[Paddlewise] Talk me out of it?

Hello,

I'm going to buy a used expedition boat for camping in the Everglades. We
have to carry all our water there, so displacement and volumne are
important. I want to but a used boat both for price and to re-use something
that's already exists rather than pull another boat off the production
lines.

I have found a Seaward Vision 1997 vintage that appears sound aside from
needing a seat and hatch cover "shower caps". The main drawback to this
particular boat might be it's weight. It tips the scale at 65 pounds. I'm
not looking for a sports car or rock garden boat here. I mainly want to be
sure I can return the 10 to 20 miles from the islands should the wind pick
up and things get a little lumpy. I like paddling the boat, so I'm thinking
of buying it. Asking price is $1100 US, which on one hand sounds a bit
steep, but looking at other Visions for sale and considering the new list
price of $3500 US, and 2005 used ones at $2200 maybe it's not so bad. So I'm
back to the weight.

Will I regret buying it? Or will I appreciate it's virtues and accept the 65
lbs as part of the package? I'm not really looking to advice on alternatives
since there's not much to choose from here. I am looking for folks
experience with heavy boats I suppose (Doug, are you reading?)

Cheers,

Carey
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