I know what general type of boat I want. I am more curious as to what I should look for regarding damage. If I could get some general advice on what to lookout for that would be awesome. As far as I know patches and cracks are obvious red flags but specifics are important.
scratches are ok, big deep gouges can be bad. And, overtime might lead to more folding damage.
light scratches on outside are generally ok, scratches on the inside are usually not good
most kayaks given decent care will last a long time.
I am still paddling a 1996 Dagger RPM Max with a lot of river miles and one front pin and it still paddles like new. The entire front bow to past the bulkhead was bent in to the center foam on a Selway pin. Stayed that way for a couple weeks. Had the boat in the hot sun on the driveway pavement for a couple hours. took out the front foam and bulkhead and gave a couple kicks from the inside and it popped out, no visible indications of damage.
Bottom line, there may be a few serious hard core creekers running low water gnar who crack or damage modern plastic, but for most of us a kayak can last for decades.
Look for Faded color a good sign the boat was stored out in the open. This can cause the soft spots that Freakus was talking about, It also degrades the plastic and makes it brittle. Some oil canning is pretty normal with most boats(the indention under the seat when you roll the boat over and look at the hull). Usually a big debate on weather you would notice any effect from this I think it would have to be pretty bad to effet the perfomance of a boat! Make sure if it's missing parts that they are available or easily made. Look the boat up online and find out as much as you can about it if you can't find it ask you will get all the opinions you need to make a decision. Eddyflower.com/boatertalk.com both have good boat review sections. Good luck and welcome to the addiction!
RandyP
I hate to pimp my boat in the open here... but I'm going to!
I have a Pyranha Sub-7 (I think? Sub-8?) that I am about to get rid of. I have a nice paddles (1 piece) as well as a new skirt and dry jacket. the helmet and life jacket I am keeping for rafting. I really enjoy kayaking but I just don't get out enough. The boat has been stored inside. Let me know if you are interested. I am in Fort Collins and Vail (weekends).
I would prefer to be able to get out enough but I am just too busy in the summer and my gear is sitting.
I bough the boat used for $400, I think I paid $250 for the paddle, $125 for the skirt and over $250 for the dry-jacket. Obviously I don't expect to get it all back. I would probably let it all go for $600 (I dunno).
Make sure that all hardware is still present(bolts washers o-rings screws) and not stripped out. Put loctite on all fasteners after you get your boat dialed in.
Look out for deformation around the seat\brace areas and any place that connects to the seat\brace. This comes in the form of lines of white in dark plastics...
Did the previous owner wash his or her feet regularly before embarking?
Does the foot well have gouges and look as if sandpaper was applied to it?
If yes then you also need to look at the wear from the sandy feet in all the outfitting and hardware on the inside of craft..
Ask the owner how they store a kayak; if its anything other than upright and out of the sun, proceed with caution...
Also remember a boat that was outfitted using hot glue is way better than dealing with a boat outfitted using a can or two of h2glue or some variant.
Thanks for the information everyone I picked up a dagger GT 8.1 in good condition for 300, a bit of a drive but awesome deal.
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