These boats will sink fast if you flip or take on too much water.Īgain, these boats will get you on the water, and for some this is a good thing especially if you are paddling calm lakes. Second, if you are buying a boat in this price range, the quality of the boat means that you should not be using these boats in open water, on rapids, or too far from shore. If you buy something in the $4-500 range, you are much more likely to get at least half or more of your money out of the boat depending on your local market. This is the secondary reason I do not recommend these boats, they are difficult in most markets to resell for a decent price. Note that if you buy a <$300 boat, your chances of reselling the boat for a decent price is unlikely, so plan that whatever you spend on the boat is gone the day you take it out on the water. My recommendation is to increase your budget to at least $400, but if your budget is only $200 and you want to get on the water then these are the boats for you. If you starting spending more than $500 on a boat, then you should leave Dick's and head over to a proper kayak shop, or Austin City Kayak and start looking at a better quality boat with more features.įor a lot of newbie kayakers, you are going to be tempted by the ~$200 boats. The Perception Kayaks at Dick's are stripped down version of more expensive Dagger designs. This will get you into a nice Perception or Old Town kayak. For $40 they will do the trick, but at some point you will want to look at better quality paddles, so you can relegate your Chute paddle to backup status.įinally, my overall recommendation is to buy a boat at Dick's with a budget of about $400. At my Dick's they only sell paddles from "Chute" in various lengths. For the newbie, this is usually a pretty good deal. Second, Dick's does occasionally sells boats as a package with a paddle and PFD. My sales associate friend confirmed that they do take returns of boats that are obviously used for the weekend. At my local Dick's I noted that several boats looked like they had been used and returned or were missing pieces. Before you purchase any boat, examine it carefully to make sure that it includes flotation blocks (if it is supposed to have them), the drywell cover (if applicable) and that it has not been horribly abused or is a return. Boats at Dick's are not always well cared for. Next, make your way to the kayak isle where it is easy to get overwhelmed quickly with everything there. REI has a select number of high quality PFDs at most stores if you have one nearby, as does LL Bean to name a few of many. If their selection does not suit you, your next stop should be a quality retailer such as Austin City Kayak or any other quality kayak dealer for higher quality brands. Dick's selection of PFDs tends to be pretty crappy, but they have a selection of basic PFDs that will work for kayaking. Your first stop when you enter your local Dick's should be to try on a PFD. This post is my opinions on the boats, I'm sure others have differing opinions I personally have very little experience with sit-on-top kayaks, so perhaps others can cover those boats here or separately. Today I visited my local Dick's to examine what they have and chatted with a friend that is a sales associate for the department that sells boats and fishing gear to get an idea of what these boats sell for to aid in evaluating if they are a good deal or not. This only focuses on boats that are found in stores. This is my buying guide for sit-in kayaks that you can purchase at Dick's including price points at which the boats are a good deal. It seems like a lot of first timers here ask lots of questions about what kayak they should buy at Dick's. » Filter by Shorelines: Destination Questions & Trip Reports » Filter by News, Notices, & Announcements Beginner's Guide to Kayak Terminology - NRS.Original content recommended but feel free to post third party content as long as it isn't spam.įeel free to message the mods to add an event you wish to share with other redditors!Ĭheck out Whitewater for a bit more gnarl, or Sailing for that cool breeze, Canoeing for that gentle float. Post any of your videos, pictures, stories, guides or any other kayak/canoe related material.
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