Nairb,
Excellent suggestion. At the risk of too much information, I will now present a short-ish review of the Oru Bay ST kayak as there are definitely pluses and minuses.
My wife and I started out each with our own Oru Bay ST kayak last summer and this was our first real experience with kayaking. These boats are light at less than 30 pounds and they do fold up. Transporting 2 of them in a model 3 is possible in several different configurations. I was never able to fit both boats in the trunk unless I had the rear seat folded down, in which case one boat had to be pushed fairly far back on the folded seats to make room for the other boat. Eventually I just put one boat in the trunk and the other in the back seat (through the back door) without folding down the seats. I did put a towel under the boat in the back seat to keep the seat dry after using the boat.
In any case, transporting the boats was pretty easy and did not require any extra hardware. This is a definite plus. Also, these boats are lighter than any comparably sized boats, so they are easier to carry to and from the water.
Generally, these boats also feel fairly robust, so I don't have worries about them breaking through normal use. Also, if you are at all mechanically inclined, setting up and collapsing these boats is pretty easy. I got to the point where I could go from fully packed to on the water in about 10-12 minutes. Breakdown is even faster. Overall, set up times are equivalent to or just slightly longer than the time it takes to place and secure a "hard shell" kayak in a rack either on a trailer or roof.
Overall, we liked these boats, but ultimately we decided to take the plunge, buy a car top rack and get "hard shell" boats for reasons I will explain.
There are definite limits / downsides to the Oru boats.
First, the Bay ST is a 12' boat. It is fine for calm lakes and rivers, but by touring kayak standards, this is a bit short. The main disadvantage of this size is that the Bay ST is substantially slower than, for example, a good quality 14' hard shell touring boat. If you are just going out for a 45 minute gentle paddle / float, this won't matter much. But if you want to cover any substantial distance or paddle with a group, you would likely get frustrated. I was amazed about how much faster my 14'6" boat goes for the same level of effort.
Another consideration for more serious paddling is boat control. Most "serious" kayaks have multiple points of contact with the paddler, including foot pegs, thigh and hip braces. Having contact with these various points of the boat allows the paddler to lean the boat precisely which helps in maneuvering and also helps in avoiding capsizing (which is all too easy in a kayak). The Oru Bay ST has foot pegs, but they are not as secure, comfortable or well connected to the boat as are the pegs in hard shell boats. The Bay ST does not have thigh or hip braces.
Oru does offer a 16' folding boat (Coast XT) that (amazingly) folds up to about the same size as the Bay ST. While I have not paddled this boat, several reviews claim that it is about as fast as a comparable hard shell boat. Also, it includes thigh braces. Thus, this overcomes some of the downsides of the smaller Oru boats. On the other hand, for the price of the Coast, there are a number of really nice hard shell boats available.
There are a few other concerns as well. Because of they way the Oru boats are built, if they capsize and fill with water, they can actually sink. Even if they don't sink, they can take on enough water that they will no longer float when the paddler re-enters. To overcome this problem (which can be a serious safety issue if the paddler is too far from the shore to swim to safety) You need to purchase and use "float bags." These are basically heavy-duty balloons that you place inside the boat to enhance flotation in case of capsizing. Float bags are not overly expensive, but you do have to blow them up every time you use them, thus adding to the time and steps when assembling and breaking down the boats.
Finally, the seat in the Oru boats (and I think this applies across all models) is not very comfortable. Our experience is that your butt has had enough after about an hour. You can and should get extra pads to alleviate this, but even with the extra padding, we have found the seats in hard shell boats far more comfortable for much longer periods of time.
In summary, I would say if you are interested in casual paddling for 45 to 60 minutes at a time, the Oru boats are an easy choice that eliminate the need for any extra transportation equipment. If you think you will want to get more serious about paddling, you may find that you outgrow the Oru boats fairly quickly.
Another folding boat that has good reviews, but with which I have no personal experience, is Pakboats -
Pakboats.com -.
Another alternative is inflatable kayaks. I have researched these but have never used or owned one. A seemingly well respected brand is Advanced Elements -
Inflatable Kayaks | Inflatable SUPs | Kayak Accessories | Advanced Elements. Inflatable boats have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages, but they also don't require extra hardware for transportation.
Regardless of what type of boats you get, here are two more vital points.
1. Get a good quality personal flotation device (life jacket) for each paddler and always wear them. It is far too easy to drown and people routinely underestimate the risk.
2. Dress for the water temperature. It is not safe to paddle in water below 60* in the usual shorts and t-shirt. Below 60* and absolutely by 55* the risk of fast onset hypothermia and drowning is very high. Thus, if you plan to paddle in late fall, winter or early spring, look into wet suits or dry suits.
Good luck
