# Used Kayak Advice



## Papa Smurf (Dec 14, 2001)

I anticipate looking at a couple of used tandem kayaks soon. As I have never purchased a kayak before, can anyone give me any caveats in my selection process? Any tell-tale signs of damage that I should be aware of that might not be apparent to an ignorant first time buyer? Many thanks in advance.


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## mrjimspeaks (Aug 23, 2009)

Make sure it doesn't leak, I know this sounds like a no brainer. I was foolish enough to not look into this. It remains a minor but frustrating problem. I've heard that filling the hull up with water is a good way to determine if there are any leaks. If there are skegs or rudders on the kayak I would say that check the mechanism and see how it feels and looks. You don't want to go to drop down your skeg and have the knob snap off. 
Don't know what size you're going for, but I have a 17.3' fiberglass touring kayak. Besides some minor issues I really like it is really fast in the water, handles the wake well, and tracks wonderfully. They can get a little pricey though.


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## Papa Smurf (Dec 14, 2001)

Thanks MrJim. I'm looking for something with about a 450 to 500 pound capacity for calm water. I haven't ruled out buying new yet; I'm pondering over the Perception Tribe, the Perception Tropic II (Dick's Sporting Goods) and the Perception Sport Escapade (Gander Mountain).

I can't seem to find the capacity rating for the Tropic II anywhere. Neither the Tropic II nor the Sport Escapade appear on Perception's website. I'm guessing they are economy models distributed solely through Dick's/Gander Mountain.


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