Bartlett Y Pontoon

A straight pontoon gives you one edge to tie against, so a second craft ends up rafted off the first one and someone climbs over a hull. The Y opens into two arms with water between them. Your boat noses into the middle, the kayaks or the ski sit on the outer edges, and everybody walks on the deck instead of over the gear. It also gives you a sheltered pocket of water in the middle, which is where the kids end up swimming.

The 4 metre is the family version. Six adults, 23kg, packs into a 55 x 45 x 30cm bag and fits in a boot. The 8.5 metre is a different animal: twelve adults, 42kg, and a 65 x 50 x 50cm bag. Buy the 4 metre if it's mostly one boat and your family. Buy the 8.5 metre if you're mooring several craft or you host a crowd on the water. Note the 4 metre actually has more grab handles, at seven against four.

Yes, and that comes down to the construction. Drop-stitch fabric runs thousands of threads between the top and bottom skins, so at 4 or 5 PSI it holds flat instead of bulging under your weight. Walking on it feels closer to a floating jetty than an air bed. The D-rings around the edge are what make it flexible: 26 on the 4 metre and 34 on the 8.5, so you can anchor it, tie it to a jetty, or join it to another Bartlett deck.

The hand pump is in the box and inflating it is a start-of-day job. Getting it to the water is easier than the weight suggests because of the grab handles down the sides. On the 4 metre one person can drag it across grass. On the 8.5 metre you want a hand. Packed, both go into their carry bag and store in the corner of a shed over winter.