I am looking to get this Necky Tornak. It was originally purchased in 97. Pictures look great and allegedly its but stores in side. Should I be concerned about the age? Does plastic degrade ? Pictures the color still seems bright and not uv washed out. No dents or bad scratches from what I can see. Any experience with this kayak? I can find anything on it. I've found info on a fiberglass longer version of it in the review section here.
I was also looking at a manitou 13 for 500. I feel like I need to get an answer to either sellers asap today to set up a time to pick up this week they are long drives in a neighboring state so I don't think I could look at both.
Necky Tornak Offered at $350 (purchased new in ’97 for $1100)
▪ Red plastic (polyethylene) touring kayak with “U” shaped hull
▪ Cockpit has comfortable seat with adjustable back rest
▪ Rudder with adjustable pedals, engages from cockpit
▪ Bow and Stern bulkheads with hard hatch covers
▪ Grab handles at bow and stern
▪ Deck lines for securing gear
▪ Fits small, medium or large paddlers
▪ Excellent stability
▪ Good performance and turn control
▪ Length: 14’10”
▪ Weight: 57-60 lbs
▪ Cockpit:
▪ Owner’s manual included
carefully inspect a few items on Necky
such as the neoprene hatch covers under the hard ones as the soft ones keep water out. Likewise make sure foam bulheads are intact. These can be re-adhered with Lexcel or similar. Deck bungees are easy to replace. Check movement and function of rudder as I recall these have a sliding mechanism with foot braces and can issues. Verify age with last 2 digits on hull number. If the boat was well stored, the plastic likely has some good paddling years left. If this kayak gets you on the water and puts a smile on your face, then great deal for you! Please properly attach to your vehicle for ride home and to/from the water.
Thanks
Awesome thanks for the tips. I have to use foam blocks and tie downs to get it home which I’m a little nervous about will definitely be looking for a rack though. I need to inspect the straps and stuff tonight might pick up some extras.
Saturday or Sunday I should be going
Enjoy!
Don’t sweat your foam blocks and tie-downs. That’s all I use and they work fine.
Seller
Seller also just offered some extra Thule straps to me as well just in case so I should be fine. Hopefully everything looks good when I get there but I have a good feeling about it
Tornak
As I recall it was intended for medium to smaller paddlers, so if you’re a big guy, check the fit. Snapdragon is a source for neoprene hatch covers if needed. If you’re going to have the boat a while and want to upgrade it, you might consider replacing Necky’s sliding pedal system with one of the “gas pedal” types like SealLine or similar. That was the best change I ever made for the old Necky I used to have.
Cockpit is 31.5" x 19".
The cock pit should Should definitely fit me fine. And thanks for the time I’ll have a look at the cover s
misc comments
The boat sizing for small to medium paddler and cockpit sizing are different issues. If the boat was made for smaller to medium, and you are large, the boat may sit too low in the water to get optimum performance. Even if you fit in the boat Ok.
To check for sun exposure, compare places where sun doesn’t shine to exposed. Like under the straps that hold down the plastic hatch covers. Or inside of hatch covers. Some discoloration is fine, but it is a sign that the boat has been exposed and could be more brittle than a new plastic.
If it has the black sea (which a boat of this year likely does), I found them to be uncomfortable on longer paddles. made my legs fall asleep. Padding or inflatable bags under thighs could help alleviate this, if that happens to you. A newer boat likely has a more comfortable seat, so something to consider. I’ve had a bunch of Neckys over the years, and never was that happy with the seats. The seats on my dagger and Jackson (both come from white water backgrounds) are so much better.
replacement
I would image you could replace the seats though right or no not really?
possibly
Most plastic boats, the seats are attached somehow, not molded (as some composite boats are). So they should be replaceable. I planned to replace one once and bought a new seat, but would start it and hit some road block and never did it. Finally sold the seat. But I am not as much of a tinkerer as I sometimes wish I was.
If you are going to drop $100 for new seat and then time to install, maybe it is better to just get the Manitou?
Seats
You really should check the weight guidance for the boat as previously mentioned. If you have to replace the seat and other components the boat is not that good a deal.It’s a 19yo boat.
How about
… they should pay you to take it off their hands?
Depends on what you want
You don’t mention where you’re located or your intended use. I think the Manitou is fine for putzing around the marina, ponds, & small lakes. I have one. It’s my lounging boat. It’s definitely comfy for that use. If you’re considering ocean use, IMHO the Tornak gets the nod. One of my Neckys (Arluk 2) had the black seat Peter mentions. I was in it for some 6 hour crossings & didn’t mind it at all, although some do, so YMMV. If they’re in good shape, either boat is ok to put a little $$ into to suit yourself, but I wouldn’t spend a lot.
Tornak?
Wasn’t that Spock’s father-in-law’s name?
Reasoning
Reason behind this comment?
Might
You know you might be right
mix
definitely so smaller lakes and ponds theyre all over. Also bigger lakes and the hudson river. I definitely would lake that boat give me some growing room in terms of skills and destinations. I am looking at the tornack tomorrow if I don’t like what i see the manitou sunday
FWIW
I had a Necky some time ago, the only thing I recall is that the poly seemed a bit thinner than other boats. But I'd gotten it well-used and it never cracked or showed signs of failing. It did oilcan easily when it was on the rack, but that came out in the sun and heat. If you look at it, you might poke around as much as you can to see if any cracks are developing. Look at the hull bottom in particular.
If it's in good shape, why not? Little to lose.
Necky Eskia 16ft
There seems to still be a Necky Eskia 16 ft near me still around for 400. There is a chunk missing on the side and the foam in the bulk head is exposed. idk how much it would be to fix it.
http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/boa/5555230405.html
you can see it in the pictures on the stern i think it was the first pic. if thats not alot to fix id take it probably
missing rudder
Eskias are supposed to be good boats. I personally don't fit in them (at 6' tall and 215#, with large legs from biking) so never paddled one myself.
That one looks like it had a rudder installed, and now removed. Hopefully they did it in such a way that the foot pedals can be used.
If you are in the Hudson Valley area, I'd go stop in and see Marshall at The River Connection in Hyde Park (www.the-river-connection.com). He is active here and has provided good quality, but balanced, responses from what I have seen. Even though he is a retailer and sells new, I think he would give you some good data to help on a used boat search.