wanna help me buy a kayak?

**lph** · 04-09-2009, 12:17 PM

Oh yeah, this boat is definitely coming indoors next winter!

We have a small apartment with a tiny shed outdoors full of skis and 4-5 bikes, and just a parking space in a large parking facility, so no room here, but if I can't get a place at the kayak club I'm fixing some kind of hooks above the car at our parking spot.

**Cataboo** · 04-09-2009, 12:23 PM

Excellent - how do you like your catalina? I'm 5'1, so I usually find that the prijons are just a bit too big for me - but I haven't tried that one & it looks like it's for smaller people. I used to have a prijon yukon expedition way back whenever - sold it for something easier to carry myself, then eventually got a prijon excursion tandem - which ended up just being massive and a reason to argue with whoever was in the other cockpit.

Now we've got a prijon barracuda & a perception avatar - The former is a very fast barge, while the latter is pretty nimble and turns on a dime - which means it doesn't really track all that well, except if I take out into waves where it suddenly becomes amazingly stable and fun.

**lph** · 04-09-2009, 12:25 PM

Very snug indeed

I'm 1,66 m, forget how tall that is in feet. A friend bought one for her teenage kids, so it's quite small.

**lph** · 04-10-2009, 12:25 PM

I don't really believe my own eyes yet, but a few hours belly-up in the sun magically changed the kayak's shape from v-shaped "the wrong way" to normal and significantly reduced the dent, and after a few more hours while we were away the entire deformation was gone! Hooray for warm sun and memory plastic!

**Cataboo** · 04-10-2009, 12:46 PM

Excellent!

that's much less work than pouring in hot water.

**tulip** · 04-10-2009, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by tulip

I still have my eye out for a Wilderness Systems Tempest 165 when I recover from this house renovation. Perhaps I'll have saved up enough by next summer; I hope so.

HAHAHAHAHAHA! [snort] Did I really say that? Yeah, right...

Another summer of borrowed kayaking. Oh well.

**Cataboo** · 04-10-2009, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by tulip

HAHAHAHAHAHA! [snort] Did I really say that? Yeah, right...

Another summer of borrowed kayaking. Oh well.

Borrowed kayaking is less expensive and takes up less storage space. There's advantages

**Zen** · 06-22-2009, 02:25 PM

OK then. Let me borrow your kayak

**Cataboo** · 06-22-2009, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by Zen

OK then. Let me borrow your kayak

haha. Kalidurga would not like me letting you out on the flooded rivers around here

I can grab the bf's boat & take it over here if you wanna go kayaking sometime. I've gotta go on the monocacy sometime & see if either boat's suited for it - both are long so aren't great for shallow or rapids.

**tulip** · 06-25-2009, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by Catriona

Borrowed kayaking is less expensive and takes up less storage space. There's advantages

But the one I borrow is not the one I want to paddle. It's a sit-on-top, and I really have my heart set on a (used) Wilderness Systems Tempest 165. I've found one on sale or $900, but that's $900 more than I have to spend on toys these days, so it'll have to wait.

You're right, the SOT is just fine and I have a great time out on the water. I'm thankful to have access to water.

**Cataboo** · 06-25-2009, 10:28 AM

Check out appomatox river company in the fall.... I've had good luck buying boats from them in their farmville store. They once sold me a brand new $2,000 MSRP tandem for $1200 in the fall. I ended up selling that boat on, but it was a great price for a serious tandem. They do sell used boats and demo boats as well.

I completely get why you'd be frustrated in a sit on top, but at least you're on the water. Watch your craigslist, norfolk's craigslist and charlottesville's craigslist.... Things sell cheaper on richmond's craigslist than DC's. When I was living in Richmond, I bought a 14 foot perception catalina off charlottesville's craigslist for $300.... Was it the boat that I ultimately wanted? No, but it was $300 and good enough to paddle around in & have fun, relatively lightweight. When I got to the point that I was going to be touring, doing open water crossings, dealing with waves, and needed a faster boat to keep up with the person I was paddling with, etc., I found a better boat at a good price, the catalina got sold for $300 & I bought the next boat.

I still don't have the boat I ultimately want - but I've got one that I love in certain conditions and absolutely curse in other conditions. But it does what I want it to do... now if it was a foot or so longer, I'd be thrilled

And if I buy a new boat or the bf ever finishes the boat he's building me, I'm still keeping my avatar around. I can already tell looking at the shape of the boat the bf's building that I'm really going to hate it in certain conditions - but I'm going to be able to fill it up with a ton of gear.

**tulip** · 06-25-2009, 10:35 AM

Catriona, I didn't know you used to live in Richmond. That's cool! I love it here, such a nicer pace than DC, where I lived for six years. I'm one mile from the calm part of the James downstream from downtown, and I also have access to a house on the Chesapeake Bay, where I currently paddle the SOT.

I'm very familiar with the Appomatox store. I'm not a fan of Craigs List, but I'll check it from time-to-time. There's another outfitter in Mathews that has a good selection of used boats, and they have demo days in the fall. I definitely would want to demo any boat that I'm considering. I've paddled some that are just too big (wide) me and it's difficult to brace and roll in them. I end up falling out, which is better than getting stuck, but not ideal.

Thanks for the tips!

**Cataboo** · 06-25-2009, 10:50 AM

I lived in richmond about 5-6 years.

I actually like it up in Frederick more than I liked Richmond - but maybe that's cause I was just always at school when down in richmond. Food choices, I liked richmond's variety of absolute hole in the walls. Neither of them have good vietnamese food, however.

I've done reasonably well at buying & selling things on craigslist, but it can be a bit of work and you need to be informed.

SOunds like you've got a good idea of what you want in a boat... You can use foam to pad out a wider boat to make it fit you better for rolling and less falling out, but yeah, I hate wider boats myself. I just think it's better to have something & be using it/making do than not doing something at all because you don't have the right or perfect equipment yet - but I'm more particular that my bike has to be perfect than I am that my kayak has to be perfect (probably 'cause I know depending on whether I'm in waves or wind or flat water, I really want a different style of boat and I can't force a boat to morph. )

You could slowly start acquiring accessories when you see them on sale in preparation for eventually having your own kayak.

**Zen** · 06-25-2009, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Catriona

I completely get why you'd be frustrated in a sit on top,

So you want me to get one for the schadenfreude?

**Cataboo** · 06-25-2009, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Zen

So you want me to get one for the schadenfreude?

You want to paddle along the monocacy or over at the wild goose chase. I don't think you'd be trying to roll a kayak if you got one (tulip's wanting to roll & brace). If you got to a wave with your kayak, I think instead of trying to surf the wave, you'd be using your brakes the entire time

But lots of people love sit on tops. But those are usually people who just want to be on the water, enjoy it, see wildlife, maybe surf a lot of waves ('cause they're great for that), have it be convenient, maybe fish.

I'm just gonna shut up now.

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