If you need a "buddy" boat rarely, I'd suggest getting a different style boat.
To illustrate, you might like a short boat for day trips (eg, a Romany). If you also do multiday trips, you might concider getting a longer boat (eg, Explorer) that would be fine as a day boat but would be a better multiday boat.
You might even use the longer boat for trips that "push miles".
It really does not make much sense to have two of the same boats.
Note that, if you can get the second boat cheap, then having a second of the same boat might make sense. If you are just looking for a buddy boat that is used rarely, then buy something cheap.
I'd argue that "Different outfitting" means that the two are effectively different.
Was T140s and now it’s t160s in the SOTs for our fishing kayaks, although I have rigged mine the way I like it and her’s to her specs. They are the same color, BRIGHT Orange so the jetski’s and bass boats will have a hard time saying they didn’t see us.
Our Sea Kayaks are P&H Quests, mine is Gold over white and hers is White over White, but basically the same boat. Different trim, but same cruising speed and basic gear.
Easier for me to work on the boats, pack them, and I know where everything goes. We have similar tastes and needs, and like going and doing the same things… it was kismet that we would agree on boats.
If out of production Kinda like a true Saab afficianato having parts cars I guess. I don’t see this as so needed with sea kayaks because the boats tend to move rather slowly in changes. So it isn’t so much of a reach to find a boat that might be similar in its handling etc to one you really loved. (Tho’ if I found out that NDK was going to go out of business tomorrow I’d be hunting for a second Explorer LV the same afternoon.)
That said, WW boats move very fast and particular models go out of production within a three year span. So the river runners that we just purchased to get ourselves experience in frothy stuff are both older models, used boats, and at a couple of hundred for each I can easily see grabbing another if we found that these really do it for us. (Dagger Piedra and Animus - boats that should be kind to 50 plus yr old long-boaters wanting to get used to handling boats in more soup.)
Many interesting perspectives. I did, a few days ago, buy a second “copy” of a favorite boat, based on my hope that it will not go out of production as the current model fits me well, paddles fast, and for that I am pleased. I may rudder the second boat, but don’t know yet. I may shine it up and put it on display in my living room for a few years and use it when the original gets scratched.
