How much would you pay for this kayak? He was originally asking $3000.00 and he dropped it to $1500.00 a few weeks ago, but his ad has been running for over 2 months - I think he’s getting desperate:
http://boulder.craigslist.org/boa/1393559552.html
…
If it were just the boat I wanted…
…I’d pay $6000 for it. Knowing what goes into building a boat like that (having built a S&G kit boat myself, and watching a friend build several cedar strip boats), at $3000 it was a steal. At $1500, it’s a sad situation for the builder/seller, and a ridiculously good deal for the buyer.
More important than “Is this a good deal?” is “Is this the right boat for my purposes/will it fit me well/etc.?”.
Melissa
Sure looks nice,
but what is it? Strip built boats are usually built to some sort of plan. A named design, if you will. If it was an Outer Island I would jump on it like a chicken on a junebug! There are several other designs I would be enthusiastic about, also. Just need more info than is offered.
Design
What the Capn said - find out what design was used and check out the reports. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the back of the coaming looks pretty high for Greenland stuff.
Alan
P-140
Pammi! Buy this kayak!
Wait till he drops it to $750
then make him a offer of $275 to take it off his hands!
Cheers,
JackL
Just because it is being called
a greenland kayak doesn’t necessarily mean it is good for greenland skills. The word greenland is a very subjective word in kayaking and can be interpreted to mean many different things. I built a “greenland” kayak that was designed by a very well known and respected kayak designer and it was the farthest thing from being close to having the characteristics needed to perform greenland maneuvers. It just looked, to him, like a greenland kayak. You need to know what design the kayak is. Wood kayaks can be built to be very light, between 30-45 lbs. and I would think that if it was light the seller would have posted the weight.
Wood kayaks require special care to keep them looking nice. Is this something you want. I’ve built and owned a few wood kayaks and enjoyed their beauty but disliked the extra care they need. I don’t own a wood kayak anymore and I don’t miss it. I have found it very hard to sell wood kayaks also, so don’t jump into getting something that you might be stuck with. Make sure it fits your needs. There can be wide a range of quality in wood kayaks also.
If the kayak is an Outer Island then it is a good designed kayak for greenland skills.
just my opinion…
…but that seems like a good price to me. A similar strip boat not that nice just sold on Craigslist here in my city for $1750. I usually consider half the original “new” price to be a good value for any kayak of decent design and that one looks like it has pretty good lines.
But it also depends on what you want it for. Are you able to test it on water, or does the owner have information on a particular design it is based on? besides being a “deal” it needs to fit you right and suit what you intend to use it for. That length and the bow design indicate that it is a sea kayak – performance and skill level needed to handle it would depend on the beam (width) and hull design.
Close-ups of the workmanship and the profile and keel-line would be useful in determining value. It sounds from the description like quite a well-crafted work of art. I’d certainly want to check it out if it was near me.