Aquaglide McKenzie 125 Review
Rating
Performance: 8
Size/Weight: 10
Durability: 8
Setup: 9
Value: 9
OVERALL: 8.8
A great companion for any type of water.
If you’re looking for an easy to inflate kayak that performs well on the water, you’re in for an adventure with the Aquaglide Mckenzie 125! As an upscale version from its older models, it has made significant changes and you bet it’s definitely a competitive one on the market. At only 30lbs, this lightweight kayak is already built with a sturdy reinforced PVC construction and a large touring fin that really helps with tracking. Its Evo-Beam floor as opposed to drop-stitch is its major downside for us, but it offers impressive firmness for a non-drop-stitch kayak.
Comparison
Rank: #4
Open Size: Wider and spacious
Packed Size: Portable
Weight: Very light
Capacity: Higher
Perfect For: All types of water.
Pros: Easy to inflate, comfortable and versatile.
Cons: Not drop-stitch.
Verdict: Your go-to kayak for any type of water, but without the drop-stitch, just not quite there.
Skip ahead to First Impressions, Setup/Packdown, Paddling Experience, or the Final Verdict, check out how the Aquaglide McKenzie 125 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: 378 x 97cm
Packed Size: 76.2cm x 55.88cm x 43.18cm
Weight: 14kg
Capacity: 272kg
Approx Price: £817.87
First Impressions
The McKenzie 125 is undoubtedly one of the most versatile kayaks we’ve tried. As a hybrid model, it can switch from calm water to rapids with ease. At first, we weren’t sure if it would perform well on different waters as it’s rare to get a kayak that manages both calm and rough water equally well. This however, took us by surprise with its innovative adjustable design.
The detachable posi-track fin stood out and took us on a great flatwater touring experience. It’s made of flexible vinyl, which offers some peace of mind if you leave it in in shallower water. Although we’d love to see how well this kayak would perform if it had a drop-stitch floor, their choice of Evobeam floor, which has a raised V-shape hull on the bottom, helped with tracking, but it sacrifices a bit on speed.
Setup/Packdown
First thing worth mentioning is it comes with a portable backpack at 30lbs, good enough for a short hike down the river. We found it easy to unpack and inflate in less than 10 minutes, with only three main chambers to inflate. Taking a closer look, we like how the valves are designed, a simple quarter-turn on the pump nozzle to the valve and it locks in place easily.
The included paddles are detachable into halves for obvious storage purposes, and they’re easy to put together just like many paddles on the market. We liked that the paddles had markers to indicate the exact length of your paddles so both you and your kayak buddy get a more precise alignment when you’re on the water.
Did we mention this is also adjustable for a 1 person kayak? Aquaglide really went full versatility here! We loved the adjustable seats that came with sturdy straps and D rings to lock the seats in place.
Packing down was just as easy as setting up. After thoroughly rinsing it with fresh water, it only took around 8 minutes to deflate using the same manual pump, and fold back in place. No sweat!
Paddling Experience
There’s so much to say about our experience, but first: great tracking and manoeuvrability! Thanks to its vinyl fin, we spent a good time on the river.
The seats had six-point attachments and kept us right in place with full comfort. As mentioned earlier, these are adjustable to one person, but can also be adjusted to face each other. Is this a thing? We reckon this is a good idea when you’re taking a kid with you, or having fun snacks on the river, but that’s obviously for flatwater.
However - the kayak’s thick side tubes were slightly difficult to reach around when paddling. Unlike those designed with smaller and lower frames, getting the paddle from one side to the other required a little more effort so was tiring in the long run. But considering it contributes a lot to its stability, we don’t think it’s a big problem; just worth pointing out.
Final Verdict
This kayak is an excellent option, and it has versatility written all over it! If speed is your utmost priority, there are certainly more fast performing kayaks out there, and we’re always on the lookout for a firmer floor which this kayak lacks. But if we consider everything else, the Aquaglide McKenzie 125 has set the bar high with its sturdy construction, great tracking, and an endless list of adjustable features to fit just about any water adventure. All this for a reasonable price.
Want to see how the Aquaglide McKenzie 125 compares to other kayaks we tested? Head over to our list of the 2 Person Inflatable Kayak.
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.