Hi Paddler,
I’m a newbiie in this forum.
Please give me some advise.
I just have started to learn a Basic Sea Kayaking course and Roll A Kayak course.
I would like to make a purchase a used old sea kayak. It’s Euro Kayak brand, 16 foot, fireberglass, cockpit size 17x33 inches in good conditions, no leak, no spray skirt. CAD 625 and it 275 km away! Is this a good price to make a purchase?
Your input really appreciated.
Regards,
Dan
What’s your experience level & where do you want to paddle it?
Otherwise, first thing I noticed is it does not appear to have hatches or dry compartments/bulkheads. That would immediately exclude me being interested since I mainly open water kayak.
It’s ancient and impractical forget about it. 500 USD I wouldn’t even think of it. Good reasons above.
Hi Kayakhank
My sea kayak experience has just begun. I just have completed 2 courses which Basic Sea Kayaking and Learn To Roll A Kayak.
I will paddle on open waters of lakes.
Just want to have an unexpensive sea kayak from beginning.
Thanks
If you are paddling open water, why are you looking for a sea kayak?
Get the right tool, it will make it more enjoyable.
Not having any hatches will make that less than enjoyable to access any gear on your trips.
I find the reply by mike931x above extremely confusing. You DO want a sea kayak for open water, as in not protected water. Wondering if there is a mistype there.
Now as to the boat… No bulkhead so it’d require float bags, big ones, fore and aft. But it does appear to have perimeter line, so with those added it might work well as a day boat if it fits you right.
There are float bags made by WX or similar that have both an air chamber and a chamber for storing stuff. They are pricey but we’ll suited for a situation like this.
All that said, if you have taken the courses you say you should understand the rudiments of how you fit in the boat. Do you have a way of assessing this?
Appears you may not be in the US? If l am correct it is going to be me hard for most here to render a good opinion on the price, we won’t know what other options are available. If you are in the US or maybe Canada, could you give more info on location in case someone here knows of good sources for used boats?
Open water lakes to me is flat water. I guess I don’t think of the great lakes when talking about that and assume smaller bodies of water that at most will have some wind but no real waves
It appears you have not had a sailboat on Lake Champlain, or in the middle of Lake George when there is a long fetch out of the south. Enough to warrant more boat even if they are not 9 footers…
Hi Celia,
I’m in Ontario, Canada. Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay are the one I’m thinking now
Thanks
DanVo, Keep looking. The more I look at the photos. the more I do not like the kayak. The deck lines appear to be retrofitted with above deck fittings which will always be in the way and will eventually injure you during reentries. As Celia wrote, bags for flotation can work, however they are a pain to use…but it was great technology in the 70s & early 80s.
Price should not be your primary concern. Finding a good kayak at a reasonable price should be. A week ago I bought an excellent used, plastic sea kayak for less than 1/4 retail price new. That doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. The magic is you will need to move fast when you find a good kayak at a fair used price (my definition of fair price is less than 1/2 (approximately) retail price for a kayak in undamaged used shape - bottom scrapes from use or needing to update decklines/bungee are ok…a worn away keel/bow or a hole in the hull are not)
Since you are just starting out, I highly suggest a plastic kayak for your first kayak. It will take a bumps and scrapes more easily as you learn how to kayak better.
Open water lakes can develop dangerous big waves with short periods when winds pick up so you should want the safety of a kayak with at least 2 dry compartments. Keep looking and review some of the videos on Paddling.com. Here are two articles worth reading/watching:
FYI, Paddling posts new videos quite often (new material tends to be marketing/sales oriented since Paddling needs to make a profit to stay in business). However, IMHO their best teaching and learning videos/articles are buried toward the end of each topic area (occasionally I still see a valid one that is almost 20 years old). Point is, you must dig deeper than “the best kayak for 2021”.
Good luck finding a suitable kayak!
Edit: The Great Lakes and other lakes you intend to paddle are definitely big, open water. I would not regularly paddle away from swimming distance to shore there unless a kayak had at least 2 dry compartments. I would also dress for immersion almost year round…but that is another discussion.
The Great Lakes might as well be inland seas - you should definitely be looking at proper sea kayaks - Hank has the right approach.
I will third that. Full out sea kayak and related skills. And clothing. A more normal one that comes with at least two bulkheads etc.
I have stood on the shores of Lake Erie on the US side and seen good sized motor boats screaming in full throttle to the marina ahead of a big black mass that came out of nowhere over the water.
The Great Lakes are all pretty great…
Hi Dan,
I’m in your vicinity, I live near the St Clair river.
I agree, its best to look for a sea kayak, something 14’ or longer I’d suggest. You really want fore and aft bulkheads/compartments, best not contending with floatation (such old technology).
I’ve seen a number of nice sea kayaks lately on facebook marketplace in SW Ontario at reasonable prices
Float bags would be essential for a rescue, but even with these if you wet exit the boat will take on much more water than a normal sea kayak with waterproof bulkheads. It will take a long time to pump out and any water sloshing about in the boat will make it much less stable. Without float bags or other means of floatation, assuming that this is a composite boat, if it fills with water it will sink.
With fore and aft float bags you will have very limited storage if you later decide to get into kayak camping and any gear you do manage to fit in the boat will be difficult to secure.
Many of the areas that you want to kayak in are the very definition of big open water. Ocean going ships have sunk in storms. I would not take that boat out even if intending to stay close to shore. A sudden storm with strong offshore winds may make this safety measure worthless.
You might want to check with Frontenac Outfitters (near the park). They may have used kayaks on consignment.
There is also a great club based in Kingston, the Cataraqui Canoe and Kayak Club, which has many skilled kayakers and there might be members with used boats to sell. One doesn’t need to be a member to participate in their trips, by the way.
Base on all your advice, I have passed this deal and been looking. I will keep you posted when finding one.
Again thank you all!
I just recently got a 16 foot touring kayak Perception Aquaterra Chinook. The boat is still in the good shape.
DIY bulkheads, DIY perimeter deck line, replaced a plate deck, replaced the bungee deck cord. The total cost 450 Canadian dollars. I don’t think I can get any better than that! And as a sea kayak beginner, I think this is well suited for me.
A Perception Aquaterra Chinook has really good reviews on Padding.com and other websites.
I have tried on calm lake and I definitely will try on open water soon.
I’ve owned a couple of vintage Aquaterras including a Chinook and they are good boats if well kept, as this one appears to be. The Chinook is a higher voume “big guy” boat. The one I owned for a while had a DIY stainless steel rudder but I did not feel it needed it and never flipped it down. It was way too large a boat for 5’ 5” me but I had picked it up cheap as a loaner for bigger friends (it was nowhere near as nice shape as yours). looks like you got a good deal.
That is one nice looking boat…
