It would sure be good for that, but it is also rather expensive.

If your friends have room for storing it, a rigid canoe may be just as good for them. It would be heavier (or expensive!), but you can drag a canoe through mud and grass with the load inside it.

The Ally construction is really cost effective only if
a) the ability to pack it in the trunk or carry it is really important
OR
b) you do white water stuff.

Oh, and do get a pair of wheels - on hard surfaces it is really great to be able to wheel the canoe with the load inside it. Basically a pair of wheels where you balance the canoe, and you need some kind of V-shaped frame so it doesn't slide all over the place. Something like this:
Example
If you have friends who can weld they could make one of those in a couple of hours.


Come to think of it, I've heard some good things about the Packrafts / Alpacka rafts too. I'm not familiar with those. I don't think the models I've heard of can come anywhere close to the load capacity of a canoe, but for all I know they come in big sizes, too.