I am an old guy, 5’9" 165 lbs. and most people would say I am in good shape for my age.
I have been canoeing, but I don’t get out enough to be really good. The rivers around me with small rapids can be a challenge to stay upright.
Often, I am alone in my paddling, but when I find someone to go with, they’re younger and in a kayak.
I am thinking about trying a kayak for its stability, but am cheap. I want to be able to keep up with others when I get them to come along.
I am looking at an old Ultrasports Excalibur, 11’ Kayak that looks like it’s been taken care of, but it’s old. The guy selling it calls it a racing kayak. It is fiberglass and looks very thin, as it appears you can see through to the bracing.
I got more information. The kayak says, UltraSports, Excalibur on the top of it, but the gentleman states the brand is “Perception” and the model is “Dancer”
The Perception Dancer was a plastic kayak, primarily a whitewater boat, although it’s rather long for a WW boat by today’s standards. Perhaps that Excalibur is a composite version of the same hull shape. But I wouldn’t call that hull shape a “racing kayak”. It’s more about maneuverability, rather than going straight and fast.
There are several old discussion threads on the Dancer. Here’s one of them:
Dunno how cheap you are but I regularly see decent plastic kayaks for sale on facebook marketplace or Craigslist around $300. Alternatively lots of kayakers are willing to lend people their kayaks to try out.
Lot of info from a search. Reminds me of the slalom kayak video posted by @Shadepine under the recent thread about the the Wilderness System 165/175 Tsunami being made again. You might enjoy the video.
