-- Last Updated: Jan-07-16 2:54 PM EST --
Hello,
Is 200 a good price for this kayak
http://tinypic.com/r/5vruxj/9
And is it good for saltwater kayaking?
It's a double play mainstream kayak
Review
According to the review on this website they were $430 new…
http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=1352
So, I guess $200 isn’t a bad price. They’re for pretty much warm water use only, and of course it’s a tandem and designed for two adults and a child. It’s also rather heavy at 70lbs.
Personally, I wouldn’t use it in anything but the calmest of oceans!
It’s probably fair but
It’s not a GREAT DEAL.
Does it come with paddles and PFDs? That would help.
Consider though, you could sell it next fall for $150 or maybe even $200. Is $50 a good price to have it at your disposal all summer?
Definitely a sheltered water boat
= 4 rentals
Go kayak 4 times and you’ll have broken even vs. rental rates.
Take the savings and invest in some good paddles and pass that you’ll want to use as they’ll stay with you for your next kayak.
Calm salt or freshwater conditions for moseying around, yes it should work fine. More performance, you’ll get a different kayak(s).
See you on the water
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
AS NOTED: GOOD BUT NOT GREAT PRICE…
– Last Updated: Jan-10-16 4:03 PM EST –
It is, also as noted, a heavy boat at 70 pounds.
You should know that buying a boat is more than buying a boat.
How are you going to transport this SOT from where you are to where you want to paddle? 70# is a lot to throw on a roof rack unassisted -it can be done, but you need to check out the two main techniques to accomplish loading something like this one. Search here on P-Net, and also on TopKayaker, an SOT-oriented site, for details.
Given the weight, do you have a roof rack and crossbars capable of carrying this boat? Good after-market roof racks will run you ~$200 +/- used, if you can find one to fit your vehicle -a very important, even critical concern; and a new rack system will run about double that.
You'll need decent, non-slab-sided thick, non-heavy plastic blades on shiny aluminum shafts, paddles. Those things WILL propel you, but they're inefficient and not much fun after a half-hour or so. Decent paddles will cost around $150, +/-, new, perhaps $100 +/- or so used, and will be worth it.
A PFD, a paddler's life preserver vest, should fit well and be comfortable to wear, so you'll actually wear it! They'll run anywhere from $40-$50 for a basic, utilitarian vest upwards of $200 for really good models. We have two good ones we got new for around $100 on sale.
Those are the basic basics...
Note the palm leaves in the pic; they're probably vetchia sp., therefore the pic was most likely taken somewhere in South Florida, or perhaps Puerto Rico or the Virgins, elsewhere around the Caribean, possibly but less likely SoCal or Hawai'i. That said, check the boat, especially the top (seating area), and bottom, for UV degradation -it will be the presence of a sort of pale sort of chalkiness on the surface. That's not particularly good, and should cut the price -maybe not in half, but thereabouts.
Also check for cracks and gouges, and for cracks or splits where the top section is joined to bottom hull, in the water-draining 'holes", called scuppers, in the seat and footwell areas. Scratches are to be expected -just check their depth relative to the thickness of the hull.
Check for excessive abrasive wear on the nose (bow) and stern, and along the keel. The thickness of these wear areas really shouldn't be appreciable, or thin the hull.
Those are the physical considerations you should assess it.
Now here are some basic paddling considerations:
What kind of paddling do you have in mind, what is your comfort level on, and IN, the water, and what is your paddling experience...? And will you be paddling this boat with a partner or solo?
Many years ago we had a 70# heavy, 34" wide, 12' short, tandem SOT kayak -much like the one you're considering, which was our first boat. We thought it was great when we paddled together -when we coordinated our strokes so we didn't keep banging our paddles together. But for only one paddler, it paddled like a pig -and that was with a more appropriately situated center seating area.
We paddled in 1-2' seas off Key Biscayne several times so boats like these can indeed handle more than glassy calm waters, but it is a LOT of WORK, and most of the time, it wasn't any fun.
That said, it was "OK" on calmer water.
If you intend to paddle solo you really owe it to yourself to give it a test run if at all possible: many OK-paddling tandems, when paddled by two people, turn out to be inefficient slugs when paddled solo. You will need to determine if how it paddles works for you.
Thank you Brady, and pirate, and Marshall, for your thoughts. Doncha just love it when some prospective paddler or purchaser poses an inquiry, and then doesn't have any consideration of those who've taken the time to respond or the grace to say thank-you...+??
Well, stranger, I still hope this helps you make a more informed decision about purchasing this boat. If you do get it, here's to many enjoyable hours on the water as you
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
try it first
One problem it seems with used SOT’s is leaks. You really need to try it first to make sure it doesn’t leak, no real way to fix leaks on these.
Bill H.
Well…
it doesn’t really bother me at all 
Many/most who respond on this forum have much more knowledge and experience than I do. But I don’t mind helping if I can.
Thanks
Thank you to everyone who has replied. Lots of great information. I am a newbie definitely and was just looking for an affordable kayak for the gf and I to enjoy in the ocean. Sucks paying $50 for rentals, when you can just buy one. But it seems that ‘used’ has a lot of risks.
Buying used
Buying used definitely has risks, among which are:
- Is it priced appropriately or is the seller asking too much?
- Is the boat in good condition and safe?
- Is it the appropriate boat for your needs?
These risks can be mitigated with careful research. On the upside of buying used, you can get an excellent boat, perfect for your needs at a fraction of the cost of a new boat.