Yes, I should have mentioned
that I live in Iowa. I’m sure there is very little competition between shops as far as touring boats go. To my knowledge, there’s only one shop that specializes in sea kayaks in the whole state, the vast majority of boats sold around here are recreational. I’ve decided I’ll contact the retailer and let him know about the wavy area in the hull while the boat is still new to me. That way, if the kayaks performance is affected by that, or a yet to be noticed deformity, I will at least have something to fall back on. The keel line appears to be straight, and besides the slight wave in the hull, the boat appears to be in ship shape.
What surprises me.
How absolutely demure some folks are when it comes to buying. There is no excuse for any product, let alone kayaks to be in less than perfect condition when sold as new. New means new–not with acceptable amounts of wear and tear. Any dealer should know how to take care of his merchandise and train his employees to do so.
What some here have said is true that some stores are pretty lax about how they treat their stuff; I’ve mostly noticed this about big box sporting goods stores as opposed to genuine kayak and canoe shops. My question is, why would anyone accept a scratched up dented boat when I assume the same person probably wouldn’t accept that when buying a new car?
Buying a new boat and the excitement of getting it on the water can blind you to a lot of details that later will cause you regret. But we live and learn and I’ve learned something each time I’ve bought anything of value.
New boat vs new car.
Most paddlers expect to get scratches on their boat the first time they use it.
Most car drivers don’t expect to get scratches on the new car the first time they drive it.
Built-in imperfections can be normal too
– Last Updated: Feb-20-14 2:06 PM EST –
Though more common with plastic boats, lots of composite boats have minor deviations from the design shape as well. One common defect is at the seams of float tanks (common for canoes). My guide-boat has a minor bit of waviness at the two locations where a small wood block is glassed in to the floor (each block is an anchor point for floorboards/footbraces). My Merlin II has a deformity near the keel line along the last roughly 1.3 feet of the boat's length at the stern (as do all the boats made from the same mold). In talking about such things in the past, people have pointed out that in the days of wooden boats, similar imperfections must have been common as well, even from reputable builders (the ancient Old Town wood/canvas rowboat our family had when I was a kid would have been a suitable example of this). There comes a point when a person says "so what" about such things, as long as the only way to perceive their presence is visually and not by the boat's handling character. From a practical perspective, such things wouldn't be viewed as making the boat "less than perfect". It's a boat, not a religious artifact.
Not a political argument here
– Last Updated: Feb-20-14 7:55 PM EST –
As stated in my earlier post.... my thoughts are my own opinions... I am to not trying to single-handedly close every Boat shop across North America.. AND, if it's a bad thing to believe in getting a good deal and not to pay full price on a 1500$ dollar purchase plus tax...LOCK ME UP RIGHT NOW!! ANd to Yanoer... Yes i have seen the boat,and is in NEW condition. I was just there... Also mountain man does provide shipping,BTW. I just wanted to show that there was a lower price on a boat available. Didn't mean to offend anyone.
For every thing I’ve purchased
I have found people who claim to have got a better price, and people who say they paid more. I did not pay msrp for my Storm, but it was a well used demo, and I use it rough. It serves me well on large lakes (including Superior) large rivers and even some smaller lakes. The carrying capacity is great for camping, and it has a good cruise speed. I do have a shorter boat for small rivers and streams.
Don’t let the naysayer give you buyers remorse, but mention the problem next time you are at the shop, and they may give you a discount on accessories that have a higher mark up than boats.
It is just two weeks to Canoecopia, the first paddle sport event for my year. 
You didn’t get the best deal
You could have done three things to get a better price:
- Don’t ever pay retail price for any new canoe or kayak bought from a retailer. There will eventually be a sale or discount day, or a “blem” available, or you can simply negotiate with the retailer for a lower price. Many of my canoes and kayaks have been custom made, and even some of those prices were negotiated.
- Don’t pay as much for old stock as new stock. The dealer probably paid less for the old stock and is probably more anxious to move it out of inventory. So figure out from the boats ID# when it was made and make a reasonable offer that is less than the current boat price.
- Inspect the boat thoroughly and ask for a discount for any defect that is significant but that you can live with.
YOU have to be an informed and smart shopper to get the best deal.
Enjoy the boat
Let this be a learning experience. My $3K Swift even came with some imperfections.
You have a good boat. As you progress
through this journey, you will ask yourself that question many times, but when you start using it, if you like it, your cost question will be gone.
You have to register kayaks in Iowa?
How much does that cost you?
$13 for 3 years
I only have canoes but anything over 13ft has to be registered.
Don’t fret the price.
If you use it, then it is a good deal. If you don’t, then it isn’t. Spread that over 10 years plus and it really doesn’t matter what the price is.
I would be broke if I lived there
with all the canoes and kayaks I have.