Purchase advice for a Jong please

I've googled White Water Kayak Purchase a fair amount but still have a bunch of questions.

Here's the background:

My soon to be 18 yr old son let me know that he would like a whitewater boat for his birthday. He's done a couple of multi-day courses on white water (up to class II) and seems to be getting the hang of it. (I did the class I with him as a Dad and Lad thing a couple of years ago. I was, well, fucking pathetic sums it up. But I digress.)

I was hoping to get out of the boat purchase for around $600 or so (He'll have to get the skirt, PFD, helmet etc. on his own.) I'd rather buy new because of the birthday thing.

He's about 6' 3" and 200 - 210 lbs. Seems more interested in river running than playboating/rodeo.

So the questions --
Anyone have any recommendations for brand and model of entry level boats that fit this profile?
How many more $$$ am I going to have to put into the deal to buy what I'm looking for?
Any recommendations on a good shop that sells boats in the MA/NH area? We did our classes at Zoar in Charlemont, MA and they seem like good people but they aren't exactly around the corner.

I appreciate any thoughts you can offer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obstruction

So the questions --
Anyone have any recommendations for brand and model of entry level boats that fit this profile?
How many more $$$ am I going to have to put into the deal to buy what I'm looking for?
Any recommendations on a good shop that sells boats in the MA/NH area? We did our classes at Zoar in Charlemont, MA and they seem like good people but they aren't exactly around the corner.

I appreciate any thoughts you can offer.

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My advice would be get him something used and cheap because as he progresses, he is going to change his mind on what he wants more than a few times. You will be able to find new or used boats from about $300 to $1,000. If you really want a boat that is new, either find a sale or look at Jackson Kayaks. They retail for between $8 and 900 which is the cheapest on the market plus the Jackson 4 Fun would be a good fit for his size. Any other brand is going to be around $1k new. If a used boat is acceptible, you should be able to find something really good in the $500 range but like anything, you can go up or down from there. At that point, your options are almost endless for a good boat. My personal favorites for new paddlers would have to be a Dagger GT series or Pyranha H series for strictly river running or the Wave Sport Big EZ, Dagger High Noon series, or the Jackson Fun series which are more play oriented (he will want this eventually) but are still good river runners. Like I said though, there are a lot of options and opinions.

I think FreakofSnow was selling a Big EZ that looked to be in great shape in his pics and was $300. You could have it shipped for under $100 pretty much anywhere in the US. As for shops by you, I have no idea but I know that www.outdoorplay.com in Oregon will ship a boat for free and there's no sales tax in Oregon if you want to go the new boat route.

Great info, thanks for the help!

conundrum's advice is great. it seems like people learn faster in short boats and if you can find a 4fun it might just be perfect. there are a lot of good boats out there though. you may have already checked this but boatertalk.com has a gear swap page that usually has a ton of boats on it. definitely a good resource. boof.com can be good too. also check the outdoorplay.com used boat section.

If you are going for a Jackson, I would go for the Super Star instead of the 4Fun.