Hello all. I have been lurking here for a couple of months and did something spur of the moment I could use some help with. I bought a kayak on ebay. Its an Impex Assateague in carbon/kevlar. Its a 2004 and according to the current owner, was only used “6 or 8” times. The pictures don’t show much detail, especially on the white hull, but what can you do.
I am definitely xxl and sat in one of these last fall. It was one of the best fitting kayaks I got in. I don’t really know squat about this sport yet and was wondering what to look for to ascertain condition. I paid 1400.00. It’s blue. Other than that I could use your help. Thanks in advance, Mark.
PS. It was a total impulse buy as I have already ordered another Kayak. It just seemed like a reasonable deal.
help for what?
help
as far as what to look for condition wise. Places a noob wouldn’t suspect to look for trouble. Known Assateague issues. Like rotten motor mounts or torpedo tubes that need re-rifling. You guys are the experts.
Don’t Know About Impex…
…but the motor mounts and torpedo tubes have never given any trouble in ours (;->^)
There is a school of thought, tho, that says the motor itself in mine has seen better days, and isn’t to be totally trusted when there’s a good lop on…
Seriously, it’s mostly a matter of looking things over carefully. Giving a new-to-you kayak a really through cleaning inside and out is an excellent way to get to know the boat and spot any problem areas.
Check the hull and deck gelcoat for cracks - the spider-web ones may mark a point of impact, while linear ones usually indicate stress points. Check the underlying laminate closely in areas where gelcoat cracks are seen to ensure it is intact - it usually is. Scratches and abrasion that totally penetrate the gelcoat and expose the laminate should be touched up - how is a choice between quick/cheap/simple/temporary vs. more time/more money/more skilled/more permament.
Check that any hardware (foot pegs, rudder systems, skeg controls, etc.) operates smoothly, and that all cabling, fittings and deck rigging are in good condition. Check the hatches for leakage. Tighten any loose nuts and bolts, and lubricate moving parts that need it. Mostly a matter of looking closely at everything, and checking anything suspicious out…
ok, you bought it
Congrats. Put some 303 on the hatch covers. Learn basic rescues.
Things to look out for? Before you go paddling dry the hatches out and check to see if any water is there at the end of your time on the water. If there’s more than a cup figure out where it’s coming from.
When you learn/practice rescues if you get more than a few cups figure out where it’s coming from.
Go over the hull and look for lengthwise cracks in the gel coat, it’s not a big deal if you have some, the important part is to identify a cluster of cracks and see if the hull is soft at that spot. There are some areas on a hull that are more flexible than others, when I say a soft spot it’s obvious when compared to a similar spot on the other side of the hull that doesn’t have the same cluster of cracks.
For $1400 carbon/kevlar hull it would be perfectly ok to have cracked or damaged areas.
Whether they need repairing can’t really be determined over a forum without photos.
Don’t move the skeg slider while sitting in the kayak on the ground.
sounds like a steal
kayak pro or not, how does it look to you? is there major gouges, glass showing, crush marks, etc.
Good boat, good price
Unless the boat has major problems it sounds like a good deal. It is a very good model for large folk.
Enjoy it!
Thanks
Well, I’ll let everyone know. I’m driving 400 miles to pick it up today. If its in as good shape as they claim I’ll be really happy. Thanks for the replies. I’ll post pics tomorrow.
hope it’s not
More than reasonable
Considering that’s a $3700.00 kayak “reasonable” is not the right adjective. Deal of the Decade might be a bit closer.
Welcome to the sport! Secure that boat well for the 400 miles back.
See you onthe water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
You “Stole it”! 
WOW, if it is in nice shape you just stole about the best kayak on the market for a bigger guy.
I have the same thing you have in a white Hull and orange deck and I LOVE it. Check my review here on P-Net if you like.
I wish I could have paid what you paid for my Carbon/kevlar Assateague.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.
WOW! Lucky Guy!!!
it’s gotta be lighter
than a used carbon/kevlar Mariner Max I looked at, thing weighed close to 55lbs. Said yellow gel coat was heavy.
congratulations!
great boat
a steal
it looks all but new. what, was the guy going bankrupt? how flexy is the hull, this layup is normally overly oilcanny from these guys. the regular fiberglass is stiffer.
re: stiffness
The guy I bought it from switched to ww kayaking and never looked back. I saw it for sale last year for twice the money with a note that if it didn’t sell they’d relist it in the spring. As far as flex compared to others I can’t accurately compare. It does deflect a little on the hull amidships, but once I fill it with potting soil and marigolds it’ll stiffen up.
not flexy
JBV, other way around. In my years of dealing with Impex the C/K layup is distinctly stiffer than the fiberglass, with the exception of the Expedition FG layup which ads 10lbs. more fiberglass for serious abuse prevention (ie. rockgardening). Only “oilcanny” is something is seriously amiss. 'Course now their stiffest layup is the K-Lite Carbon Kevlar which is a baked epoxy process. Wicked strong, stiff and 10lb. lighter than S-Glass. (Don’t know where the Maine ‘Wicked’ slipped in.)
Marcus, very good chance you got a terrific kayak for yourself that you won’t easily outgrow and that will hold you in good stead for many a paddling year to come.
If you’re up the Hyde Park, NY way stop on by at one of the Tuesday Night Tuneups to come out and play.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
A comment about eBay
Hi All,
I thought I would chime in on this one since I too was watching this auction. Last Fall this boat was indeed listed for $1900, which was also a steal. I let it go then as it was impractical for me to collect it at the time. When it came up this time for $1400 I was stunned and prepared to buy it, however there was no buy-it-now option as of midnight, the night before it sold to Mark. When I checked again the next morning it was sold to Mark using Buy-it-now. Somehow, during the night, the lady who listed it added buy-it-now, and it was snapped up. So, congrats Mark on getting the steal of the century, as I probably would have paid several hundred more, if that auction had played itself out as expected. Enjoy the boat, and I will kick myself for a long time for not putting in a bid the night before you got it.
Chris
assateague
If you get too tired of that boat I’ll buy it from you. I’ve been trying to find a boat my size but it’s tough, so if you say you have another boat and would like to sell it e-mail me at logosam@earthlink.net.
Thx.
Get in line!
LOL
Chris