i’m thinking of buying a 10yr old prijon kodiak touring kayak. It’s basically been sitting in someone’s garage and was only used 20 times or so they say. A few scratches, appears in good condition, but I’m a little nervous about the age. I know it’s special HTC plastic or some such thing. Any thoughts about purchasing an aged vessel like this?
age isn’t much trouble - sun is
Plastic ages pretty well, such that age along doesn’t cause much trouble. But exposure to sun can. If it has been in a garage most of its life, it probably is fine. If it looks sun bleached or feels brittle when you push on it, then that could be trouble. Check under straps/hatches to see if you can find a spot that would e protected from sub next to a spot that would be exposed to sun, and see if there is a “tan line” showing sun bleaching.
I like mine. It’s about 5 years old but
I take very good care of it. It’s kept inside but then, on the other hand it gets heavy use. It’s on the car in the heat of the summer and has snow and ice on it in the winter. Do due diligence and check out every inch of the boat. Look for any signs of cracks or leaking. One place is the cockpit rim, seal and cover, mine always leaks. Missing screws go missing because something is broken. Use a flashlight and scour the inside looking for any sign of holes or excess scraping. Check the footpegs to make sure they are tight and the screws are not stripped. Mine does not discolor like the poly boats but the hull pops in when its on the roof but then pops back out when I take it down and stand in it. Maybe you can get a test paddle.
I’ve got an oler one
I’ve got a Prijon ww boat that’s much older. Still in good shape.
Be there - done that
I did almost the same thing. I bought a 2000 Kodiak two years ago. Prijon’s plastic and blow-molded construction is superior to any other poly kayak. You will enjoy the Kodiak. I loved mine, but sold it since I stopped using it when I got a Hobie Adventure.
old boats…
I bought a 10 yr old Seayak…only thing I noticed is when i scrape rocks…the plastic tends to “sand-off” more than getting curlyQ’s scraped off. I would make sure all the D-rings are still there and intact, as obtaining replacement parts is next to impossible. i had to replace the seat back cover,ended up buying a competitors seat cover and cobbling it on. Just make sure all the parts and pieces are there.
Yours hasn’t discolored because you
have taken good care of it. But I’ve seen plenty of bleached out whitewater Prijons whose owners didn’t store them out of the sun.
It’s an amazing story how I came to own
my Prijon. I was watching a group of paddlers practicing in late winter when I saw the Cruiser. I never saw such a great design before or since. Later in the year, I placed an ad for Boats Wanted here on pnet describing the boat I had seen. Believe it or not, a canoe shop called The River Connection contacted me and said it was for sale! True story.
303, 303, 303 NM
10 year old kayak
I bought a 10 year old Prijon Yukon Expidetion 7 years ago. It was a great buy. I use it all the time on average 3 times a week. If it has been stored inside it should be good. It is the uv rays that deteriate the plastic.