The price of new WW kayaks has not risen nearly as much as the price of new WW canoes. Lower new prices have helped keep used prices down too. But sellers aren’t always realistic.
Really no alternatives to Dicks? Do you really have NO alternative other than Dick’s? I’ve often gotten better deals at real kayak and paddling outfitters rather than the big box chains – independent shops can be more flexible than chains on pricing. And they will definitely have better performing kayaks, maybe even some trade-ins or some customer “used boat for sale” ads on the bulletin board. I say expand your shopping options.
I find it amusing Dick’s lists that boat as built for speed. Maybe compared to the bathtub rec boats that make up most of Dick’s stock, but at 24 plus inches wide and 58 lbs, with that keel profile, it is hardly going to be a rocket ship (i have a similar spec boat in my loaner “fleet” that is pretty much a barge).
If you really love the sport, buy your boat based on how much you like the performance, not by price. Have you actually TRIED that Perception kayak? What does it matter what WE think of it – you need to see how it feels for you. Would you buy a car you had not test driven? Or shoes you had never tried on?
Are there any boating regattas or lake festivals in your area? Those are great places to see and meet folks with a huge variety of boats. I have rarely met a kayaker that was not agreeable to letting someone try out their boat in the water at one of those things, so it is a great way to get a feel for what you like in a boat. And there are often people who are selling their boats that attend or who know other people who have craft for sale.
My S&G VKs cost under $500 in top grade materials, about 70-100 hours straight-forward labour - and voila, you've got a 17', 45 lb., double-bulkheaded sea kayak...
And a paddle - mine are cedar Greenland paddles - $10-20 bucks for a 2x4 or 2x6 at Home depot, a day's shaping and fiddling, and there ya go...
Neither is at all difficult to do - literally anyone can build themselves a S&G kayak and a GP. Both are vastly superior to any $500 plastic kayak or $150 fiberglass shaft/plastic blade paddle. If you want low cost, solid gear and a great passtime to boot, DIY can't be beat...
i see a lot of nice kayaks on the lake that look like they never even been used. i almost assked a guy i saw if he wanted to sell his but im pretty shy but it has cob webs on it spiders webs etc etc .wish i had the kinda money to get cool stuff and never use it lol
LOT's of stuff floats- but floatin' ain't paddlin'
I paid around $900 for a new Dagger Crossover from REI
about 10 years ago and it's still going strong.
It's made of repairable EXL™ superlinear polyethylene.
A good kayak performs, keeps you safe, and allows you
to use quality footpegs, great thigh braces,
a good seat, a decent backband, and the kayak
doesn't disintegrate, crack and fold in a bit of current.
People whine about taking classes, buying decent equipment,
and putting in the time to practice/learn.
If you want a pool toy, pay $100 or $200 for a floatie
-- if you want a ""kayak"" pony up the $$$$ cash.
A KMART bicycle rolls forward but will break quickly
--- so will any cheap floatie from a big box store.
People seem to forget that when you fall off a bike
you merely brush yourself off, breathe and stand up.
A ultra cheap kayak may leave you stranded fighting for your life.
lol cant get blood from a turnip i thought id have extra money since i thought since my property value went way down my property taxes would go way down they went up lol.so thats why i need cheap kayak guess ill just keep mine for a while it has been decent just slow and bad seat
As I learned and got more experienced I started looking around and found my Artisan Millenium. Craigslist add. I drove to Connecticut to pick it up. Still my favorite ride.
. You’re far better off just going with a canoe. You’ll get a way better deal and will be getting a more versatile and more fun boat. All kayakers are either people who wish they bought a canoe, saving up to buy a canoe, or ate a mess of lead paint as a kid and drool a bit while paddling their floating tupper-ware container. Canoes are the way to go…it’s the boat God gave man right after he created lakes and rivers…in fact God created earth, rivers and lakes, man, canoes, then dogs, beer, tilly hats, micro-weave socks, fleece vests, and then women. Save yourself the time and money and just get it right the first time. If I can be any help finding a nice canoe in your neck O the woods just let me know, I’m here to help.
my buddy saw a canoe all he told me is it is aluminum and its his uncles and he thinks i can get it for 100. but last canoe i had i couldn’t use it in wind dont recall what kind it was but kinda recall it said something like Indian on it and was fiberglass…im thinking a just waiting a year or so to the ecomnony is better
Blame it on the POM’s (an Australian name for English persons - not complimentary. Perhaps derived from early convict "Prisoner of Mother England”, thus POME, or more frequently, POMMIE **stard. May also be a corruption of "Pong", meaning to smell badly. Pom’s bathe only infrequently and NEVER wash their socks).
The bloody Pom’s, with typical Imperial hubris, simply called all indigenous paddle craft ‘canoes’ (which word comes from the Carib Indian ‘kanu’, later Spanish ‘canoe’). This linguistic arrogance also resulted in that transcontinental traveller, the short-tailed shearwater, being called a ‘Mutton Bird’ and the highly prized abalone a ‘Mutton Fish’. Perhaps all the bully beef had affected their taste buds.
Of course, for many years, explorers had been using native American canoes for their expeditions. These light, swift craft were ideal for the vast system of lakes, rivers and streams the New World offered. The Iroquois and Algonquins could quickly outdistance any European boats and were in demand for exploration. But when the white men and their Native canoeists met up with the Inuit in Northern Canada, the kayaks blew their doors off.
The Inuit could paddle away from the Algonquins even more easily than the Algonquins could swamp the Europeans. Instead of finding out the true name of these racy craft, the unimaginative and linguistically challenged British simply called them ‘canoes’. Now we are left with the problem of sorting out all this intellectual laziness. The Poms attempted to solve the dilemma by calling canoes ‘Canadian Canoes’. This may work in the UK and Australia, but brings blank stares in North America where a canoe is a canoe and a kayak is a kayak and all the canoes in Canada are Canadian.
The origin of the name ‘kayak’ is a bit obscure itself. Zimmerly used the title ‘Qajaq’ for his excellent book on the Kayaks of Siberia and Alaska. Qajaq is simply Inuit spelling for ‘kayak’. Of course the Inuit had no written language, and this spelling was invented by missionaries. Zimmerly doesn't mention where the word came from in his book. It could well have been a local name which was picked up by the white men and spread by them as a generic term as a matter of linguistic convenience.
Get a way better deal on a canoe than a kayak? Show me. I rarely see good deals on solo canoes that I want around here. Used plastic kayaks are easy to find cheap in my neck of the woods.
