Mom & Pop outfits
 

Jinx and I recently went kayak shopping. We shopped online for a few weeks, deciding which models appealed to us, and checking pricing. We made a couple of stops to two major sporting goods retailers to see what was available locally, etc. The plan was to spend about $300 or $350, on a basic kayak for jinx's birthday present. I would get one later this month for my birthday. We planned to go buy one Friday night.

It was brutal. Probably THE worst evening I remember in a few years. We encountered one frustration after another, beginning with a thorough ignoring perpetrated upon us at Dick's Sporting Goods in Downingtown. We didn't see the one we wanted anyway, so we buggered off to the store in Delaware (tax free). Got ignored there, too. Even asked some punk for help, and got the standard 'not my department, but I'll send help' response. After about 5 minutes, a muttered page that i only caught cuz I was listening for it...'customer assistance to The Lodge' ..no repeat.

so....having been given a gift card from there, jinx picked out a couple smaller items, and we asked the gum chewing snot at the register where the closest 'Sports Authority' was. "'Cross the street, and down one light"

......so the rest of the details are just variations of the same theme. Punk ass teenagers working a crappy Friday night shift with insufficient supervision and motivation. Perhaps we should have known better than to attempt to make a large purchase like that at that time, but my schedule was tight. Needless to say, we failed to buy jinx her kayak, and went home defeated.

We did a little more internet sniffing, and came across a semi-local mom and pop outfit linked in from a manufacturer site with their 'find a dealer' search feature. We had planned on going BACK to those crap ass major sport stores in hopes that the A-team might be on duty. We changed our minds, and took a trip up to Kelly's in Gilbertsville, 5 minutes North of Pottstown. When we got there, a guy was just beginning to load up two new kayas on his Durango, with the help of Mr Kelly. Mrs. Kelly was assisting a noodge that was monopolizing her time,(i saw her trying on a life jacket and modelling it) [before your mind wanders, Mr and Mrs Kelly are in their 60's, and excessively polite]

There was a bit of waiting involved, but their house was right next to the showroom, and there was a swingset for my kids to play on. At one point my kids had to pee, and we used the bathroom in their house. bizarre.

Mr Kelly gave me a price list, a quick tuturial on how to pick out what I wanted, and free reign of his showroom, garage, barn, and greenhouse, where the kayaks hung like ripe fruit to be picked. It took us a good hour and a half to look at them long enough to distill which one we should get.

Well, we got 2.....they rock. It took Mr Kelly about that long to sort out Durango guy's loading, and purchase/titling process, but he stopped by every time he walked past. We finished it all up with Mrs Kelly taking our picture standing next to our Jeep with our 2 new kayaks strapped to our new kayak rack.

I spent 4 times what I had planned on, but was grinning as I drove out. Easily the BEST shopping experience i've ever had. Certainly contrasted by the previous night's escapades, but nonetheless, the man helped us. We got a mini education about them, advice on what would work for our intent, and 10% off for buying 2.

Sweet! Something I've always wanted to try. Take lots of kayaking pictures, man.

There's something to be said for mom and pop outfits that the chains cannot hope to match. Too bad that the biggies like Dicks and WalMart and others are killing off the little people.

Enjoy your purchase and remember them if you ever need new ones or accessories for yours. Support the little people before they're all gone!

Oh, and wave to my sister, who lives in Gilbertsville when you're passing through :D

Brian

awesome LJ. enjoy them. your story is the perfect response to someone who thinks they paid too much for their car. price is only important in the absence of value. if you got the product that you want and are happy with the service and got a price you can accept - you got a great deal.

Great story. :thumpsup: Hope you get some time to use them real soon. :)

AWESOME!!

Jinx's one i presume is the little blue speckly one? i have one the exact same! except mine is bright yellow and orange. It took me about a month to finally buy mine about 2 years ago. i even hired some out for the day to test what shape and mobel was best for me. mine cost $2000 AU, and is not fibre glass but a toughened plastic. i opted for no rudder with mine also, as i like to adventure in some rivers that get quite shallow.

My paddle also is not a dual paddle, i find that with my small arm width, if the paddle is correct in one side of the kayak, the other paddle hits the water wrong, so i have a single paddle and i do two stokes to the left, and two to the right.. but it does make my lap a little wet from all the water dripping off the paddle when i change!

Kayaking is a fantastic relaxation for the mind, and you can't beat getting right down near the water as you paddle, and is also a really tough workout as well! You won't know your biceps in a few months!!

I have lots of cool pics from some of the streams i have done so far! we should start a kayak picture thread!!

Great purchase guys i hope you have lots of cool adventures in them!!

:)

When I was a kid, Dick's was the local Mom and Pop outfit. Even a a few years ago, the old man himself helped me pick out my fly gear. Now they sell without service, another American success story. They sell a ton of bikes as well and do no repairs and carry no parts... jerks. (insert tw MBA rant here)

I wanted a kayak a couple of years ago, but couldn't afford a decent one, so I made this one for about $300.

This picture was taken the day I first launched it. It still needs a coaming and a finish in this picture.

Verrrrrrry Cool! Does she handle well? Ever notice how many talented folks hang out at the Cellar? I blame UT for creating an atmosphere. :thumpsup:

I built it myself from scratch, but followed plans by Chesapeake Light Craft. It's their Mill Creek 13 model. So yes, it handles really very well. It's well suited for traveling long distances in a straight line. It tracks well. It is designed with an open cockpit, so it isn't meant to be rolled.

It took me all winter to build, because I only worked on it occasionally. I measured my basement windows halfway through to be sure it could make it out when completed.

Building it is pretty straightforward. You cut out panels of plywood to a specific shape, you drill holes every couple of inches all along the edges of the various peices of plywood, and then you use copper wire (like bread twist ties) to "stitch" the panels together. The plywood is thin, and bends as the panels come together into the shape of the boat. Then you glue every seam with epoxy, and cover the whole thing with some fiberglass and epoxy. It's a really elegant system. It makes a rock solid kayak that's as strong as the $1500 fiberglass ones.

maiden river voyage was today:

Tsk Tsk!

wheres your life jacket jinx?!

:)

Behind my seat of course. It's a very mellow little river, and shallow even after all the rains.
You have the 10.5 foot Blackwater? I love it. I really love the drop skeg, what a huge difference it makes. And most importantly, it's faster than Jim's http://www.cellar.org/images/smilies/wink.gif

Nice tree! Brandywine? :)

Should you ever drop down to Florida, be sure to slide your boat into the waters of the Gulf. There is no more peaceful and relaxing experience than drifting through the mangroves around an island and landing on a beach for a picnic.

And be sure you get a big, floppy hat. You can't go kayaing without one.

Me and my folder, The Stern Warning, a 15' Folbot Kodiak:

http://fox.org/~vince/log/images/20040321/float.jpg