I've been looking for a handy lightweight combination of kit for small bathy surveys for a while, something that can be carried in a rucksack. i just don't do enough of that work to justify a USV, so I reckoned I'd try combining an Alpacka packraft with the RTK GPS kit and the Sonarmite single beam echo sounder. The resulting outfit is about 15 kilos. It says something about tech and manufacturing that here in the UK I needed a packraft made in Colorado, a GPS made in Kansas and a data collector made in Utah. At least the sounder is made in the UK!
About 5 years ago I had to cross-section about 1800' of a former creek (now dammed at both ends so really a long narrow pond).?ÿ I bought a 2-person Sea Eagle inflatable kayak for the job.?ÿ It worked fine, but it's heavy -- about 26 lbs not counting the paddle, pump, or stowage bag -- and bulky (wouldn't fit in any backpack I've ever seen).?ÿ I used my Fold-It aluminum cart to haul it from my truck to the water.?ÿ I used a battery-powered pump to inflate it, which made for pretty quick setup.