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I_am_Tosk

In article ,
says...

On Wed, 8 Jun 2011 19:45:16 -0400, I_am_Tosk
wrote:

In article 856c65df-63c2-4a7a-aec9-1b6e661a1567
, says...

I am amazed at how much money people spend on kayaks. One guy had a
new one costing about $1000 and it only carries one person. IS it
really better than my daughters kayak that cost $300?

Probably... Any 300 dollar kayak is probably going to be 12 feet or less
and designed for beginner to novice paddlers. Jumping up to even 14 but
specifically 16-18 feet (I am sure the 1000 dollar one was longer than
12), makes a huge difference in the real usefulness of the tool...
Those 12 footers are made for ponds.

The short ones are what they use in white water so it is not exactly a
"pond" boat. Around here you may be able to find a nice kayak for
$100-$200 used and that could be a long "sea going" kayak or a short
"river" kayak, depending on what they bought and never really used.
I know people who have got them for free.
I have a couple neighbors with canoes and kayaks behind their garage,
that I can use, so I have never thought about buying one. The biggest
problem with paddling around here is forgetting about the tide. If you
get caught at the end of the river and the tide starts going out, you
have a long trip home.
There are really only a few months a year when there is ever a net
flow is upstream. Once it starts raining every afternoon in the swamp,
our river has a net flow out, even on a rising tide.

Well, I am not talking about "squirt boats" for white water. I was
talking in generalities. In general, a 300 dollar kayak is going to be
one of those 12 foot x about what, 30 inches wide plastic things and
they are not good for any distance at all, good for ponds... But I do
know there are exceptions...

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Team Rowdy Mouse, Banned from the Mall for life!