I read somewhere that the pelican brand was bad. Any truth to this?

Also, is this a good deal?
http://dallas.craigslist.org/sdf/boa/2888278721.html

Pelican makes a decent entry level kayak. They are not the best nor the worst on the market. The problems most people point out with them are:

* Low weight capacity - paddler + gear = weight capacity
* Stability - very poor in most cases
* Tracking - they don't generally paddle very straight
* Leakage - they are a two piece kayak joined in the middle which tends to make them leak.
* Most folks are very displeased with them and then lose money when trying to re-sell them.

When it comes to buying a kayak you absolutely want to paddle before you buy. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of money buying inexpensive yaks that you don't like.

Also heard they have thin hulls, which will tear holes easier. IMO wait and try out a few and save up until you find what works for you

They're not repairable, either, because of the thin hull. The hull designs leave a lot to be desired, as well. Save up into the $500 range and you'll find you can get a much better quality yak.

I think the Pelican castaway is a decent starter kayak, and I speak from experience. I have owned and fished from several kayaks over the years. I fished the coves of all the major lakes in the DFW area from a 10' Pelican Castaway for a few years. I also fished the bays in Panama City, Fl every year in my castaway. The thickness of the hull material and stability is not an issue in my opinion. I ran it up on rocks, dragged it across the bank to my truck, and even ran it up on the rocks in the jetty's in N. Fla and it didn't have any more than the normal scratches I got on any of my other kayaks. As far as stability goes, you have to keep in mind there are compromises for speed vs stability, etc. For more speed you go with a longer narrow kayak. This in turn gives up some stability. As far as tracking goes, the 12' model is definitely going to track better than the 10' model. As for resell, I bought the 10' model on sale for $275 at Academy and sold it on Craig's list for $300 with a $50 paddle. Not bad resell in my opinion. I sold it because I wanted a longer kayak to make it easier to travel longer distance. I bought a 14' kayak that is a heck of lot faster but not as stable. As far as whether $375 in the ad is a good deal or not, they are going for $379 new plus tax. I would try to get a little better price. Are there better kayaks for a coule hundred more? Absolutely. But I still think they are worth the money if you don't have a couple hundred more and want to try out the sport.

Thanks a bunch! Ive found a few for about five hundred that look to have the features I want, the only thing that is stopping me is not having paddled them.

pelican bad

plain and simple