UKC

On behalf of a mate - where can she get hold of a sea kayak fro her bloke?

Anyone recomend a particular type

thanks

In reply to John Rushby:

Island kayaks expedition. All the knarly old gits on skye seem to rave by them and they handle really really well. Also come in really cool colours. The other option is the knoydart shop in keswick. Dave who runs it knows alot but you wont be able to haggle and haven't a hope in hell of getting a cheaper boat. Also mega down on the south coast makes and sells boats as does nigel dennis in north wales and p+h in the lakes. I'd recommend the island kayaks boat as its made by a mate of mine and you can get them from brookbank in stockport. You wont get a fibreglass boat for less than about 1300 quid though.
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In reply to Hotbad Peteel:

The other option is the knoydart shop in keswick.

Where in Keswick?

In reply to John Rushby: The other option is to buy a second hand boat, sea kayak paddlers tend to look after their boats, so is often a good buy, they come up in the canoe mags and also on e-bay.

In reply to TMW:

Next to the Climbing wall .

In reply to John Rushby:

Brookbank in Stockport..info@ukcanoes.co.uk...website www.ukcanoes.co.uk...are pretty good.
ebay have a fair few in the canoeing/kayak section but they usually hold their prices.
I'm still a relative newbie at Sea yaking but Prijon make a good range of boats.Plastic though. Tough and impossible to trash but not considered quite the thing by old salts. Ditto rudders. Skegs are in..rudders are damn yankee contraptions !

As previously mentioned.Knoydart in Keswick are good but a bit upmarket from Brookbank. Seem to have a lot of sleek, expensive craft. The sort of things I would buy if a long lost aunt left me an unexpected windfall.

In reply to John Rushby: You don’t say if it’s new or second-hand, or how much experience he has. Buying a sea kayak is like buying a car - and much as I know my wife could pick a car for me I would still like to have some input!

If it’s new then have a look at the almanac pages for a number of suppliers and reviews

http://www.ukseakayakguidebook.co.uk/

If it’s second-hand then have a look at the community (think forum) pages on that site.

A sea kayak is a matter of taste what suits one will not necessarily suit another – the old maximum of trying before you buy holds true.

By the way – it so happens I have two sea kayaks advertised in the for sale / wanted section on UKC – suitable for beginners / intermediates.

In reply to John Rushby:


Thanks guys - I have aent on your comments to Vicky. Pat - she is going to look up your ad on UKC.

In reply to John Rushby: John I agree with Pat, you have to try them out first. I tried a Mega (their place is just along the coast from where I paddle) and it was OK, but I couldnt get on with the hatches, very fussy things. I paddle an NDK Explorer which is supposed to be tipsy (as in not very stable!) but I think its great. I bought mine second hand from NDK, I saw them at sea kayak symposia on North Uist and Wales, gave me a chance to try it out and I was hooked!
Plastic would be OK for stony/rocky beaches and they are cheaper than 'glass boats but a bit slower. Fibreglass is sweet, but quite fragile so no seal launches! There are several websites with kayak reviews and Sea Kayak mag is good too (but its Yank and only out every two months). There are several British mags but they deal with all paddling. A European Sea Kayaking magazine is desperately needed!

In reply to callum:

definitely worth trying the boat out first. I bought mine off a recommendation but the guy who recommended it used to be the senior instructor at plas y brenin and i got the boat hlaf price too. I was going to buy a mega without trying it and very glad i didn't. Brookbank let you hire out boats for the day and they give you the money back if you buy the boat as a result. Don't know if thats all the rental money you've spent
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