Re: [Paddlewise] Which types of boats?

On Sat, Oct 4, 2008 at 6:46 PM, alex <al.m_at_3web.net> wrote:

>
>
> Craig, would you suggest any intermediate runner up for runner up ;-) ?
> Something as light as kevlar Solander, less "surf boat" (longer) than
> Coaster, with bulkheads and rudder, and not costing a fortune?
>
> Well... to address the last point first; craigslist is your friend. Most of
us can't afford a "stable" of kayaks if we buy them all brand new. Decide
what you want and watch craigslist til the boat you want shows up. Some
people will say that this cuts kayak shops out of the loop but my feelling
is that, often as not, the person selling the boat is ready to buy a new
boat from his dealer. At any rate, someone will buy that used boat; it might
as well be you.

Also, once you decide on your boat, tell your friends to be on the lookout
for that boat. My son-in-law bought his Nimbus Telkwa in kevlar from people
who had just moved away from Orcas Island. They were selling several boats
from their former fleet and a friend discovered that they had the Telkwa
they'd sell too (it hadn't been advertised) and called my son-in-law knowing
he was looking for that particular boat. Michael bought it for $800! It was
faded and the seat was toast but it handled perfectly and we brought it home
the next weekend. A Telkwa in kevlar goes for over $4,000... he bought  it
for $800.

This tip goes for accessories like drysuits, paddles, PFDs, spray decks,
etc. too. You'd be amazed at how many people would be willing to sell
something if you only ask.

Pygmy boats has the Coho for about $900 in kit form. It's 17-feet but
receives rave reviews for handling and sportiness and is very light weight.
Their Arctic Tern would also be a suitable boat for most occasions. If
you're not interested in building a kit, these appear on craigslist
periodically at prices ranging from not much more than the kit to up over
$2,000. Pam just happens to have two Pygmy boats she could be talked out of.

Necky's are built in the northwest corner of North America and offer models
in both composite (fiberglass or kevlar) and polymer with the polymer
versions considerably cheaper than the composite versions. The polymer
boats, while not light in weight, are certainly easy on the pocketbook.
Their Chatham 16 runs about $1700 in polymer. There are some caveats to
buying plastic boats regarding UV exposure issues and issues regarding shape
stability in longer kayaks. But the price is right and the performance is
good.

Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
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