Boatworld 365 Inflatable Kayak Boat

Review of Boatworld Kayak 365

Overall: a brilliant little boat, and although there are issues, the issues are use-dependant.

After much thought (and using/owning other SIBs), I purchased a boatworld kayak boat 365. I was looking for "the smallest and lightest boat to take two people and kit". In these respects it really delivers.

I have it set up with an e-propulsion spirit 1.0 plus (so mainly using at displacement speeds about 5 knot), and mainly use it for freediving, and have used it several times now.

Pros:
Stability. It's really stable, a big person can board the empty boat from deep water over a side tube without any danger of the boat tipping/capsizing - it barely tilts (two people on the same tube is probably not advised though). I have used it in up to 4ft swell, and it handled fine.
Size (packed): packed this boat fits into a single car seat (and my back car seats are more of a parcel shelf), so it is very portable.
Size (inflated): with sensible arrangement of equipment/storage bags, the boat can easily fit two large adults, with full kit.
Weight: it's about 30kg. Two people can easily lift and carry it with the outboard.
Decent handling through chop, although above 90cm you may get wet.
It feels well built, good strong PVC, nice valves. Even had someone who probably should not be driving tried to run over the packed boat with their SUV, with zero damage!

Cons:
The seat design is bad and can pop out when boarding. One end comes out and wedges below the tube. I guess the slide-on clip isn't strong enough, and large movements pushing the tubes combined with vertical weight changes are too much for it. To be fair I have had the same on my boatworld air V deck 330 SIB just moving through heavy chop (it has longer and narrower seats) - so I guess it's a general boatworld flaw. To compare: honwave-style seats don't suffer this issue. As it's super annoying and unable to be reset when down, I now just don't use the seats and sit on the tube.
It would be a good design addition to have a small D-ring mounted under the mid-bow for effective anchoring in swell.
The bailing valve isn't great, and needs to be more watertight when closed.
The bag is too big. I have a feeling that they used the same bag as for the next size up, as when the boat is deflated the "long side" straps fully close before putting any pressure on the deflated boat. It's a bit disappointing for a boat which has key advantages of being small. If the same bag is to be used it would make more sense to have longer straps set further back so it’s more adaptable.

Overall, I recommend it. The main downsides are when using it for diving – and not using the seats isn’t a big deal for me.

Video review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCjq5p6RScs

Highly recommend the 435 with a 6hp. Lighter than most big inflatables by a considerable amount and rolls up much narrower, thus easy to get into the car. Dry ride, even when hitting big waves or wake from powerboats. Rows very well. A 3.5hp is enough for mucking about, a 6hp for longer distance or an 8hp would be a mini sports boat!

Much prefer this to my previous Honwave 380 with a 15hp. I needed an erde trailer, launching wheels, seperate fuel tank etc. and two people to lift it.

Bought last year as an alternative to my kayak for inshore lure and fly fishing for bass. Definitely a one person boat if you want to fish, but has also carried two of us when using it as a tender.
I have rigged it with both seats pushed together at the furthest forward position, which gives a wide enough platform to fix a kayak seat to the aluminium seats for a little extra height when fishing and the comfort of a backrest. The support straps from the kayak seat are clipped to a couple of extra glue on d-rings.
2.5hp suzuki on the back, which pushes it along fine. To trim the boat, I have found that it is best to drive kneeling in the bottom of the boat behind the seats, facing forwards. This gives good fore and aft and lateral trim, and it is easy to reach behind you for the tiller handle. It also means you can steer the boat by leaving the outboard in a central position and leaning from side to side to edge the hull, which has earned me a few funny looks....
The oars are pointless-unless you are under about 4 foot tall, the boat is impossible to row as you cannot clear your knees. I have taken the oars off, and instead have added a glue on paddle holder for my kayak paddle, which works well for close quarter stuff-you wouldn't want to paddle too far due to the wind resistance. Perhaps you could consider doing away with the oars and supplying a kayak paddle instead, as at least one of your competitors do with a similar craft.
I keep the boat inflated during the season and transport it on the car roof. The light weight was a major factor in my choice, as it is dead easy to get up and down from the roof rack. It is easy to move on dry land with the outboard attached using a c-tug type kayak trolley with a short extension on the strap. The disassembled trolley then fits neatly in the bow.
I have also added a rod holder using a glue on mount, and similarly a portable fish finder set up using a transducer arm designed for kayaks. I am currently working out how to fit an electric trolling motor for next season using some sort of cross bar arrangement.
Overall, very pleased. Gets me to my fishing marks quickly and with no fuss, and provides a surprisingly stable and comfortable platform when you get there. More affected by the wind than a kayak when drifting, but the judicious use of a drogue counteracts this. From a safety point of view, treat it like a kayak-proper clothing, buoyancy aid, vhf, etc., and you should be fine.
Looking around at similar boats, either available in the UK or to import from the States, the pricing is extremely competitive.
I have given it four stars rather than five, as I think there could be a few deign improvements. A single, slightly wider seat would be better than the two supplied, as two seats in a boat this size really doesn't work. Also, I rather doubt that the person who designed it has ever tried to row it!