Hey everybody. I have the opportunity to purchase a really nice boat, but it has some shipping damage. It has never been in the water, but as you can see from the video in the link, it has some pretty bad damage to the front and side of the kayak, along with some scratches that I am not really concerned with. My question is, does it look like the crushed front and the dent in the side can be fixed? If so, is this kayak worth $1,000? I value your opinions and thanks in advance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYrq1Jpui9Y&feature=youtu.be
Why?
Why would you buy that boat when you can buy a new one for $300 more? To me that is not enough of a savings to justify the damage. The bow looks like it would pop back out if heated or left in the sun. The port side looks bad though. The plastic looks like it was permanently creased and the location looks like it might affect the tracking of the boat.
If it was only scratches then it might be worth it, but with that damage you would need to take a few more hundred off before I would chance it. You can frequently buy blemished kayaks that look like new for $200-300 off list. That kayak is way beyond blemished.
Trade
Okay, it’s actually a trade. I am trading a mountain bike for it, but my bike is valued at about 1,000-1,100.
I wouldn’t touch it
don’t waste your trade or your money.
I have repaired Kevlar and fiberglass boats and have repaired holes in plastic boats, but wouldn’t have a clue as to how to fix that boat.
jack L
repair
If you are going to keep the boat you might try helping its memory with a little heat (hot water). Look on Youtube for demos on how remove dents from a polyethylene boat.
IMO That boat is really not worth $1000 in its present conditon.
Good luck with a viable solution.
not bad
I didn’t see anything that was a hole in the plastic?
On the dents - they will go away with heat. A friend speared a rock with his Dagger Alchemy (same parent company as Perception, and I believe the same type of plastic) while rock gardening and made a bigger bend in the nose than what you show. Just driving home in hot weather and it reset to 90% of where it was originally. You can speed that up by pouring hot water on it, if your air tempo is not hot. Keep in mind that the area will be somewhat weekend, so more hits in that area and at some point it will break.
Here’s a pic of the bent Alchemy:
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/577358_10150747333473247_348791739_n.jpg
Similar comments to dent on the side.
Scratches - I wouldn’t worry about that.
But I agree with the others that valuing it at $1k is a bit high. You could probably find one new from a dealer at that price if you wait for sales (though you would have to pay tax, which I suspect you are saving here).
He is getting it repaired.
The seller has found a guy at Hook1 in Hendersonville, TN (anyone familiar?) that will repair the kayak and honor a 1 year warranty on the repair.
The seller also offered $200 plus the kayak for my bike. That essentially drops the ‘would-be’ selling price of the kayak to about $800. Now what…
repair?
What sort of repair is he doing?
I wouldn’t do anything for the scratches (besides paddle it and add more scratches), but would straighten out the dents some.
If the boat is something that you know fits you and you want, it is just a matter of finding the right price.
sounds fair
adding the $200 and having it fixed professionally sounds reasonable to me. At least it shows a willingness to work with you and come down in price.
How is this guy going to “repair” it
I have no idea how you would repair dents like that other than parking it in the sun on a really hot day and hoping it pops out. I would want to see the end result before I agreed to the deal.
No idea.
He will send more pics and another video once the repairs are made. We’ll see…
curious, too, about the repair
– Last Updated: Aug-14-13 9:34 AM EST –
I, too, can't see how one would truly repair a crease like that one. That said, it probably could be reformed enough not to affect the boat's tracking with some judicious heat manipulation. I'd mainly be worried about the plastic eventually cracking there. Though a touring boat like that probably won't be taking the sort of abuse that would stress that part of the hull much.
What sort of mountain bike are you trading? And is it really worth $1000? Or to be more precise, will anyone actually buy it, even if it is worth that? Mountain bikes are a lot like computers - nobody really wants last year's model, even if it's a good design and in good condition. I'm in the same boat (heh) with a Rush Carbon that no one seems to want, because it's "old" technology at this point. Oh well, at least I like the bike, so keeping it forever won't be a hardship (other than not having the money that I could, in theory, get for it :). Anyway, this is just a long winded way of saying that you might consider the trade simply because mountain bikes are hard to unload, and that boat most likely will work fine.
Stumpjumper
It’s a 2009 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR. Fox front and rear suspension, tubeless 2.5" Maxxis Minion DH tire on front, and 2.3" Maxxis Highroller on the rear. Crank Brothers Joplin adjustable seatpost, DH bar and stem, Avid Elixer hydraulic disc brakes, SRAM 32T 990 cassette and 991 chain.
Sold for $2,400 new, so yes, it’s worth every bit of $1,000.
Say
That sounds quite sophisticated. Perhaps you are person who tries to get the best tool for your sport? If that is the case, walk away from that boat, it most definitely is not the best, not even close.
If you are a total beginner, drop ~100USD on kayaking lesson - you will get knowledge base to use for your kayak purchase.
Lessons
Definitely not a beginner, but could still use plenty of training. I started paddling about 7 years ago, canoe and kayak. I have done some sea kayaking in Florida and lake river paddling around here. My last boat was a Necky Chatham 16. I really, really wish I would have kept it. Buuuut I didn’t, so now I am shopping again.
Passed
The guy wasn’t able to fully repair the boat. The crushed bow still looked pretty rough and the dent/crease was still visible.
I appreciate all the advice and suggestions!