should I buy this boat

[Collard Green]

Hey everybody...I'm new and would love some advice.

I live in Florida and guide for the NOC in the summer...started getting interested in open boating last summer and would like to purchase a used one and practice on flatwater here before I go back to NC this summer.

I have a chance to buy a barely used "mint" condition (so the owner says) Dagger Rival. It has a saddle and knee pads...no air bags/bladders...not foot pegs...know thigh straps. Pics look really good...she is asking $500.

Should I pay that much even though I will still need to finish outfitting it...also...I have read that it is a great boat but suited for smaller paddlers...I am 5'9" and weigh 210...fairly broad shouldered...am I gonna be too big to fit comfrotably and float well?

My past experiences were in a Esquif Raven and Prodigy...both of those boats felt pretty comfrotable.

Thanks so much for any advice--_Adam

[jroneil]

You are not going to get it much cheaper especially if it is in mint condition you could may knock 50-100 off the price but unless the boat has some serious problems you probably are not going to get it much cheaper a new boat is going to cost 1000+

[kayaker729]

That sounds like an awesome boat, at a good price. Idk what part of florida ur in, but I live in Gainesville, and me and my buddy are always looking for ppl to paddle with, (flat or ww) if you ever need ppl to paddle with just shoot me a message.

[craig]

That's a very good price, and at most it would cost you another $150- $200 for good bags and straps. The boat should fit you fine

[Pierre LaPaddelle]

(Hm-m. . . Rival? Mint condition? $500? . . .)



Hey C. G.

Awful boat. Terrible price. Wrong colour. Don't do it.

Tell ya what -- give me the name and phone number of the vendor, and I'll let them know you're not interested. . .

Hey -- what are c-boat friends for???

[Mike Gardner]

The Rival is a good boat and will serve you well. I'm about your size and my Rival did a good job of getting a mid 50's rooky to a lll- paddler. There is lots of info about outfitting-- mike yee outfitting dot com and past threads here. Good to have a new paddler join the ranks

[Collard Green]

Thanks everybody...I am a teacher in Ocala...gonna see what the money situation is going into the Christmas holiday...maybe make this purchase after all the presents, food, and charities have been accounted for...if there is any money left.

I would love to have this boat if nobody buys it out from under me...I'll let ya know and send some pics if I get it

[agrestal]

Even if it looks "mint" Rivals haven't been made for a while and if it's older, the royalex might be brittle. You can check the serial # to find out the year it was manufactured. That said, I would probably risk it because I love a Rival! I'm not sure if you'd be a bit on the heavy side for it, but I haven't heard of many who've paddled one and not liked it regardless of size.

[ELGOTTO]

I bought a used one back in 2003 and paid 550 for it. Mine was Royalite but I believe some were Royalex. If you buy it and install thigh strap anchors, make sure you use the right type adhesive.

[Collard Green]

Hey everybody...thanks so much for all the good advice...it helped a lot on my final decision.

So...here's the entire purchase adventure story:

I have wanted to paddle a WW canoe since I was a really little kid....Kayaks looked okay but there was something about the lone dude in a really cool looking "soft sided" (the way I described the look of a WW canoe when I was a little kid) canoe amongst 50 kayakers that always got my dream juices flowing.

Being from Florida I saw this scene once...maybe twice a year when I would visit my dad in TN, PA, or SC. We would take a rafting trip in then I would want to stick around for a while and just watch the boaters play...I always loved WW and dreamed of sitting in a canoe surrounded by big puffy air bags in the thick of water.

Fast forward to 2010...I am a school teacher still living and teaching in Florida but working for the summer as a guide for the NOC on the Nantahala. I went after this job for all the obvious reasons but mainly to learn how to pilot an OC1 and to fly fish every day.

Finally, after like 3 weeks of guiding two trips everyday with 1 day boff...my instructor in guide school finally offered to show be the ropes in a canoe.

We checked a couple out from the NOC store...him in a Nitro and me in a Prodigy. I swam like 5 times but I was liv'in the dream! Needless to say, before we got to the falls I was so tired of swimming that I decide to skipp it.

Couple of weeks later...with only that one run under my belt, I checked out an Esquif Raven and headed to the lake...practiced for a while...then ran the Nanty...I did not swim once...until the falls. I actually had a perfect A line at the falls but made a really stupid decision at the end and swam.

Okay, so all summer long I looked for a deal on a boat...went back south boatless. Months passed then one day...out of the blue found an add on CL for this old Dagger Raven in "mint condition." She wanted $500. Pics looked good...offered the lady $300...she said no. This was a month ago...Christmas was coming fast...I decided to pass. Could not stop thinking about it though...she calls me out of nowhere yesterday and says I can have it for $400...I told my wife I would sell something if I could go look at it and maybe buy it if it looked good. Wife said okay.

We drove to Orlando...it looked amazing...not exactly mint...but really nice and barely used. I paddled it is a small lake...I was really worried to would be to small for me...but it fit awesome...most comfrotable OC1 I have ever sat in out of my prevciously vast experince of 2 !

I loved the way she moved...bought her! $400 out the door!

I know this is really long story...but I am hundreds of miles from WW and am supper excited and there is no one to share the news with...none of my friends are really in to boating...soo...figured I'd gush here...thanks for the ears!

Pictures and outfitting questions to come soon!

[agrestal]

That's good stuff! Hope to paddle with you around NOC this summer!