16' wooden kayak value ??

[davelanthier]

Help! Any idea what it is and might be worth? I know nothing about Kayaks but this was a challenge I couldn't pass up. Someone had built it many years ago but, for what ever reason, never finished it. I suspect it would be called stitch and glue construction. The hull and decks are 1/8" marine grade Mahogany plywood. Keel seam is fiberglassed inside and out. It has built in foam flotation yet weighs only 25 pounds in total. Beam is 24", depth of 9". It has never been used is now ready to paddle [not by me, I like to stay dry ] . Thanks in advance

 

[Greg Nolan]

Cant help on valuation, but that is one sleek, pretty boat.

 

[pklonowski]

Maybe visit http://www.paddling.net/Classifieds/ and see if you can find a similar boat for sale? Or take it to a kayak shop and find something similar? Just speculating.

 

[Benson Gray]

Similar ones have sold for $1100 at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...wWXJJEdvTtE%3D&viewitem=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc and $350 at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...UasbtwgFMRwWXJJEdvTtE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc on eBay recently. Good luck,

Benson

 

[Charlie]

What you have is similar to this Chris Kulczicki design;
http://gallery.bateau2.com/displayimage.php?album=856&pid=18807#top_display_media
They are both "tortured plywood" designs. To flex the hull into shape the plywood has to be very thin (3mm) and of top quality.
Using the torturing technique it is possible to get a 16 foot kayak out of just two sheets of plywood. The downside is the hull feels kind of tippy and takes getting use to. Because of the low wetted area these hulls have a good turn of speed if you have the muscle for it or a lot of glide if you don't. But, as slick a design as they were they never became all that popular because they didn't please the entry level crowd.
If you can get someone with experience to take a short paddle in it you will find out if the above characterization fits your boat.
Since it is most likely an old design I doubt you would get more than about $250 for it even tho' it is a pretty boat. S&G kayak designs have come along way in the last 20 years.
Good luck.

 

[Lazy Jack]

same construction as the 'Yare' design I built myself 20 some odd years ago (actually pretty much exactly the same). I didn't find it all that tippy, but it was very light and fast albeit low volume.

Value - no idea, but having built one and used one, I'd let it go for $500.00 if I were trying to get money for it, but I'd give mine to anyone interested in repairing it (fell off rack onto a post and fractured the deck a little) as it would be less bother to just build another one.

 

[davelanthier]

FYI - It sold for the advertised price of $475 with in 2 hours after I had placed a local internet ad. Had quite a few responses to the ad so I guess the price was right. Thanks, Dave.