cheap kayaks...
 

We live on a small lake, 75 acres? and the kids have been mooching kayaks from the neighbors and having a ball. Anybody know anything about kayaks and what I should look for? I don't want to spend a fortune because I need 7 of them and expect that they will lead rough lives.

For cruising your lake? How rough a life will they lead?

If you have good weather year round, get sit on tops. They're self bailing and need little maintenance. If not, there are quite a few 12-14 foot ones for under $600 new, little less if you find an outfitter that's selling its stock. REI frequently sells its used rentals, but they're not much of a discount. There's an outfitter I know that's trying to sell its whole business, but it's up in Minnesota and that means taking bike, canoes, the whole shebang.

Kayaking has undergone big changes over the last 10 years. There are new designs coming out every year and older designs sell for cheap. If you're just looking for something for kids to play around in on the lake, you should be able to pick up old whitewater kayaks for $50-100. I bought two older designs for my daughter for $50 each. Cost me $50 to ship one from Salt Lake to Denver via Forward Air. New all round flatwater kayaks can be had for around $3-400. Most all recreational kayaks these days are made out of polyethelyne and can take a lot of abuse

Here's some examples:
http://denver.craigslist.org/boa/204795359.html

http://denver.craigslist.org/boa/205128291.html

http://denver.craigslist.org/boa/204041877.html

http://denver.craigslist.org/boa/190811670.html

What a great idea! We live between Lloyd Neck and Centre Island
and there are many Kayakers on West Neck beach,however most are horribly expensive carbon fibre affairs costing $800.00 and up.

My daughter and I want a simple plastic or fiberglass shell that can take punishment and doesn't need to be treated like a Lamborghini after every use,besides,it will be carried on a Mercedes or Vauxhall so there you are....

You got her a kayak KE? I didn't know you messed around with the dark side.

Damn the secret's out! I bought her a C-1 when she was about 3. She could paddle it around a pool and control it by the time she was 5 or so. But I discovered that the combination of complex strokes and river reading skills needed on moving water won't work for kids that young, so I bought her a kayak so she could run rivers mindlessly. After lots of thought and conversations, it looks like kids can't paddle C boats solo on moving water until at least 9 and probably not any serious whitewater until 12 or so. She paddles bow with me up to Class III and has done since she was about 9. The problem I'm running into now is that I paddle a Caption tandem and the saddles are only about 22 inches apart. She's gotten big enough that I can't see around her and her river reading skills are not quick enough yet. I'm thinking about switching to bow paddling and let her take the stern.

But not to worry, I still think kayakers use training paddles.

If you can find a carbon fibre boat for $800, you'd better buy it quick and hope you don't get caught. I was sorely tempted by a kevlar/carbon fibre river canoe this summer and the going price was $2500.

Sea Kayaks are more popular nowadays so the market for cheap used models is not as good as the market for used whitewater boats. However, older 1980's river kayaks are useable on the sea if you can tolerate the smaller cockpits that existed back then. I used to paddle a 14' Pheonix Isere fiberglass touring kayak in the early 80's. I saw one for sale somewhere on the net a few weeks ago for $100. But polyethelyne would be a more maintenance free choice.

Try the classified ads at the NorthEast Paddlers Message Board for used kayaks.

I stumbled on some kits to build fancy wood kayaks...beautiful, but I'd be afraid to get something that pretty in the water. The pool tennis courts and golf course are across the lake from us, and there is a sand beach at the pool, so that is where they plan to make landfall, as it were. The kids like the paddle boat but the kayaks go so much faster.