I am thinking of buying a kevlar canoe. When I was in Ely this summer, I saw that outfitters sell many of them used at the end of the season. The prices however seem pretty high? And I would be buying the canoe sight unseen.

Anyone have any recommendations on this?

Thanks!

If you live in the Twin Cities Metro area in Minnesota, then try going to Midwest Mountaineering. They have a huge used Canoe sale twice a year, once in the early sping, and again in the fall. I have seen really nice kevlars go for around $900-1400. Or even check out another place that has a web site called Canoegear.com. They have a web list of new and used canoes. Good luck with the hunt, and keep it in the woods.

Thanks!

Kevlar canoes are expensive. There are lots of different layup for kevlar boats too. Do some research on models and layups before you make a purchase. You usually get what you pay for. Be careful if the deal is too good to be true. Kevlar can be repaired by just about anyone. Just make sure that that someone knew what they were doing. Inspect the repairs - if you see flaking or bubbles, be aware. A good repair will be smooth and almost un-noticable. Most outfitters sell used boats for the primary reason of keeping fresh boats for rental clinets. Some of the used boats are more "abused" than "used" and the price will reflect accordingly. A new kevlar boat will run you $2200 retail. A boat that has been rented one or two seasons can usually be picked up for $1200-$1500, depending upon "use." Check out my site for some used canoe info. lacroixoutfitters.com. Also Kettercanoeing.com is another good resource. They've been in the kevlar business since day one and treat people very fairly. That will give you a good indication of the fair market price of a kevlar boat. Rutabaga Paddlesport Shop in Madison, WI is another great resource. Good luck.

Hello Lance.
My son and I, along with various friends, have made multiple trips to the Boundary Waters over the last 5 years. We had used his Old Towne Penobscot 16 Royalex. He bought it for Northern Michigan rivers. It served us well on streams and in the BWCAW.

This year we bought a used Wenonah Minnesota II from Piragis. I must say there is no comparison. The Minn II at 18' 6" was so much lighter. It had a much longer glide, handled waves and loads very well. We'll keep the Old Town for rivers, but for lake tripping, the Wenonah beats it hands down. Bear in mind it's a pretty specialized canoe.

As far as condition, Piragis had sanded and re-epoxied it. It looked nearly new. We got an excellent canoe for about a thousand less. We love it.

Hi,
If you are in the Ely area or have access to the net...check out canoegear.com. They have a big selection of nice used canoes for good prices and will hold one for you until you get there.
Wonderful people to work with too!

Rather an old post - but I guess a topical discussion. Watch e-Bay - I've seen ten year old Kevlar Sundowners sell for $500 or so. From the pictures it appeared to be in perfect condition. This is about 1/2 of what you'd expect to pay for a kevlar tandem from an outfitter.

Hey LanceG...

First hand experience.....I bought a 2 yr old Souris River Quetico 16 LeTigre this last fall from VNO in Ely. I bought it sight unseen, but had talked with John at VNO on the phone and he told me he had several good LeTigre models all in GOOD shape...
I took his word for it because I had outfitted my last trip through him and I felt he was an honest, legite guy who would'nt steer me wrong... after all outfitting is his business..
As mentioned in other posts the price for a kevlar canoe used for 2 seasons would be about 12-1300 and honestly, that's what I paid....5hundred down and the balance upon pickup...
There were very minor surface scratches (which I have covered with polyurethane wiped on with a cloth)....hey it's been used 2 seasons....but other than that I'm totally satisfied and have a "damn nice" ride for half the price...

It's your money, but for what it's worth ..... I'd do it again.

Woodpecker

I bought a SR17 used from sawbill in 2006. spent 950. 10 trips later I abused it in 3 to 4 footers on Seagull. It just keeps giving exactly what I bought it for. It is not the fastest, but it feels the safest

And I bought an SR Q17 used from Canoe Country Outfitters for 1200 and other than surface scratches it's been terrific.

quote olmsted1: "Hello Lance.

My son and I, along with various friends, have made multiple trips to the Boundary Waters over the last 5 years. We had used his Old Towne Penobscot 16 Royalex. He bought it for Northern Michigan rivers. It served us well on streams and in the BWCAW.



This year we bought a used Wenonah Minnesota II from Piragis. I must say there is no comparison. The Minn II at 18' 6" was so much lighter. It had a much longer glide, handled waves and loads very well. We'll keep the Old Town for rivers, but for lake tripping, the Wenonah beats it hands down. Bear in mind it's a pretty specialized canoe.



As far as condition, Piragis had sanded and re-epoxied it. It looked nearly new. We got an excellent canoe for about a thousand less. We love it. "

Looks like a portage between Mudro and Fourtown?

Between my paddling partner and me, we've bought 4 kevlar canoes from Piragis after the season. Price was somewhere around 50% of list price and the boats were only used one or two seasons. They were in great shape and we've had 5-7 years of dependable use from them.

In this day and age you can certainly ask for someone to email you pics of your potential purchase. I bought my SRQ17 Le Tigre from a gentleman down in Florida after he sent me enough pics to help me make my decision.

I used to have an earlly Kevlar boat, a Sawyer Charger. At 18 1/2 feet it was a downriver boat with enough rocker to turn with a load. It was deep and dry with a flared hull for big waves. It eventually got brittle and started to fall apart. The last two numbers on the serial number were 78, as in 1978. I repaired the boat several times with layers of glass and epoxy and eventually gave up on it and still got $400 for it in about 2000. That boat cost $2600 back then. I would love to find a river canoe that I liked so well.

Hayward Outfitters in Hayward Wisconsin sells used canoes and sometimes has great deal on new canoes. The inventory is always changing and if you are looking for a specific model, let Jim know and he will let you know when he gets one.
http://www.haywardoutfitters.com/store/cat/CAN/USED/CANOES/USED+CANOES