So, I spoke with Mark at Kruger Canoes this week, just to ask some questions on Sea Wind options, lead time etc. He was quite helpful, but in the process I learned that the boat prices have increased (due to rising costs), and this is not yet reflected on the web site. Just FYI.
http://www.krugercanoes.com/
- Tramper Al
Prices up again? So tell us what you
learned:
What is the new price for a Sea Wind?
How long is the wait time now?
You’re a look’n? Getting serious about a new Sea Wind?
Mick
I’m sure it is a wonderful boat, but it
needs a motor in it for the price they want.I’m back to looking at Pungos, but I’m not paddling 2000 miles either.
2000 Miles in a Pungo
The new movie starring Tom & Brooke?
Tommy
Cost
Well, I can’t bear to say the price out loud, but the number contains two fours and two zeros. Note that this new base price now includes the previously optional ‘expedition package’.
The wait estimate is about 6 or 7 month.
Am I serious? Well, at these prices it’s all pretty serious, yes? Still, for me it takes more courage (or rationalization) the higher the cost is.
Canoeing perspective…
$4,400.00 eh?
For that price I bought the following:
Mohawk Probe II (fully outfitted for whitewater)
Mad River Guide (with wood trim)
Bell Flashfire (with wood trim)
Bell Wildfire
Blackhawk Ariel
and I had several hundred bucks left over.
BOB
P.S. Of course I’m not going on any “expeditions” anytime soon,
but then again, how many paddlers are?
That’s $4,490 Bob! You could add a boat
or two to that list now.
At these prices I think I jus may have a Sea Wind or two for sale!
;^)
Mick
price
yeah thats a lot of money but you get what you pay for.
Its the ONLY boat/canoe/kayak that has 12 layers in the hull! Thats between 8-10 layers over any other production boat made in North America.
That one boat can do alot and if I bought several other boats it would cost the same.
I looked through the canoe/kayak buyers guide and there are over 100 boats as much or MORE than the Kruger. I know of one guy who builds stipper canoes and GETS $35,000.00 a canoe! You make it sound like its the only boat charging that much. For one thing I could easily spend 4k in a lifetime buying other inferior boats. Remember the Sea Wind is NOT just for expeditions. I use it on hour long paddles or weekend trips all the time. Great to take the dog along and or a cooler of beer, coleman stove and lawnchairs out on the boat too.
Dont tell Mark but I’d pay 6k for a sea wind.
N
Ok, you have a deal!
I thought three or four Sea Winds at $3,200 each wasn't that bad, afterall it was my inherdiance to spend as I wished, but at $4,500 got thinking just how many can I paddle at once anyway. Besides each of mine is unique and the Kruger Canoe Company has said they will not make any more of the "skin" ones as it is too expensive to make the mold repairs after, and have refused to make any more light ones as well.
Used ones have gone for almost new prices lately. I could buy a lot of other things, like that new building we need with the extra cash sitting around in the "Winds". Got thinking that just maybe I should sell two or three. AND then there is Norm's "offer". Hummmm ....
So, Norm. Just how many of and when do you want my extra Sea Winds at $6,000.00 each?!!! A personal check will be ok, and I'll even drive them out to you. ;^)
Happy Paddl'n!
>:^)
Mick
Sea 1
I paddled a Clipper Sea 1 canoe across Canada last year in a 5 and a half month trip Mine was a Kevlar ultralight and held up incredibly well. I’d do the same trip again with the exact same canoe and not be at all worried about it. The price on them is $3195 CANADIAN. Lead time is maybe 3 or 4 weeks. Very fast, tough, durable and you don’t break the bank to get one.
www.clippercanoes.com
Cheers…Joe O’
Anybody…
Anybody that can spend $35,000.00 for one stripper canoe has too much money in my opinion.
Where do you paddle a $35,000.00 canoe; in your $5,000,000.00 indoor Olympic sized pool, which is in your $25,000,000.00 mahogany log house, on your $75,000,000.00, 5,000 acre ranch?
BOB
How many Sea Wind owners …
does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Just one…he holds the bulb up and the world revolves around him.
Norm is right you get what you pay for
Norm is right you get what you pay for. Your not buying a name when you buy a Kruger canoe, you are buying the best canoe ever built period end of statement. I paddled a lightweight 38 pound Kevlar canoe 1,800 miles and paddled a Kruger canoe about 3,000 miles so far (still have 27,000 miles to go http://www.fightingms.org) /and there is no other canoe or kayak that is even in the same ballpark as a Kruger canoe.
The price is high, but the quality and performance is parallel to none. There are many other great canoes out there like the Wenonah encounter which I used on my 1,800 mile canoe trip bell makes a good canoe I hear as well. You don’t need a Kruger canoe to do a long trip. However if you can afford a Sea Wind you won’t be disappointed. Like Norm says you can paddle it for an hour trip or a four year trip. The boat is sort of like magic. I picked my Sea Wind up in Michigan and seen where and how they are built. Each canoe receives individual attention and are made just as Verlen made them. Again I realize the price tag is higher than a lot of other canoes, but in this case the price justifies the boat. Like Norm I would pay $6,000 in a heartbeat for another Sea Wind if that was the price.
John Latecki Jr
“Best” canoe ever built???
I’ve seen a few Krugers and I’d be the first to admit that they are well built and certainly heavy-duty. I once saw a man unload a couple of Krugers off the top of his vehicle by dropping them to the ground (Ka-womp!) and then dragging them single-handed down to water’s edge - like so many hundred pound sacks of grain. Heavy-duty and able to stand up to really rough treatment? You bet! From what I’ve seen they are well worth their cost – for those who have a use or desire for a heavy-duty decked canoe with a rudder. For long distance travel on vast expanses of open water I could well imagine they would be “the berries”.
But personally I would have no use for one.
I would take issue with the claim that they are “the best canoe ever built period end of statement” to be an over statement. It all depends on your usage. Whitewater, Freestyle, wilderness tripping with extended portages, tight creek running; these are a few examples that spring to mind where I would find a Kruger to be a serious handicap.
For some situations they excel and in my humble opinion are well worth the rather hefty price tag. But “the best canoe ever built”? I respectfully disagree. There are just too many variables - no canoe design/model can ever be the single best canoe. Randall
very specialized indeed
They are very custom and very detailed.
Have to wonder how many he can put out in a month. Even if it’s 2 per month at $4k each, that’t $96k in sales. I bet he spends at least $2k, if not more, in materials for each complete hull.
So that’s $48 to keep the lights on and provide a living. Not a whole lot for the product he has.
If he raises prices and keeps his backlog, well then that’s a smart business move. Time will tell.
Cost Estimate
Jem your calculations are very close. Mark is not in this to get rich. He is just carrying on the way Verlen wanted him too. Part of the money he gets for the canoes go to Verlen’s wife Jenny, and some goes to Mark for expenses and cost of materials. Actually his prices have not gone up in the classic way. Kruger canoes offered “accessories” in the past to bring the craft up to “expedition” outfitting. Many persons found after buying the “stripped down” model they wanted the additional catamaran tube, or mast step to be able to sail, or additional tie downs. They were then faced with the logistics problems of getting them back to Mark to have them added which took away from the limited time Mark has while building other boats. So, Mark just decided to build one standard expedition model at the same cost a “standard” one cost with all the upgrades. Just as a matter of note, someone actually had the audacity to ask for a 10% “finders fee” for each canoe they had a hand in selling for him!! Mark didnt feel he could afford that additional expense!
Oh by the way Mick if you want to make a fair profit on your used Sea Winds that you “bought” for $3200 each, call me I’ll gladly buy all your Sea Winds and relieve you of the “canoe that isnt for you”!
wetsidedown
Best all around hull design I’ve seen
Arkay, to me, the hull design is the best all around hull I’ve seen, and I’ve paddled many, many canoes. I’ve raced slalom canoes (open and decked, plastic and glass), a high-kneel Delta C1 at the 1994 Nationals, and wildwater actively 1996-2003, in addition to much cruising and playboating.
The combination of the decent rocker for maneuverability, rudder for great tracking, length and narrow width (for a canoe) for speed, shape for stability, and toughness results in a canoe that can comfortably go many places, and in my opinion more places than any other type of boat.
I have comfortably paddled my Monarch through solid Class 3 rapids, and am confident that I could run a full Class 3 run (like the Ocoee) with no problems with rudder up, and then drop the rudder and outrun most other non-racing boats on the flats. With the rudder up, it reminds me of a Blue Hole OCA for maneuverability, and I’ve run those through Section 4 of the Chattooga. It also front surfs very well (quite fun with the rudder - you can move back and forth no hands).
Best to all people? I agree, not likely. But best boat to paddle all places? I think so. (And the Sea Wind is definitely outfitted much better than my Monarch.)
versatile Sea Wind
Sea Wind is designed without any doubts as a heavy duty expedition boat. However, I consider her the most versatile boat in my fleet as well. And I have a few quite different boats (http://users.frii.com/uliasz/wayfarer/paddling_fleet.htm).
I take Sea Wind for expedition paddling like WaterTribe events, but, at the same time, I enjoy to take her for a short evening paddling on a local lake or river, especially, in winter. I like to paddle Sea Wind on small twisty creeks like the Dismal River in Nebraska Sand Hills (http://users.frii.com/uliasz/wayfarer/dismal.htm). I wonder if I would paddle down the Dismal in my Sisson kayak without damaging it.
Of course, it’s not the best boat for everything. E.g., I don’t take Sea Wind for Texas Water Safari (too heavy for that race with many portages).
informative and interesting post
I have been trying to bone up on Krugers for a while now. I chatted with Mick many moons ago. Still haven’t had a chance to “prove” a Sea Wind yet. Im kinda sorry that I missed the two that were for sale in California 2 years ago real “cheap” as far as we are talking lately.
I am looking for a Kayak for my daughters. They / I are used to open canoes. I would like to build a stitch and glue Rob Roy with them, but I will not try to fool myself. I am trying to get some honest opinions as to the “LOON” series by OT. They have both played in easy water together in a pair of them and they really like them. I am concerned that they would grow out of them and may want more of a costal cruiser / tripper type too soon. They are middle and highschool age. I have read and studied as much as I could find on the OT loon 120 and 138. Lots of folks seem to like it as a beginer boat, I just cant afford going through two this year and then upgrading next year yaddy yaddy yad.
By the way, if you think that these post are contraversial, you should check out some of the fiddle/ vilon post. I thought the sailing ref anchors was ruff untill I got there.
Thanks for yer input, and I hope nobody finds out much of my backgound and rubs my nose in it.
Parr
Considering
kevlar canoe/kayak prices in general, the Sea Wind pricing seems reasonable to me. It is a specialty expedition canoe made in small quantity. They are not going to build them unless they can make a living doing it.
I would sure like to have one for coastal exploration and long distance paddling.
But, my next ‘boating’ purchase will be a wood-canvas canoe course (individual instruction) for about $2,500.00. And, this is for me doing all (or most of)the work.
David