould - we were lucky with some sunny weather that we left it half-inflated in and it dried in a few hours, but in rain that would be a challenging extra step.
Paddling Experience
With its twin fins, tracking is good for an inflatable of this length given it is relatively shorter for a two-person inflatable. It holds a straight line reasonably well, which makes longer paddles far less tiring. The drop-stitch floor also makes it feel more solid, with none of that spongy bounce you get from softer inflatables. It handles calm rivers, lakes and even light chop with confidence, and it feels stable and predictable even with two people on board.
It is not the fastest kayak in the world, but it has reasonable glide due the drop-stitch floor. It would be outperformed by kayaks that have a firmer structure around the bow and stern and are therefore able to slice more cleanly through the water, which is difficult to find at this price point. Stability is very good and it feels forgiving enough for less experienced paddlers while still being capable enough for more ambitious trips.
Something to consider is it’s not particularly manoeuvrable given the placement of the two fins (one at the back and at the front). The fin placement is definitely intended to prioritise straight-line tracking, so in environments where manoeuvrability is more important (for instance narrow canals, leisurely exploration, family use or whitewater), you would need to either remove the front fin or select a different kayak. The removal of the middle fin definitely compromises the kayak’s tracking ability as there’s little other firm structure built into the hull to keep it on course, so that’s something to consider.
As we mentioned earlier, at under 4 metres long it’s also quite short for two adults, especially if you’re taller. Our back paddler was 195cm tall and his feet had to encroach into our front paddler’s space. With two smaller paddlers it would probably be more comfortable.
Final Verdict
The Aqua Marina Memba 390 is an impressive inflatable at this price point that gets the important things right. It tracks well, feels well-built and is tough enough to handle years of use without falling apart. The main compromises are comfort (with the short length of the kayak) and paddling performance - you’re not going to get the glide and efficiency of a high-pressure touring inflatable, but that’s difficult to find at this price point. The fabric outer shell also means you’ll need to ensure you have space and time to dry the kayak off properly before storing. Still, if your priority is durability and portability in one package, the Memba 390 is a good choice for the price.
Want to see how the Aqua Marina Memba 390 compares to other kayaks we tested? Head over to our list of the Best Two-Person Inflatable Kayaks.
Water & Outdoors reviews are written by our staff writers, who combined have over fifty years of experience on the water and outdoors. We may earn commissions if you choose to buy through a link you’ve clicked on our website, however this does not influence our reviews. For more information, please see our Editorial Policies.