I paddled a slipstream and fell in love. Just that it wasn’t mine… nor was it for sale… or trade… Soo… I’m looking for something nearly identical.
cheaper similar boat
A much cheaper British made kayak of similar lines is the Venture Easky 15LV. Venture is the economy rotomold line of P & H, for whom Derek Hutchinson (who designed the Slipstream you love) has also done much of the designs. The Easky is also a low volume British-style kayak for the smaller paddler, similar lines, 12" shorter, same weight but in plastic rather than fiberglass or Kevlar (your choices with the Slipstream). And it costs less than a third as much because of that, $1100 versus $3500.
It may have a slightly less lively feel than the Slipstream, but it would be worth trying one out to see if the difference was enough to you to spend 3 times as much.
Slipstream for sale in VA
If you are anywhere near the Hampton Roads area of VA
http://norfolk.craigslist.org/boa/3039034498.html
Do a search on “small paddler”…
… or “low volume boat” and look at the more recent threads.
The crops of recent released low volume are all very similar in design, tracing to pretty much same ancestry of the Slipstream. They should all paddle rather similarly if not identical.
years ago…
…when I was looking for a kayak, the Slipstream was high on my list after a couple of demo paddles. But I couldn’t afford new a composite kayak or find a used one. I ended up with a Valley Avocet RM, which was my paddling partner-in-crime for many years.
If the cost isn’t a problem, and you want to trade a bit of maneuverability for a bit more straight-line performance, the composite Aquanaut LV is a lovely boat.
I’ve successfully used http://www.searchtempest.com/ for multi-state Craigslist searches for used boats.