Does anyone know anything about Future Beach Kayaks? I was looking at the Patriot. I know a serious kayaker wouldn't buy this, but is it at least better than the Pelican Kayaks? I'm not sure if the material is thin and cheap looking. I don't want to do any whitewater or anything, just slow moving water. I was also wondering about the Perception Sport Patriot.
kayak
Do yourself a really big favor and find a real kayak dealer that actually knows what they sell and services the sale. These big box stores mostly sell junk and have absolutely no after the sale service, you have any problem and you then have to find the manufacturer and hope they’ll help and they often won’t because they make very little per boat.
Bill H.
It sounds like
you already know the answer. Future Beach = poor quality and bad design. Better than a Pelican but not by much. For the same amount you can get a well designed used kayak instead of a cheap toy boat to gather dust in your garage. Shop around for used kayaks instead of looking at discount stores.
One more try…
Wait until September and rental outfits selling off their fleet, and look for the more substantial boats. In the meantime take a basic lesson so that you know why people are giving you the advice you are hearing.
Less is more.
Future Beach kayaks are a knock-off Chinese company that has raided several Johnson Outdoor designs.
They are used by the Big Box stores. Most specialty stores wouldn’t touch them.
The LESS Future Beach - the MORE chance you will have to discover this great sport.
Take everyones advise.
I could not agree more with this post
I can’t imagine the number of people who buy a cheap new boat at Dunham’s or Dick’s, and never use it because the quality and comfort makes the experience so miserable. For the same price you could shop used. A prime time for used kayak shopping is coming up, as Celia suggests.
L.L. Bean Manatee
I was also looking at the L.L. Bean Manatee. I’m also on the lookout for good used boats, but so far when I see a good deal, I miss out even when I respond as early as 8:00 am.
Before people start saying this boat
is a piece of shit I’d like to chime in since I own one. I have a manatee 12 that I feel is a pretty decent boat for around 500 bucks (new). While true that you can get awesome deals on used stuff, I think this is a decent starter or secondary boat for a wide range of people.
I’d say the boat is suitable for shorter jaunts on a lot of different inland water. I’ve had mine river camping for weekends, paddled around some of the area lakes, I’ve also paddled the Allegheny, the Mon, and the Ohio around downtown Pittsburgh (boat traffic can be slightly annoying here). I also like to take my dog for the occasional kayak ride which this boat facilitates nicely.
With all that said you also must consider this boat is not suitable for most of the great lakes, the ocean, or anything beyond easy class II whitewater. You also probably wouldn’t want to try do a 20 mile per day flatwater tour in this boat.
So in summation a decent boat with a few limitations.