4/9/14 7:12 PM

Someone offered me an older Fiberglass 8.5 footer in trade for a guitar.

Any reason to avoid?

4/10/14 5:49 AM

...which really isn't good for much other than dubbing around on flat water (it's the kayak equivalent of a cruiser bike). It will be quite stable, but that makes it difficult to learn any real paddling skills. If you have any actual interest in paddling, you'd be better served with a longer, narrower boat for open water or a whitewater-specific boat if that's where your interest lies.

4/10/14 9:32 AM

"dubbing around on flat water"

Exactly what Elaine wants to do. ;)

4/12/14 10:49 AM

His mint barley use Kayak seems to have done it's share of rock banging. Into the glass fibers both ends on the bottom. Easy to repair, but for what I was trading I was not going to be repairing the boat I traded for...

4/13/14 6:48 PM

If I had a buck for every time I've seen someone drag one across a parking lot, I could buy a new sea kayak! Plus, they tend to get used by kids a lot, who are equally careless and abusive.

That said, I tend to beat the snot out of my boats in coastal "gunkholing", rock garden play and surf, but I also know how to repair them. However, I would never represent them as "mint" or "barely used" and when I've sold boats, I've always detailed any damage, repairs or modifications.