New Kayak

Advice
#1

Rookie here. I have my choice down to two models after months of research and looking. These two fit my budget and The elie sound xe120 and Necky rip 12. Both seem great and get good reviews. Both are reasonably priced close to the same. Use will be slow rivers and lakes. Need any advice for anyone who has used either…pros/cons. Thanks

#2

You should fill out bare essentials on
your profile, or tell us where you are.



That Necky Rip must be a re-use of an old copywrite name. The original rip was a ww boat, flat bottom, chines, and made a good wave surfer at the coast.

#3

Necky

– Last Updated: Nov-05-13 2:57 PM EST –

http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=3014

This is a link to the rip. Just trying to stay in the 12 ft range. I am from Ohio. The use will be for lakes, slow rivers, etc. No heavy class rapids. Changed my profile. Thanks

#4

Which lake
Maumee Bay on Lake Erie is Great Lakes waters

http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/maumeebay



Pretty much considered ocean paddling

#5

You are in a buyers market now

– Last Updated: Nov-05-13 9:42 PM EST –

This is a great time of year to buy a kayak, you can get great deals on closeouts and trade in boats. The only down side is that it is tough to demo them without proper cold weather gear.
In my opinion a trip to a paddle shop and sitting in a lot of boats would be time well spent. I think you will be surprised at boats that are now in your price range with off season pricing.
When buying a new boat remember that a good paddle and proper fitting pfd make the experience better, so look for a good paddle, and again off season pricing is going to make higher end paddles and pfds more affordable. If there is no specific reason that you are looking at 12' boats you may be better served in the selection around 14', the additional length will pay off on larger lakes and in many cases are just as maneuverable as a 12' boat.
There are a lot of boats out there, this forum is a good source of info. Have fun with your search!

#6

I’ll second that.
You will never be sorry for selecting a boat a bit longer than 12 feet, but you will soon tire of slogging along in the shorter boat.

#7

12 above
Thanks. Yes I should have said a minimum of 12 ft or above as what I have read and experienced, you are correct with the shorter boats.