in article , Brian
Nystrom at wrote on 5/26/04 6:13 AM:


Impex boats are well built and have an good reputation. They did have
problems with leaky hatches when they were using fibglass covers, but
that's been dealt with by switching to rubber hatches. Their boats are
pretty lightly constructed and have thin gelcoat, but I haven't seen any
problems with durability with their vacuum bagged layups. The only
problem I've seen more than once on them is cracked cheek plates on the
seats, but that's on boats that are a few years old. This may have been
addressed, but I don't know for certain. They have a solid reputation
for customer service, so I wouldn't worry too much.


Hi Brian,

Good supportive statements about Impex. Every day I get a little closer to
taking the steps to buy an Impex kayak and this kind of statement from a
person I respect helps a lot.

Currituck or Assateague, that is the question that only test paddles can
answer. Too bad the nearest Impex dealer is 250 miles away!

Cheers!

DV

Dave Van wrote:

Currituck or Assateague, that is the question that only test paddles can
answer. Too bad the nearest Impex dealer is 250 miles away!

I didn't paddle the Assateague, so I cannot comment on that.

However, I was impressed with the Currituck. It had good initial
stability ... whereas the VCP Avocet felt tippy. It also tracked really
well for me and yet I was able to turn it with just seven sweep
strokes...most boats I have paddled take 8. It also seemed to be pretty
fast boat compared to others I have paddled.

Hopefully you'll be able to find someone a bit closer who owns these
boats and will let you try them out. I am a big believer in actually
paddling a boat before you purchase it as they do all behave a bit
differently depending on who is sitting in it. Where are you at? Perhaps
there is someone reading this group who could help you out.



--
== Eric Gorr ========= http://www.ericgorr.net ========= ICQ:9293199 ===
"Therefore the considerations of the intelligent always include both
benefit and harm." - Sun Tzu
== Insults, like violence, are the last refuge of the incompetent... ===

Dave Van wrote in
:

in article ,
Brian Nystrom at wrote on 5/26/04 6:13 AM:


Impex boats are well built and have an good reputation. They did have
problems with leaky hatches when they were using fibglass covers, but
that's been dealt with by switching to rubber hatches. Their boats are
pretty lightly constructed and have thin gelcoat, but I haven't seen
any problems with durability with their vacuum bagged layups. The only
problem I've seen more than once on them is cracked cheek plates on
the seats, but that's on boats that are a few years old. This may have
been addressed, but I don't know for certain. They have a solid
reputation for customer service, so I wouldn't worry too much.


Hi Brian,

Good supportive statements about Impex. Every day I get a little closer
to taking the steps to buy an Impex kayak and this kind of statement
from a person I respect helps a lot.

Currituck or Assateague, that is the question that only test paddles
can answer. Too bad the nearest Impex dealer is 250 miles away!

Where do you live?

Yesterday I looked at a Currituck and Assateague side by side. I've only
paddled the Currituck but the Assateague look much bigger. Which one is
best will more likely be determined by your body size as much as how each
boat paddles.

Brian Nystrom wrote:

Both come standard with skegs. The latest system that NDK has devised is
a real nightmare, so perhaps they don't intend for you to use it.

Curious...How is it a nightmare?

I had one reply that questioned the quality of the construction of Impex
and NDK kayaks (leaks, etc...), but this largely goes against everything
else I've heard about them. Of course, every manufactured item is bound
to have the occasional defect. Any opinions?

The two companies are pretty much polar opposites in terms of quality.
Impex boats are well built and have an good reputation.

Thanks for the information. I have recently heard good things about the
quality of the NDK kayaks, but nothing I would consider conclusive
yet...not a large enough sample yet...

--
== Eric Gorr ========= http://www.ericgorr.net ========= ICQ:9293199 ===
"Therefore the considerations of the intelligent always include both
benefit and harm." - Sun Tzu
== Insults, like violence, are the last refuge of the incompetent... ===

Eric wrote:

Brian Nystrom wrote:


Both come standard with skegs. The latest system that NDK has devised is
a real nightmare, so perhaps they don't intend for you to use it.


Curious...How is it a nightmare?

Their new front deck mounted system uses a convoluted combination of
tubing and pulleys and cleats that simply add friction to the system.
The thinner cord that the system requires stretches more and is less
less durable than the thicker cord of the old system. Some people find
the new cleat to be counterintuitive and inconvenient to use.

I had one reply that questioned the quality of the construction of Impex
and NDK kayaks (leaks, etc...), but this largely goes against everything
else I've heard about them. Of course, every manufactured item is bound
to have the occasional defect. Any opinions?

The two companies are pretty much polar opposites in terms of quality.
Impex boats are well built and have an good reputation.


Thanks for the information. I have recently heard good things about the
quality of the NDK kayaks, but nothing I would consider conclusive
yet...not a large enough sample yet...

That's my feeling, too. NDK has a lot to prove. A couple of friend of
mine have new boats on order and it will be interesting to see what
they're like.