I’m just getting into kayaking. After doing some research, I’m interested in purchasing the dagger zydeco 11. However, every site or retailer I have called is completely sold out. Is this normal?
At this point, i just assume it’ll be a long time before I’m able to purchase one. Not to mention actually get out on the water. I live in Philly, it’ll probably be fall by the time they are back in stock.
Thank the Covid-19 virus. Kayaks and bicycles are hard to find right now thanks to the shut down so folks got outdoors and bought lots of outdoor equipment. Good luck finding a similar kayak on the used market, i.e. Craigslist, etc. Buy at a reasonable price, use it for a couple seasons, and then get the kayak you really want. At that point, either keep your used kayak as a spare for friends or resell it for about what you bought it for. Happy paddling!
I’ve looked on the used market. Slim pickings. Not what I’m looking for. I think ive called every retailer within 150 miles
With the flu, not only was there a flood of people looking at outdoor equipment to use with their new free time, but many manufacturers and dealers shut down. Trucking companies are short of drivers and most shipping companies are prioritizing what they ship.
I suspect that post vaccine there will be an equally impressive flood of lightly used boats on the market as people find out that kayaking is not for them.
Yes, this is a shortage due to the pandemic. Too bad you are caught in that situation. Keep looking, though, sometimes things turn up.
Same situation with hammocking gear. Many custom quilts are 9 week lead time. Custom hammocks are 3+ weeks when normally they’re a few days. They said they have trouble getting supplies (specialty fabric and down)
I heard some of the quilt mfg’s shut down to make masks for 4-6 weeks but are now resuming more normal operations. I assume its a similar story for boats.
Skip the kayak, go to your local bike shop and pick up a good road or gravel bike. 
Oops, never mind, they’re out of stock too…
But seriously, find a decent used kayak and start there. You are unlikely to stay with your first kayak for too long…as you become more experienced, you’ll likely want a different style boat.
You are much better off spending $500 or even $1K on a good used boat, than 2 to 3X that (or more) for new.
And in the meantime, build up your equipment inventory - better paddle, more comfortable PFD, etc.
When you do upgrade your boat, keep the first one as a loaner for friends who visit…
I recently bought a used kayak (and also canoe) from Facebook marketplace. Kayaks/canoes that are posted at a decent price go very fast, so you have to check a few times a day.
I have a feeling that either this fall, or next spring there will be a ton of used boats on the market. Everyone will be dumping the outdoors equipment they bought.
There will be good deals for us then
It doesn’t exist. When I clicked the link, it shows as a domain name for sale.
Retailer here. Rec boats in the under $700 range were pretty much sold through by early June, and lead times on getting replacements were/are running 40-60 work days, so even for those of us who got orders in for Zydeco 11s a month ago, late-August/early-September was best-case scenario for delivery.
FWIW, we’re not seeing a slowdown in the interest in new boats, and are taking deposits from folks for boats that they know won’t be in until August and beyond. A fall slowdown is normal, but the feeling among many of the top brands is that there’s going to be spillover into next season, since the level of increase from 2019 to 2020 is at a level that is beyond anything most people recognize as normal business fluctuation.
Guess that’s a fancy way of saying that if anyone’s looking for a $500-1000 boat for next year, they should still plan on buying early.
Guess that also means it’s probably a good time to unload any boats y’all have hanging idle in your garage, that you just haven’t gotten around to selling.
I have two to sell soon…
Impex Assateague and Dagger Stratos.
SW Ontario, Canada.
Pakboats Quest 150 is scheduled for delivery tomorrow - consolation prize for the overdue Trak 2.0.
You have two sweet kayaks for sale soon ! Those shouldn’t last more than a couple days.
My local outfitter says he has people waiting in the parking lot when a shipment is due.
One strategy tip is to post to your area’s Nextdoor page. Post in the General section with a “WTB: Want to Buy a Kayak” title. It often motivates people to respond who have an used kayak they have been wanting to get rid of but it never made it to the top of their to-do list.
You can also set up on Craigslist to have it automatically email you every time a “kayak for sale” posts there in your local area. I was finding and buying kayaks for a bunch of friends in the early 2010’s and would get notices frequently pinging my email box and be able to snag good deals before anybody else called about them.
In terms of stock of recreational goods, a lot of items and/or components for them are made in China, and they had national industry productions shutdowns due to the epidemic early on to get it under control. It will be a while before more “normal” production and procurement streams get anywhere near back to what they were.
I would suggest that you research a range of similar models to what you ideally want and stay open to finding something close. I have rarely had a used kayak that I could not sell for close to or even more than I paid for it when something more suitable came along. And meanwhile I had a boat to use!
I have noticed an uptick in used kayaks and canoes on sales sites in the Pittsburgh area – my impression from descriptions and photos is that a lot of people working from home or on furlough due to the virus are cleaning out basements and garages. Philly is still in a more serious lockdown and contagion situation so I am not surprised fewer people are seeking to have strangers show up to kick tires. Give it time.
I am experiencing the same exact issue, with a 200 mile radius. As everyone has mentioned, it is because of shutdowns due to covid… looks like many had the same idea… good luck with your search, just keep checking back with them often!
Could also help to open up what you are looking for. For example, the Wilderness Systems Aspire and Pungo lines are not all that different than the Dagger Zydeco kayak you are looking for (and WS and Dagger even have the same parent company and probably make the boats in the same plant in the South East).