Hi All!
My wife and I are just getting into kayaking and will be purchasing 2 boats.
Very special to have a mate that likes to do everything you enjoy, but one downfall, it can be terribly expensive!
All in all, I have researched and narrowed my search down to 14-16 ft kayaks that would accomodate a few nights of gear…
Thought that a day touring kayak would be sufficient…and I have looked at boats by perception, dagger, wilderness systems and current designs.
I’m wondering where I can look/purchase some boats around the southern michigan area and what your thoughts are on brand names…
I would really appreciate the feedback…THANKS!!
don’t discount
– Last Updated: Jan-22-05 3:35 PM EST –
valley or P&H from your list for intro touring kayaks. or for that matter impex.
Lee's in Kalamazoo, and now there's a place in wyandotte too.
Yep you can get a boat like the
susquehanna from impex or one if P&H newer boats and feel that weh you are heady to go out on the great lakes in four foot seas the boat will be.
If you go rec boat, go used rec boat, and put secure floatation into it front and rear.
one boat to look at…
…the Prijon Calabria. A 14.5 ft boat for under
$1000 that has a lot of the qualities that expensive boat have.
Normally I’d say go to the www.wildnet.com site
and do a search for a dealer, but their website
is having “issues.”
Email me and I think I can get yo the info.
NOTE: I am NOT associated in any official way
with Prijon, but I own some of their boats and I
tend to keep things in my inbox, so I probably
have some email addresses hanging around.
The Calabria is a very good boat.
Touring Boats
Capella P&H
A solid boat, capable of taking a variety of sea conditions, and will be with you for quite some time while learning.
Its what I started with.
kayak purchase
There is an excellent canoe and kayak place in Indiana about 5 miles south of the Michigan line. Fluid Fun in Bristol Indiana has a very extensive inventory of canoes and kayaks and will let you test paddle to your hearts content. They are located right on the St. Joe river so it is convenient to test paddle. I would estimate that they would have well over 100 boats in stock in the spring. They have been in business for over twenty years. I have purchased five boats from them and have been very satisfied. I think their web site is fluidfun.com but if that doesn’t work try a google search. Good Luck. Gary Thompson
Fluid Fun…
I second the advice about Fluid Fun. Very knowledgeable and friendly. A large inventory and on the river. I bought one boat from them. They are one of the few shops that will take trades, too! Straight south of Three Rivers just past the Indiana Toll Road. They are on the north side of the river.
Pat
thanks
Thanks for the quick responses,
this has definitely given me some additional kayaks to research that were foreign to me.
Appreciate it!
Largest Canoe / Kayak shoiw in Country
– Last Updated: Jan-23-05 12:32 AM EST –
http://www.rutabaga.com/canoecopia/page.asp?pgid=1001
Madison WI Mid March,presented by Rutabaga, one of the best canoe / kayak stores in the midwest.
Make a weekend out of it, Madison is a great place to visit.
There are great deals to be had during this show. On the left side of the page that opens with this link, check out all of the vendors who will be in attendance. It just doesn't get any better under one roof!!!
Don’t forget Carl and John’s!
This is the other paddling shop in Madison which has a show the same day as Canoecopia. The two shops have a friendly relationship and actually refer customers to each other. The good thing about Carl and John’s is that they are right on the river and you can actually demo boats there. I’ll be at Canoecopia again this year and hopefully I’ll have a chance to swing by Carl and John’s as well. As for the deals, most kayak shops in Wisconsin will match Canoecopia pricing (around 15% off) if you give them a heads up about it.
Rutabaga is also…
…right on the water. At the end of their property is a huge lagoon where they give lessons. The lagoon connects to one of the major lakes.
I don’t doubt that Rutabaga and their competitor refer people to each other. I’ve heard nothing bad about either store.
prob a good idea to wait
until we can hit Canoecopia in madison to purchase a some kayaks then eh?
will the deals at this expo be fairly reasonable and will the outfitters there have a decent supply so we can take the boats with us back to mich for the roadtrip home?
thanks for the info on this place,I have to call and make some room reservations.
Hotel
There is a hotel, I think it’s a Sheridan, directly across the street from the convention center. It’s on John Nolan Drive I believe.