John Fereira jaf30_at_cornell.edu Ithaca, NY You replied... <<On the other hand, some of us don't care if a kayak is real pretty as long as it still performs well and the price is reasonable.>> So your saying if my kayak was in perfect condition without any scratches on it and I took it too a retail consignment shop to sell for say $1500 and you looked at it while shopping only to make a offer of say $1250 and told the retailer to call and let you know what the owner says. Then after the owner accepted the offer you come back and find the kayak now has a crack down the side around the cockpit, you wouldn't care and would still pay the same $1250 price for it regardless of that damage that wasn't there before ? I know for a fact you or anyone else would not pay the same price for it. I have worked with the public for too many years to believe that. Which means I would have to discount the kayak and take a bigger loss due to some consignment shops mishandling of my property, if I could even sell it that way. This is not to say every retail shop would not stand behind their mistake. But the bottom line is it would cost me more than it's worth if they didn't. I have not met a single person in Florida who owns a FIBERGLASS kayak which didn't care what it looked like. They all act as if the boat is their baby and is irreplaceable, and if my kayak had any scratches on it that would be the first thing people comment about when looking to buy it. Any little thing they can use to reduce the price. So I have to disagree with you. Any time people can use any imperfection to lower the price, they will. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.7.0 - Release Date: 1/17/2005 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Jon, Friday, January 21, 2005, 8:24:11 AM, you wrote: > I have not met a single person in Florida who owns a FIBERGLASS > kayak which didn't care what it looked like. They all act as if the > boat is their baby and is irreplaceable, and if my kayak had any > scratches on it that would be the first thing people comment about > when looking to buy it. Any little thing they can use to reduce the > price. > So I have to disagree with you. Any time people can use any > imperfection to lower the price, they will. I won't comment on the "potential damage" bits of your speculations, but I will offer my opinions on scratches as a determining factor in price negotiations for a used boat. New or used, everyone pays what they are able and *willing* to pay according to their very own criteria for what represents "value". As far as I'm concerned, and depending on the original asking price for a used boat (let's assume it's "reasonable", whatever that means to any particular individual), anyone who worries too much about a few - or even many - *superficial* scratches/gouges in the gel coat is being a bit silly (but that's just my personal opinion). That sort of "blemish" can always be "repaired" if a person really wants to get silly about it. That said, a few scratches - or even many scratches and some bigger "gouges" - in the gel coat of a fiberglass kayak certainly shouldn't be such a major consideration when other things are much more important; like the overall structural integrity of the boat, any possible UV degradation/weakening, etc. Personally speaking, scratches and other superficial signs of normal "wear and tear" only indicates to me that a boat has been used, and a used boat is a happy boat! :-) When I think of the aesthetic "looks" of a boat, I'm much more interested in its lines than in whether or not it has a few scratches. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea if even new boats came with a big old scratch on the deck. At least the proud new owner might then not be so worried about getting that dreaded "first scratch", and would just go paddle the thing. Any boat worth putting in the water is a boat worth scratching! :-) -- Melissa *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 1/21/2005 7:22:57 PM Pacific Standard Time, melissa_at_bonnyweeboaty.net writes: Personally speaking, scratches and other superficial signs of normal "wear and tear" only indicates to me that a boat has been used, and a used boat is a happy boat! :-) When I think of the aesthetic "looks" of a boat, I'm much more interested in its lines than in whether or not it has a few scratches. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea if even new boats came with a big old scratch on the deck. At least the proud new owner might then not be so worried about getting that dreaded "first scratch", and would just go paddle the thing. Any boat worth putting in the water is a boat worth scratching! :-) -- Melissa I once saw a T-shirt at a motorcycle event that read "Chicks dig guys with scars", apparently this applies to kayaks as well. Tony *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On good trick to buying a used fiberglass boat is to take a flashlight. Shine the light on the scratches from inside the hull. If you see a spider web pattern flowing out from the scratched area this is an indication of possible structual damage to the boat and you may want to reconsider buying it. Bob who has bought more used boats than new *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
"Bob Carter" <revkayak_at_aptalaska.net> wrote: > One good trick to buying a used fiberglass boat is to take a flashlight. > Shine the light on the scratches from inside the hull. If you see a spider > web pattern flowing out from the scratched area this is an indication of > possible structural damage to the boat and you may want to reconsider > buying Good advice. The first sea kayak I owned I bought from a guy who had oil canned it in big surf near Cape Flattery. The manufacturer had made a "repair" on the underside of the deck ... which I peel off with a putty knife (!!) ... and within a month or so, aside from a re-do of the deck repair, I had to re-do the hull deck seams in the central third of the boat, and remove and replace the "deck putty" which held the cockpit to the deck. If the Rev Bob had been there, I probably would have saved my money for a better investment. Oh, yeah, a year later I sold the now-repaired boat for the same dollars I paid for it. That guy got a sound boat, at least. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> Good advice. The first sea kayak I owned I bought from a guy who had oil > canned it in big surf near Cape Flattery. The manufacturer had made a > "repair" on the underside of the deck ... which I peel off with a putty knife > (!!) ... and within a month or so, aside from a re-do of the deck repair, I > had to re-do the hull deck seams in the central third of the boat, and remove > and replace the "deck putty" which held the cockpit to the deck. I wonder, what can be seen in such a case with a flashlight from inside hull - darker shade, indicating that putty has been applied? (this is often obvious in a normal, i.e. reflected, light). Though, there isn't much reflected light under deck in a dark winter day, or in a garage... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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