I noticed that on the paddling.com site, when a kayak is discontinued, you can no longer access the specs for that boat. Why?
I can read the reviews, which is somewhat helpful when buying a used boat, but why not leave the specs visible as well?
That information was already on the website, so why not leave it there when the kayak is marked discontinued?
You can often look up the product catalogue for the specific year. For example: Wilderness Systems 2007 Product Catalogue. Then download the PDF.
I think it may lead to confusion about newer product lines. Nothing is ever really gone on the internet. Just need to know where to find it.
Thanks for that idea!
What are you looking for?
I was looking at purchasing a used kayak and wanted to compare it to another kayak I have.
I was able to locate the information on other sites, but it seemed to me that if Paddling.com is keeping the page, with the reviews, of the discontinued kayaks, it would help users if they kept the specs as well, and just indicated the kayak is discontinued.
What kayak are you looking to buy? Soneone might have one and be able to offer the info you need. The forum will only have info on topics of discussion. For example, I’ve posted and seen others post as well, data sheets on specific boats. That info would be in the archives, but it woukdnt be indexed unless you knew the topic. Too many discontinued kayaks to keep all the specs. I recently researched a kaysk paddle someone purchased used, and it was listed as a single blade SUP paddle. I though, no way that is right, further digging showed it was a discontinued double bladed kayak paddle, and the company branded a different paddle with the same name.
There are a lot of archived catalogs on the Web. Perception has all of theirs going back to the late 1990s. And I have found that if I do an on-line search for the brand name and model (even the year, if I can get it from the serial number inside or along the stern side of the kayak – last 2 digits are production year) that most of the time an old review will turn up (like in Kayak or Paddling magazine) that has all the specifications.
And, as was mentioned above, if you post a photo and the name/model of the boat on here, somebody will recognize it and weigh in. In the 15 or so years I have participated in this forum, I have always been able to get that information, even when I was trying to ID some pretty rare boats.
As to whether this site “should” keep some sort of database of discontinued boat specs, that really is not realistic. There have been hundreds of models of kayaks and canoes over the years, and I doubt that the administrators of this free site would be interested in that sort of effort. As you mentioned, you were able to find what you needed elsewhere.
I totally get where you’re coming from! I’ve seen that with other sites too, and it can be frustrating. When I was shopping for my used kayak, I really relied on the specs to make comparisons, so losing that info feels like a step backward. Maybe they think it’ll streamline the site or something, but it would be so much more helpful if they kept that data accessible.
I have 2000 CD catalog if anyone needs anything.
Such catalogues are valuable because models often remain unchanged for years. Typically, when anyone asks for specs on anything, a forum member has the details. My problem is sifting through files for archived product catalogues.
I also bought Sea kayaker magazines boxes of them. No clue how he afforded the shipping for what he charged me. Almost every issue they printed.
