I'm in the market for an expedition-ready decked canoe. If you have any of the following boats for sale or have a lead on someone who might, I would be most appreciative; Super Expedition Canoe, Kruger DreamCatcher or Kruger Seawind.
I'm in the market for an expedition-ready decked canoe. If you have any of the following boats for sale or have a lead on someone who might, I would be most appreciative; Super Expedition Canoe, Kruger DreamCatcher or Kruger Seawind.
I couldn't agree more, it's a terrible day when a fleet of canoes which have been carefully collected, paddled and maintained over a lifetime, are suddenly thrust onto the market place with not respect or appreciation for what they are, or for the untapped adventures which still rumble within their hallowed hulls. As stewards of paddle and craft it is our burden to ensure that those untapped adventures find fulfillment. So I make this promise to you, I absolutely guarantee that the Kruger Seawind you leave for me (or sell to me) will cry out in stark terror when I reveal the incredible adventures I have planned for it.Not to wander too far afield of the ISO expedition boat search, my Monarch has no first dibs call, I have designated it in my will to go to a paddling friend who I know will continue its adventures.
Same with several of our other niche boats; directives to “Give X-boat to so and so”. Beyond that I have listed which of our boats my wife and sons should hang onto for their own personal craft; some were rebuilt and outfitted specifically for their physiologies and paddling preferences.
And suggested what they might consider selling, for how much, for the rest of the fleet.
I’m not planning on keeling over tomorrow, but I have lost too many dear paddling friends in the past few years, whose families, or non-immediate/non-paddling distant relatives, were left to “dispose” of boats and paddles and gear without a clue.
EDIT: I know at least one paddlecraft steward with a sizable collection who cares not; won’t sell them, won’t fix them, won’t even put the derelicts up by the side of the road with a “FREE” sign. He swears he’ll cut them up and take them to the landfill first.
Fortunately I don’t think he owns a power saw.
I would certainly not sneeze at an opportunity to pickup a Monarch, but as you've said, those opportunities vanish as quickly as they first appear. I have an incredible knack for being just about one reply too late when those deals surface.In the “suddenly thrust onto the market place with not respect or appreciation for what they are” realm, if you can live with a Mad River Monarch those come on the used market more frequently than Sea Winds. Maybe more often than Sawyer Loons.
Monarchs sometimes appear at ridiculously low “Don’t-really-know-what-this-is” prices. In the past 10 or so years I’ve seen a sellers pair of Monarch sold for less than $200 each (and immediately flipped for big bucks), a Monarch listed as “17’ Mad River Canoe” because that is what the big bold letters on the side told the seller.
A Monarch and a Blackhawk for the take ‘em both price of $400, and a couple of Monarchs similarly listed with titles like “Mad River Canoe with rudder” or “17’ Mad River Canoe Kayak”, all in the $200 range. Those sold in hours; you aren’t the only one looking.
Whether your ethics allow taking such a steal from some widow who doesn’t know what she has is up to you.
A Monarch in decent shape runs $1500 and up, and. But if you are Craigslist or Fbook marketplace searching it is worth clicking on any Mad River with similar descriptions, just in case.
I’d be curious to know the numbers of Loons, Monarchs and Sea Winds each produced.
EDIT: I know at least one paddlecraft steward with a sizable collection who cares not; won’t sell them, won’t fix them, won’t even put the derelicts up by the side of the road with a “FREE” sign. He swears he’ll cut them up and take them to the landfill first.
Fortunately I don’t think he owns a power saw.
As long as your chains saw is reserved for felling trees and the occassional Jason Voorhees re-enactment, we'll call it all good.I have a chain saw..........so maybe I'm not the "steward" you are thinking of. Also I'm not sure if 8 canoes is a "sizable collection". In other respects I do fit the profile!
I love your moniker, "Cold Feet", it describes perfectly how I feel when I paddle this time of year.By accident I bought a used 17 ft mad River canoe with a rudder a few years back for $112.50 a few miles away from me. What the heck did I know. Yep a Monarch. I fixed it up a bit and was offered $1500 and I think a Tilly hat. The money is gone but I use that hat on many trips. I wished I kept the Monarch but my paddling life just didn’t meet the needs of the Monarch. Just like now a 65 Vett wouldn’t fit in my life style now. Need the right toy in the right area to enjoy. I’m glad I did trip with it one or two times. Hope you find one soon and we get to read all about it. Mine was red.
Mmccrea, there are indeed all types out there, from the unwitting to the unscrupulous, but in the final analysis I agree with you that personal integrity dwarfs them all.I have contacted vastly undervalued sellers to let them know what they had, and suggest a more reasonable but not top-of-the-mark asking price. That has “cost” me a few desirable boats.
Some ads and sellers seem sketchy from the get go and, not knowing what the story is – moving a stolen boat quickly but actual resale value cluelessly sometimes pings my Spidey sense – if it seems too far “off” I just avoid further contact.
Some sellers seem upright and honest, just don’t know much about them selling my late-husband’s boat(s).
We have enough paddlecraft, and while I enjoy futzing around with boats, I’m not a flipper*. I’m often on the lookout for the next better boat, but I can’t put a value on personal integrity.
*I’m not sure how I feel about flippers. There are a couple active paddlecraft flippers in my search area, some regularly posting ISO or Wanted ads (lately a clever, Old West-style “WANTED” poster). Many under valued boats soon reappear at two or three times the purchase price, bear greased shiny photographed or rudimentarily “repaired”.
I don’t know how the better of them, those who actually rehab a boat with decent craftsmanship, make any money at it.
The skeezy ones - just slap on a thick coat of porch paint to hide 1000 shattered gel coat cracks, screw in easy-clamp square junkwood gunwales, use every cheap crappy material type flippers just give folks with a passion for boats a bad name.
There has been some schadenfreude pleasure in that; one of the most active local flippers ended up with a remaindered collection of unsold no-market-for-them canoes and kayaks for which he overpaid.