New kayak curious questions

I have a general concern regarding the purchase of a kayak…my situation is this: I found a “not used” 2013 current designs vision 120 at a local dealer, the boat has gone unsold for 3 years, is in new condition and is, in fact, being sold as new (warranty, et all), curious to me. It’s a limited edition carbon hull boat. I contacted the manufacturer who confirmed the limited production of the kayaks and offered the original msrp which was about $400 less than the current asking price…Sooo, does this strike any as problematic in any of the following ways, carbon hull durability, 3 years unused, the augmented asking price?

Age
Age of a composite boat would mean very little to me. I have a 20 y/o fiberglass boat that is still in tip top shape.



So you mean to say that the shop has the boat listed $400 OVER msrp? Seems a bit much, but I’d need to see the ask to really judge. Visions are just about the nicest rec boats out there.

Age
Thanks Fred,

Your feedback re age is much appreciated…excellent point.

Yes, well over msrp…seems steep for storage in the shop/warehouse waiting for a buyer for 3 years.

The vision did feel wonderful…I hear more and more positive results. Just debating the carbon hull limited run I stumbled on vs hybrid. Weight vs durability…and cost of course!

agree on age and on price
I agree with the prior post - age isn’t important unless it wasn’t stored right (out in sun, in such a way it indents, etc.). Doesn’t sound like it here.



Over 3 years, manufacturers often fix issue or make improvements in newer versions. So I would expect a slight discount on the 3 yr old as compared to a current version. There isn’t a huge profit margin on boats (often 30-35%), so even a 10% discount is significant to the dealer.

Premium $$$$
Doesn’t sound like they are flying out the door. May be if they keep it another 20 yrs. they can get classic money for it.



Not really enough of them out there to get feedback on construction. I wonder why the CF wasn’t continued.



If I liked the boat I might take a chance on it at a discount rather than a premium.

I love the Vision, but …
I would never pay more than the MSRP price for it.



If it is three years old offer them less than the MSRP price, and if they don’t accept it, just keep looking for another boat.



jack L

Vision

– Last Updated: Apr-12-16 7:46 AM EST –

I paddle a Vision 140, and my wife a Vision 130, although we have the fiberglass/kevlar versions. Ours are 2014 models that we bought in the fall of that year from a large paddling specialty shop for about 30% off the MSRP as end of model year close-outs. So, even if the one you are looking at is a special run carbon hull, I'd still say that it's way overpriced.

They are good boats for all around use but the 120 is quite a small boat designed for small paddlers. Even my 5'0" 110lb wife preferred the fit and feel of a 130 over a 120.

Oak Orchard (http://www.oakorchardcanoe.com) carries a lot of these CD special runs. Check out their inventory.

Hatch cover condition
The thing I might be a bit concerned about with a boat sitting around for 3 years is the hatch covers. If the boat was not stored properly, and the covers not treated occasionally with 303, there is a possibility that the rubber hatch covers have dried out and be susceptible to cracking sooner rather than later. And personally, the dealer asking more than MSRP to “cover his storage costs” is ludicrous. I’d offer him less than MSRP because I can’t imagine he wants it to sit around the shop any longer than it already has.

First things first.
As previously mentioned–do you really want to settle for a 12’ boat? When you get down to actually paddling the boat, the length is going to be much more important than what it’s made of.