Help Buying a Kayak

[kittensqueak]

Any tips for buying a kayak. I am looking for a gently used one but have no idea where to start. What is a good deal, types, ect.

Thanks

[kittensqueak]

anyone?!

[~~Who,Me?~~]

What are you going to use it for? What type of water? How many people do you want to sit in it? Overnight trips? Have you ever been kayaking before?

[kittensqueak]

Originally Posted by ~~Who,Me?~~ What are you going to use it for? What type of water? How many people do you want to sit in it? Overnight trips? Have you ever been kayaking before?

We want to use it in a river...not very fast moving where we are. Not sure about overnights...

We are near a park with a launch and would love to start using the river...I have never been kayaking (other than in my parents pool - huge pool), but BF has in boy scouts. I was thinking either 2 one person or 1 2 person kayak so we can both enjoy it...day trips I am thinking...

I have been looking and I think (not sure - as I don't really know what I'm doing) the sit on top recreational ones are what we want...but I am not sure what a good price *used* is.

Any other tips would be great!

[~~Who,Me?~~]

You should concern yourself with weight. You don't want to spend a bunch of money on something like a fiberglass boat, because that's too expensive. But you do need to be able to carry it, even if for just a short distance. So don't go so cheap that you end up with this big clunker that is a hassle to get off & on the car. The wider and shorter the boat, the slower it goes (and harder to paddle). Narrow & long= faster boat (easier to paddle).

Are there any outfitters near you that sell used?

I had an Old Town kayak that was about $500, brand new. It was a nice medium boat but man it was heavy.

I would comparison shop, if only for features, on L.L.Bean's website. They give a lot of nice stats to compare them.