I have a general first boat question that I’m hoping someone in the forum can help me with. I found a boat that I really like, in kevlar/carbon, at my local shop. The boat s being sold as new. It looks like it has never been used.
However, per the serial number and the shop owner, it was manufactured in 2009 and has been sitting inside the shop ever since. My question is, should I have any reservations about buying a “new” kayak that is of that age? I.E. any chance of the material degrading over time, even though it has just been sitting around?
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated, as I have no knowledgeable friends into this sport to ask.
Thanks in advance!
Should be OK
It should be fine. Check to see how it has been stored. If it was stored on a rack, check the areas where it rested on the rack for deformation.
If it was stored upright on its bow or stern, check the keel line to make sure it is straight.
If it has been stored indoors, there should be no trouble with UV degradation. If it is UV damaged, it would be pretty obvious because the gel coat would start to turn white and chalky.
Otherwise, composite kayaks can last a lifetime of properly stored and taken care of.
I agree…
It should be fine, especially if it has been well stored.
I would expect you to get a very substantial discount off the full retail price though. In 2014 I bought 2 “as new” with full warranty, fiberglass/kevlar boats that had been manufactured in 2012 and got about a 30% discount off each.
curiosity
What brand and model is the boat?
As others have said, when the boat was built means nothing; how it has been stored could be a factor. All of my boats were built before the one you’re looking at and all of them are like brand new and they’ve all got hundreds of hours of use on them.
bargain
7 years old you should get a real bargain on it. Type and price if you like to share. I know Current Design composite boats usually go up near 100 per year. Don’t think they did this year.
What boat?
Maybe a reason it’s still there. It might have been redesigned or that model was discontinued. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad boat for you. It might have been too expensive for the local or a niche boat that lost favor.
Some older boats are prized over the new models.
Name the boat and you will get much more info.
IF
If it has rubber hatch covers you want to take a close look to see if there starting to crack from age. I bought a NEW 2009 3 years ago a Valley Avocet RM and the hatch covers were starting to crack so the shop gave me new ones with the boat. Valley hatch covers aren’t cheap.
I wouldn;t worry
I wouldn’t worry about it. Shouldn’t have any age related issues if stored reasonably.
One thing to check is to see if the brand has made improvements over the years (improvements which won;t be in that version). Things like seats have made leaps improvements during this time. If so, that would be reason to request a discount. Smaller boat makers likely haven;t made changes, but the larger manufacturers make improvements almost every year.
Thanks so much
Thanks so much for all of the replies!
Its a Nordkapp. Another issue is that I have only ever paddled the most recent version of that boat (which I loved), and the shop wont let me test paddle, as they want to keep it as a new boat. When I sit in it, it seems to fit like a glove, but without paddling it…
Thanks again for all of the advice. What a great community!
take a look at the hatches
If the composite versions use the same rubber hatches as the plastic boats, take a close look at them. They seem to dry rot pretty quickly. I have to replace one hatch cover on my Aquanaut, which is about the same age. Look for cracks in the rubber and such (take cover off and flex - that would make cracks stand out more) - that would be signs that they have started to dry rot.
Perfectly fine except hatch covers.
I agree that it’s still a new boat, no issues.
Except for the hatch covers.
Valley hatch covers have a limited shelf life. The sea kayak symposium I was at just a couple weekends ago I pulled out a piece of plastic to seal up under someone’s newly crumbling Valley hatch cover. I just noticed a couple cracks forming in one of mine at home, which means it’s shot, and the whole set really needs replacing.
If they’re already giving a good discount, I wouldn’t worry about it much. But I would figure the value of the hatch covers to be fully depreciated at that age, and just make sure the price reflects a very real $220 value depreciation.
I still haven’t had a KajakSport hatch cover go bad. And I still haven’t had a Valley hatch cover that doesn’t. But Nordkapps are nice sea kayaks, and they’re good hatch covers for sealing out the water - the hatch covers just have a limited lifespan.
If it’s a Nord LV…
You NEED to paddle it first!
It’s not for everybody.
They can put a new boat (2009?) in the water for you to paddle without a scratch. RED FLAGS going up here.
So, I bought it
I paddled the boat. It was actually at 2010 valley nordkapp lv. It fits me like a glove and I love it. There was a bit of a discount, I paid $3400, but nothing too huge. The hatches are great.
Now my new problem. Until I figure out a place to put it, I have it in my living room with one end on the couch and the other on the floor. My new question is, will it be okay like this for a few days or will this harm a carbon/kevlar kayak?
Thanks again in advance!
Throw out that couch
that thing is ratty and nasty…
Sounds like you got a good find.
As long as…
…you’re sitting on the couch and not the boat, you’ll be fine!
Not to throw cold water—but.
I have to be honest, if I were going to spend that much money, I would have wanted to try out one of the newest Nordkapps and it would be the full sized one. Valley has refined the lines a little and if the latest boats are an improvement over previous models, they should be a real treat.
The full sized Nordy is very high on my list of best boats ever.