Review of JK Fun Floats

FUN FLOATS REVIEW

Most people don’t get too excited when they think about float bags. They just sort of hang out in your boat and they either hold air or they don’t. I have an entire shelf of them in some state of decay lying downstairs but I have to say when JK came out with the Fun Floats I changed my attitude about how cool float bags can be. I’ve always used float bags in my creek boats but had gotten away from using them in my play boats because of what a hassle they always seemed to be to get them to stay put. It seemed like they were always popping out and shifting and never quite fit right–either too small or too large.

For over three years now I have been using the Fun Floats and Creek Floats in all of my boats and the best thing about them is that I no longer have to think about them.
If you don’t know what they look like picture a big inflated U shaped one -piece bag.
They fit around the end of the bulkhead in the back and once you get them positioned and blown up they are virtually maintenance free for the life of your boat. No more constantly pushing those old triangles back in the boat, no tying them down so they don’t blow out on the car or get washed out in a swim. They are always there, you never have to remember to put them back in your boat and your boat floats higher with little room for water to drag it down if you swim. It is easy to deflate them a bit and stuff shoes, a dry bag or whatever under them, blow them back up and not have to worry about stuff shifting when you boat. That is huge in a playboat. The ends are asymmetrical so there is plenty of room on one side to carry a throw rope or dry bag or whatever for easy access in the back. They are coated nylon and I have no idea what they weigh but you won’t notice anything different with them in or out of your boat.

I know JK says to remember to deflate them a bit when the boat is out in the sun and I usually try to do this but I have left them fully inflated on the hot sand of the Grand Canyon for hours and they haven’t blown up yet. I try to keep my boat clean and I am sure this has added to their life so if your boat looks more like something Pigpen would be happy sitting in then these might not be a good match for you but I am sure any of the coated nylon bags require the same care. The hardest part of dealing with the bags is when you sell your boat and have to take them out. You don’t want to tug on one end to pull them out because the middle of the U could tear when it pulls around the end of the bulkhead. I was warned about this so it has never happened to me but it could happen. It is easy enough to shove one end down to the end of the boat and gently tug them through and out.

I haven’t purchased bags in a while so I have no idea what other brands sell for these days and these babies aren’t cheap but considering how long they last and how well they function I think Fun Floats are well worth the price. I consider it insurance for my boat; if my boat sunk or got damaged from a swim because it was full of water it would then certainly be more than worth the price of these bags. One other kind of cool use for the Fun Floats, which are smaller in volume than the Creek Floats, is if you do a lot of overnight trips or carry a lot of gear in your boat you can use them in your Creeker in addition to whatever other bags you need and you get the same floatation benefit as with the larger Creek Floats but a lot more storage near the cockpit.

They are sold in the JK Store so check them out! You won’t be disappointed.

hilde