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 *************************************************************************** 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 9/18/07, Carey Parks <carey_at_jimparksfamily.com> wrote: > 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 don't think 65lbs is out of line for a big volume kayak. Most high-volume "expedition" kayaks in fiberglass would weigh in at about 60-65 pounds; figure maybe 52-57 lbs if they're kevlar. The Nimbus Telkwa HV (a model I have) is about 62 lbs. My son-in-law's, which is kevlar, is about 57lbs. Anything with this sort of volume in plastic would weigh quite a bit more. Another part of the weight would be in a heavier "layup" to hand the extra stress of carrying a large load ina seaway. The specs for a 2007 Vision say it weighs in at 57lbs but things could have changed a lot in a decade and mfgr specs can be somewhat exaggerated. I think the price is right in there, too. Depends upon how far you have to travel to pick it up, I guess. The difference in paddling a 65lb kayak versus a 55lb kayak is not that great, I don't think; especially after you shovel 100lbs of gear into it. In this case design makes all the difference. Where you will notice the weight difference is when you try to move it around on land (or put it on top of your Isuzu Trooper - with racks). It's amazing how much more difficult it is to raise that extra ten pounds over your head; or pick it up with one hand to impress the girls. There might be an age where we outgrow that. I'll let you know when I hit it. My son-in-law got his Nimbus for $800 but before he wrote the check he asked me if a kevlar Telkwa HV was worth that. I told him that unless it was in pieces pay them the money. Even then, sometimes. <grin> I think it's important that you paddle the boat loaded like you expect it to be (you can use weights instead of gear but make sure they don't shift when you roll or put the kayak on edge). Ask Matt Broze if he has some turning and speed data on this particular model; I bet he does. Craig Jungers Royal City, WA *************************************************************************** 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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