Gary S. wrote:
On 23 Jul 2005 16:21:23 -0700, "NYC XYZ"
wrote:


Oh yeah, they also don't think highly of the highly-rated FirstLight
kayaks. What gives?

NYC XYZ wrote:

The local kayak shop doesn't carry these boats and thinks they're not
as good for the money as some Daggers and Neckys...I've always read
good reviews of both, and have actually done well in the Touryak as a
beginner, so what could they possibly be talking about??


I have seen shops speak negatively of brands they do not carry, and
then a year or two later, when they do carry those brands, all of a
sudden those brands are the best. And vice-versa.

The job of a salesperson is to sell you something that they have, not
to review the entire market of possible options for you.

While that's true, a good salesman will not simply bad-mouth the
competition. If there are known deficiencies in another brand, he may
choose to explain them; otherwise, he should simply say that they make
good boats but that don't carry them and show you something equivalent.
I would be highly skeptical of any dealer that bashes brands they don't
carry, but it could be just a case of an untrained salesperson.

Prijon make good quality boats, but that doesn't necessarily mean that
they make one that suits your needs. As a general rule, you're better
off to buy a boat that you can demo, rather than buying on reputation.

I had never heard of FirstLight kayaks until you mentioned them. They're
folding boats and nothing like Prijons. I suggest that you decide what
type of boat you want before you worry about specific brands. While a
dealer may be able to help you sort that out, you could also cause a lot
of frustration if you simply bounce back and forth between various ideas.