Walden Kayak question

“http://www.waldensports.com/products/touring/vista/vista.html

Check out this kayak for me please. Has anyone had any time in a Walden Kayak? How good are they? Any problems with them?

I like this one. 12 1/2 feet long, 24 inches wide (the narrower, the better, IMO), weighing in at 39 lbs. with a rear hatch (according to the store person and the chart she had, there seems to be some difference in this web page). It is a nice light kayak. The previous #1 choice, the perception Carolina was 51 lbs. but it had 2 cargo hatches and is some 14 feet long and 22 inches wide.

My buddy has 12 foot kayaks and they seem to work well. Anyways, we are pretty excited about these, as they are "only" about $500.00, compared to the perception Carolina which comes in at some $800.00 or so.

So anyways, what is your opinion of Walden kayaks? Good luck with them, bad luck with them, do they stand behind them?”

“Dunno about the company's reputation. Try posting on www.paddling.net. People over there are helpful, but of course people are slower at posting over there, compared to here.

Some design notes though: If you plan on doing a lot of ocean paddling, I'd consider the Carolina. The length will help you push through chop.

Good luck with the decision! Kayaking rules! :-)”

“monkeyboy - I am no expert. But, IMO, part of the deciding factors should be 1) length of desired trips (1 hatch vs 2) and 2) where you'll be kayaing (river, open water, etc)

I have the Carolina. And, am VERY pleased with it. I wouldn't want any less storage space for overnight trips. The lenght is just right for open water (Great Lakes) and isn't too much for these slow moving MI rivers.”

“Well, we've both tried the carolina, I guess we'll have to try out this one also and see how it works....”